This is a collection containing documents from the planning and construction of what is now Exley Science Center, between 1963 and 1971. This collection is about Phase II of the Science Center. Phase I was the construction of Hall-Atwater Laboratory, which was completed in 1967, preceding the rest of the center. In the mid 1960s, the student population of the University was augmented by 510, approaching the population we have today. Wesleyan had to meet the need to accommodate more students than the previous Hall Laboratory was capable of, a well as meet competitive standards in the fields of science. These two factors justified the cost of the new Science Center, which in the end was approximately 18 million dollars. Phase II was completed in 1970.

This collection is of particular interest to students and faculty at the present moment due to the pending construction of the new Molecular and Life Sciences building. This enormous project that the University is about to undertake has become controversial for a number of reasons, but perhaps the most talked about controversy is the demolition of the historic Shanklin Laboratory. Hall-Atwater, which has only been around since 1967, will also be demolished, although this seems to have not raised much protest. The February 22 issue of the Argus described the complaints issued by the “Shanklinistas:” the faculty of Shanklin who have protested its demolition, and have been supported by many students. Despite this, in the same Argus article, Professor of Neuroscience and Behavior Stephen Devoto was quoted as saying “It’s going to be the most expensive thing Wesleyan has done, perhaps ever. The next step is to get the campus behind this plan, and agree that this is the best way forward.” Indeed, the project will cost an estimated $160 million dollars, which is expected to significantly contribute to a projected $2 million dollar annual deficit by the 2012-2013 school year (according to the Argus, April 4). Devoto contrasts the new building from the existing Science Center, which he calls the “ugliest thing on campus” (Argus, Oct 5).

It will be interesting to see if the building is perceived as aesthetically pleasing, or if it ends up being a functional project that ignores questions of aesthetics (as many perceive Exley). According to the Campus Master plan, the goal is to “create a stronger sense of community among students and faculty in different areas of science by increased opportunities for informal interaction, to address how classrooms and modes of teaching may change as we enter an era in which technology will become more important in the acquisition and transmittal of knowledge.” You can also access the images of what the building should look like here. It should provide an interesting comparison with the original construction of the Science Center.

In March 1936, a severe flood struck Middletown. Especially hard hit were the low lying areas near the Connecticut River in Middletown’s North End. This is a photograph facing north with the river on the right-hand side.

Wesleyan students, although safe on the high ground of the campus, helped with flood relief. Some worked with the Red Cross, helping ferry residents to safety, while others operated radio communications to keep state officials and RedCross headquarters in Hartford apprised of the conditions in Middletown. The biology and chemistry department even pitched in to do chemical analysis of drinking water to determine its safety.

Wesleyan’s student newspaper, The Argus, noted in a March 28, 1936 article that “Time spent in moving people and personal belongings from houses in the affected districts should give a little better appreciation of the living conditions from which the undergraduate is accustomed to divorce himself completely, and a glimpse of character and personality of such times of those just past cannot but be of value. ” The 1936 flood is an early example of community service offered by Wesleyan students within the greater Middletown community.

More photos and other information about the 1936 flood can be found in Special Collections & Archives, Monday-Friday, 1-5pm. Also see Elizabeth A. Warner’s A Pictorial History of Middletown for more about the flood and Middletown history.

Wesleyan generally prides itself on its reputation for political activity. Recently, according to the November, 30^th edition of the Argus, 50 student, faculty, and citizen protesters marched down to the Army recruitment office in Metro Square in protest of the war in Iraq.

Forty years ago, the University was in similar circumstances during the Vietnam War. On February 6, 1969, about 200 students gathered at North College and effectively blocked a Navy recruiter from meeting with students, and made it clear to the University that they objected to the war and military recruitment. The events, covered in several local newspapers, immediately became a decisive factor in how the administration chose to navigate its policy between appeasing students and faculty deeply opposed to the war and military recruitment on campus, and between a military establishment with the legal right to offer its career options to students. Both sides of the conflict used considerable leverage to pursue their aims. During the 1970-1971 school year, the University was accused by certain faculty members of recruiting students for espionage, holding government executive sessions behind closed doors at military request and violating academic freedom, and of concealing information of such proceedings from the community. However, during the same time, Wesleyan also found itself accused by the US Marines Corps, who then informed the Secretary of Defense, of barring military personnel from campus in violation of the NASA Act. The University seems to have been able to appease both sides, and the tensions waned as the war ended in 1973.

This collection is mostly comprised of correspondences amongst faculty members, and between the University and the military. It also contains a lot of interesting newspaper articles about the protests and changes in University policy, as well as some interesting personal documents and essays from specific faculty members that shed some personal light on what was going on at Wesleyan, behind closed doors, during this tumultuous time.

Do you know where this window is at Wesleyan? 

Too often we are so caught up in our own lives and that we forget to look at the things around us. 115 years have passed since a certain Wesleyan student graduated but his generosity is still all around us to enjoy from one corner of the campus to the other. George W. Davison graduated in 1892, served as a Trustee from 1912 until his death in 1953 and President of the Board of Trustee’s from 1928-1943. We know the Davison Art Center, which Mr. Davison’s donation of his print collection makes it one of the most important at an American university. His many contributions to Wesleyan University include funding of the Davison Health Center and Alsop House purchase and renovation.

What does this have to do with the picture of the stained glass window?

The Davison’s funded the creation of the Davison Rare Book Room in Special Collections & Archives of Olin Library and donated a superb collection of rare books. Two of the many items donated by George Davison go mostly unnoticed because of the need to close the drapes in the Davison Rare Book Room. These two items are large stained glass windows believed to come from his home in Somerset, MA.  Two-thirds of the 1500 volumes in the room belonged to George Davison’s own collection. If you would like to see the Davison Rare Book Room, hand carved walnut paneling, built-in glass-fronted book shelves, a built-in exhibition case for his four Shakespeare folios, Bibles from the 13^th to the 20^th Centuries or the stained glass windows stop by Monday-Friday 1:00-5:00.

The more than 1000 books in the Manchester office in Olin Library have been inventoried. Of these, 22% are copies of books by William Manchester himself, representing a veritable United Nations of languages. American Caesar is represented in French and Spanish, but also in Japanese, Indonesian and Hebrew. His most well known book, The Death of a President appears on the shelves in Russian, Greek, German, Japanese, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Romanian, Portuguese, Italian, French, Spanish, Slovenian and Finnish.

Of the remaining books, 8% are references such as dictionaries, encyclopedias, atlases and thesauri. There are, of course, many books on his last subject, Winston Churchill, and many books on 20^th century history in general. Manchester traveled widely and there are travel guides to England, France and Germany. As an old Baltimore Sun reporter, he had books on the history of various publishers and newspapers. He was a Marine Corps survivor from World War II and had many books and publications relating to the sixth marine division. Books written by H.L. Mencken are well represented. Mencken was the subject of his first major published work, and was the reason that Manchester came to Baltimore and worked at Sunpapers. There are also books by Wesleyan authors, notably Joseph Reed and Paul Horgan. Nine of the Horgan books are inscribed by the author.

It is easy to tell which books Manchester used frequently; they show evidence of hard wear. Book jackets are often missing, the pages are heavily underlined and highlighted. Sometimes there is the mark of late night sessions sustained by coffee. Many books had interesting inserts and inscriptions, especially the books by Mencken. Newspaper Days is inscribed by Mencken to Manchester’s mother: “Mrs. Sallie T. Manchester – At the command of her excellent son, and with the assurance that the newspaper business has improved since my day – HL Mencken”. William Manchester was an author dedicated to his art and actively involved with the world around him. The library bears witness to the man.

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In the morning on November 3, staff members Suzy Taraba and Valerie Gillispie will be presenting a WESeminar called “A History of Wesleyan Presidents.” Find out who they were, what they believed, and what they did for fun! The presentation will be followed by a light-hearted “quiz,” and all participants will get a special treat!

Benjamin Arthur Caleb Papers, 1851-1861
Laban Clark Papers, 1794-1935
Deutsche Verein Records, 1909-1960
Monday Club Records, 1892-1995
Dana Plante (Class of 1959) Collection, 1954-1960
Phyllis Rose Collection, 1977-1984
Beatrice Witkin Papers, 1949-1988

With the help of our great student employees, we’ll be putting more finding aids online throughout the school year.

Pretty different than the laser printers we’re used to!

Because these files are readily accessible and organized by topic, they are great places to start your research. By looking at the files on, say, Olin Library, you will find lots of information about the architects, design, dates of construction, and changes over the years. Once you have the basic facts, it is much easier to figure out which archival collections (our collection of architectural plans- the Henry Bacon Papers-) will have the sort of information you really need.

And remember: the friendly staff members in SC&A are always delighted to help you in your research!