Davidson College Timeline

1850 | 1900 | 1950 | 2000

1835


On March 12th , the Concord Presbytery resolves to open a place where young men could secure an education.

	1836


	The Concord Presbytery buys 469 acres of land from Mr. William Lee Davidson II on January 1st, in the amount of $1,521. The college is named for his father, a local Revolutionary War hero and general, who died at the battle of Cowan's Ford in 1781.

1837


Davidson opens to approximately 64 students as a manual labor institute in the fall, with subjects including moral and natural philosophy, evidences of Christianity, classical languages, logic, and mathematics, taught by three professors, including the first president, Robert Hall Morrison.

	1837


	The students create two rival debating societies, the Philanthropic and Eumenean Literary Societies, which still exist today. The members of Phi and Eu build their own halls in 1849 and 1850, respectively, in which to hold their meetings, have their debates, and house their libraries.

1839


The Trustees commission the faculty to draw up the first college catalogue. The 1841-42 catalogue is the earliest know in existence.

	1840


	Eleven seniors graduate at the first Commencement excercises on July 30th. Each student receives a diploma with the new college seal, designed by Peter Stuart Ney, an elusive Frenchman believed to be Napolean's Marshal Ney. The college seal and motto,"Alenda Lux Ubi Orta Libertas" or "Let Learning Be Cherished Where Liberty Has Arisen," recall the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence.

1841


The Reverend Samuel Williamson is appointed President of Davidson College.

	1851


	The Scholarship Plan is instituted in March in order to raise money for the school. For $100, a person could buy a scholarship that could be redeemed to educate one student within the next 20 years at no cost. The money raised allows Davidson to survived through the early 1950s.

1855


The Reverend Drury Lacy is appointed President of Davidson College.

	1856


	Maxwell Chambers, Davidson's first substantial benefactor, leaves over $250,000 to the school, making Davidson the richest college south of Princeton. The Chambers Building, the main academic building, is constructed as a result of this gift.

1858


Beta Theta Pi becomes the first fraternity on campus.

	1860


	The Reverend John Lycan Kirkpatrick is appointed President of Davidson College.

1866


The Reverend George Wilson McPhail is appointed President of Davidson College.

	1870


	The two literary socities combine their efforts to create the first college magazine. The first issue of The Davidson Monthly was published in March. The magazine fades out of existence after the March 1872 issue, but is reborn in March 1886.

1871


During the 1871 Commencement exercises, President McPhail dies while in office. The trustees authorize the faculty to elect Professor John Rennie Blake to be Chairman, who will act as the chief administrative official of Davidson College for the next six years.

	1873


	In September, future President of the United States, Woodrow Thomas Wilson enters Davidson as a freshman, who becomes a member of the Eumenean Literary Society. After taking the next year off due to illness, Woodrow enrolls at Princeton to finish his undergraduate education.

1877


After Professor Blake served as Chairman, the trustees believe it appropriate to have a president "to project the College and its interests upon the outside public," and so, the Reverend Andrew Dousa Hepburn is appointed the next President of Davidson College. He is the last president to also serve as minister of the Davidson College Presbyterian Church.

	1885


	The Reverend Luther McKinnon, Davidson class of 1861, becomes the first alumnus to serve as President of Davidson College. The Davidson College Presbyterian Church also is completed on campus.

1887


The faculty and the literary societies combine their collections of books. The new collection forms the Union Library on the second floor of Chambers.

	1888


	The Reverend John Bunyon Shearer is appointed President of Davidson College.

1890


By 1890, the college has added the academic disciplines of Chemistry, English, History, and Physics. The teaching staff incorporates its first Ph.D.-holding professors this year.

	1890


	The cornerstone for Morrison Hall is laid during Commencement. Morrison Hall will be dedicated on June 8, 1892 and will serve as the gymnasium on first floor and the town YMCA on the second floor.

1893


Davidson incorporates the North Carolina Medical College, which is the first chartered Medical College in the state. Davidson has had a pre-medical program since 1886. By 1907, the college will move to Charlotte.

	1895


	In June, the first college annual is published, entitled Quips 'N Cranks.

1896


Professor Henry Louis Smith and three Medical College students take some of first, if not the first, X-ray photographs in the United States on January 12th and 13th, soon after getting a cable of Roentgen's X-rays in Germany.

	1898


	Davidson plays its first intercollegiate football game against the University of North Carolina, losing by eleven points. It is called a "victory in defeat" because of the great turnout by faculty and students.

1901


Professor Henry Louis Smith, class of 1881, is appointed President of Davidson College.

	1907


	Davidson hires Miss Cornelia Shaw, the first female employee of Davidson College. She serves for 30 years as the first secretary, first trained librarian, and first registrar.

1910


In June, a $300,000 financial campaign is completed, marked by a $75,000 grant from the General Education Board and a $20,000 gift from Andrew Carnegie, for which the Carnegie Library is named.

	1912


	Professor William Joseph Martin, Jr., clas of 1888, is appointed President of Davidson College.

1918


In response to the "European War," all Davidson students over eighteen years old are inducted into the Students' Army Training Corps (SATC) on October 1st. Davidson, like many other colleges in the nation, is turned into a military training camp. The Davidson SATC unit is demobilized on December 10th, but Davidson applies for a Reserved Officers Training Corps (ROTC) chapter, which is approved the following February.

	1921


	On the morning of November 28th, Chambers burns down. This is one of several fires that will change the face of the campus. The "new" Chambers will be completed on the same site in 1929 after gerenous gifts from the Rockefellers.

1922


A Phi Beta Kappa chapter is established on campus.

	1924


	On December 11th, James B. Duke creates the Duke Endowment, which assures Davidson of a continuing annual supplementary income for its operating budget.

1929


The Reverend and Professor Walter Lee Lingle, class of 1892, is appointed President of Davidson College. Despite the Great Depression, the Lingle Administration maintains Davidson's stability and security during this difficult time. The college does not run a deficit the entire time, does not cut salaries, and does not release a single faculty member for financial reasons.

	1931


	Future Secretery of State for Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, Dean Rusk graduates as Davidson's sixth Rhodes Scholar.

1937


Davidson celebrates its centennial. Davidson’s students and administration choreograph musical and dramatic performances for Commencement, involving hundreds of costumes, approximately 700 participants, the hiring of a pageant director from New York, and renting a six part stage. Unfortunately, the Centennial Celebration is rained out on the afternoon of June 7th, never to be completed.

	1938


	The Preyer infirmary opens in January for students. It is located on Concord Street across from Martin Chemical Laboratory and will eventually be converted to office space for professors.

1941


Dr. John Rood Cunningham is appointed President of Davidson College during the Second World War. He will keep the college afloat during the war, as well as, add five major buildings on campus. The endowment also will grow to five times its original size, when Cunningham entered office.

	1941


	Grey Memorial Library opens. The faculty, staff and students form the "book train" to transport books from the old Carnegie library, directly to the shelves in the new library.

1943


In February the federal government approves Davidson as a site for Aviation Cadet Training until 1944, at which time, the Army Specialized Training Reservist Program will arrive on campus. The traditional ROTC will resume in January 1946.

	1952


	After the old Davidson College Presbyterian Church was demolished in 1950, the new DCPC is completed in 1952, in response to the growing number of students on campus and the inability of the old structure to accommodate the growing attendance.

1958


President David Grier Martin, class of 1932, is appointed President of Davidson College, after serving as Treasurer during the Cunningham Administration.

	1958


	Patterson Court is completed "down the hill," in response to the social needs of the fraternities on campus. Twevle buildings are built to accommodate the 12 fraternities.

1962


Under the coaching of "Lefty" Driesell, the Davidson Basketball Team defeats the Duke Blue Devils, who are ranked #2 in the nation. The win is called "perhaps Davidson's greatest victory of all time." The Wildcats continue to a 21-3 record in the 1963-64 season and received the #1 ranking in the nation.

	1964


	Two Richardson Scholarship students from the Congo start school at Davidson in the fall, beginning the racial integration of Davidson that started with the Trustees' approval in 1958, followed in 1960 by the Faculty.

1967


Under the leadership of Dean of Faculty Frontis Johnston and President D. Grier Martin, the "Blue Sky" Curriculum is adopted by the faculty on November 14th. This adoption changes and expands the core requirements, as well as encourages students to take advantage of study abroad and the Humanities Program

	1968


	Dr. Samuel Reid Spencer, Jr., class of 1940, is appointed President of Davidson College. President Spencer emphasizes recruitment of minority students during his administration.

1969


The Davidson College Bowl Teams, coached by Professor Charles E. Lloyd, competes in the G. E. National College Bowl, which is aired on national television.

	1972


	The Board of Trustees approve the vote to admit women as degree candidates, making Davidson officially co-educational, although female students previously have been able to attend classes.

1974


The E. H. Little Library is completed and becomes the new academic heart of campus.

	1984


	Dr. John Wells Kuykendall, class of 1959, is appointed President of Davidson College.

1987


Davidson celebrates its Sesquicentennial.

	1988


	The first two of six senior apartment buildings is completed, called the D. Grier Martin Court Apartments. Construction of all six buildings will be completed in 1994.

1989


Hurricane Hugo sweeps through North Carolina on September 22nd, causing extensive damage to campus, including the loss of 231 trees.

	1992


	The Davidson Men's Soccer Team, under the coaching of Charlie Slagle and leadership of two-time all American Robert Ukrop, complete a 17-5-5 season with a bid to the NCAA tournament, in which they compete in the Final Four. Davidson also hosts the first of three consecutive NCAA soccer tournament Final Fours from 1992 until 1994.

1996


Davidson celebrates the completion of its "Campaign for Davidson," the largest campaign ever mounted by a liberal arts college at the time. More than $160.3 million is raised during the course of the campaign, which funded the construction of a visual arts centers, the Baker Sports Complex, three new residence halls, 13 endowed professorships, 202 new scholarships, seven academic departmental endowments, and 50 new endowed library book funds.

	1997


	Robert Fredrick Vagt, class of 1969, is appointed President of Davidson College.

2000


The Davidson Football Team finishes undefeated, 10-0, at the end of the regular season. After the end of the last game, the crowd rushes the field and tears down the goal post.

	2000


	The Royal Shakespeare Company stays for a 12-day residency and performs The Merchant of Venice at Davidson College in honor of the opening of the Duke Family Performance Hall in the student union. During this RSC tour, Davidson College is the only stop in North America.

2004


In honor of her retirement after 35 years of service to the college, the laundry facility is rededicated as the Lula Bell Houston Laundry.

	2005


	The Board of Trustees changes the by-laws in February, so that 20% of the Board members do not have to be active members of a Christian church.

2005


Davidson finishes the “Let Learning Be Cherished” campaign, raising $272 million over seven years, far exceeding the $250 million goal. The campaign includes creating 156 new scholarships, 15 new faculty endowments, building of the Knobloch Campus Center, and various other renovations on campus.

	2006


	President Vagt announces his retirement on June 8th and will most likely leave his post at the end of the 2006-2007 academic year. The Board of Trustees currently searches for candidates.

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Webpage designed by Mark Grotjohn, inspired by Archives & Special Collections timeline of Amherst College

For more information contact: Jan Blodgett
Davidson College Library
PO Box 7200
Davidson, NC 28035-7200
(704) 894-2494 Fax: (704) 894-2625