Celebration
of the 100th anniversary of the dedication of Sherman Hall involved
a look back, recognizing the generosity of the citizens of Sherman who raised
$50,000 to fund the building and keep Austin College in Sherman after a fire
destroyed “Old Main,” which had served as the classrooms, faculty offices, and
administrative offices of the College.
Then,
100 years of use—in capacity as library, chapel, classrooms, and more--create a
lot of memories for faculty, staff, and students. More looking back with
laughter and reflection.
SHARE YOUR MEMORIES OF SHERMAN HALL.
The
celebration also took a look forward with announcement of the Austin College
Center for Community and Regional Development.
For some reason I had not realized the story behind Sherman Hall's name. That is wonderful. I was at Austin College between 1957 and 1960. My first year Wynne Chapel was being built, and chapel services were held upstairs in Sherman Hall, where we had assigned seating so counters in the balcony could check roll to be sure we were there. Unfortunately, my chair was behind a giant (or so it seemed) pillar, and I had to lean way over to see the speakers.
ReplyDeleteThe first floor of Sherman Hall housed the college library all three of my years at AC, and I spent much time in the library, especially since I worked there 12 or 15 hours a week for my last three semesters. Registration for my first fall term was also held there, but I don't recall where later registration was held.
I would like to wish a happy 100th birthday to Sherman Hall.
Priscilla Abbott '60
In the 1961 freshman orientation we were taken to Sherman Hall to see the new language lab. I was to return to this big room several times a week to satisfy a requirement of freshman French. My very own reel of magnetic tape was kept there, and I used it with recorded lessons about a man named Monsieur Hughes to practice spoken French and learn speech patterns. Yes, I will always remember Sherman Hall.
ReplyDeleteRyan Allen, Class of 1965
Sherman Hall, BS 101, 1961
ReplyDeletePerhaps the professors should have rethought the name of the “Basic Studies” course, which translated in the catalog, to students’ delight, as BS 101, BS 102, BS 201, BS 202, and BS 401. Or maybe it was the professors’ little joke--the BS part. The entire course sequence, a study of the history of western civilization, was required. (The senior-level course was a “problems” course, seminar-style, fabulous.) Our primary freshman and sophomore textbook was William McNeill, History of Western Civilization. (It was referred to as McNeill, which seemed very sophisticated to one just out of high school.)
It was an AC-specific course, a combination of history, religion, and philosophy. Professors from each of those departments, and no doubt other departments, designed the course and took turns teaching the lectures as their special content came up in the history of civilization/sequence of the course.
During our freshman and sophomore years, the class met for lectures in Hoxie Thompson Auditorium in Sherman Hall, TTS at 8:00 a.m. (The Saturday morning classes served to keep us all on campus over the weekends.)
It was a Saturday morning early in my freshman semester. I was really tired and fighting to keep my eyelids up, unsuccessfully. Our seats in the auditorium were alphabetically assigned. As a “C,” I was close to the front. Luckily, luckily, the “C” sitting next to me poked his elbow into me and woke me up just in time to hear the part of the lecture on Plato’s theory of the cave. (Our knowledge is just a shadow … You know the piece.)
Thank you, thank you, Freshman C, who sat by me. An explanation of Plato’s theory of the cave counted for a fourth of our BS 101 final exam. Close call. It happened in Sherman Hall.
Penny Coyne McAdoo, Class of 1965
Thank you for the update on the exciting planning and development for Austin College during the next five years. Yes, I have many memories of Sherman Hall. I worked in the Library for most of my years at Austin College. It was a great place to help support my presence at the College. Being an English major, I loved being in the library. Many classes were held there. Also, I attended Chapel there Tuesdays and Thursdays every week, with many great and some not so great speakers. However, my spiritual soul was fed! My roommate was an organ music major. I went there to hear her practice and learned to love organ music and her. We were roommates for the full four years at Austin. My years at Austin College as the first member of my family to attend college and graduate were supportive, stimulating, challenging, and life changing! Your plans for a new Sherman Hall are exciting! Your 2015 – 2020 Plan sounds supportive, stimulating, challenging, and life changing for current and future students! Concepts for preparing students for being productive and successful in a rapidly changing and challenging world are most appropriate and necessary for all post-secondary education! I will plan to support this program and pray that the rest of our alumni agree that the path is a requirement for future success. Partnerships with business/industry and other similar liberal arts colleges and transfer universities and professional schools will put Austin College on the Map of the World!
ReplyDeletePatricia Merriann Green Munz
Class of 1955