Purdue University Purdue e-Pubs Purdue University Press Book Previews Purdue University Press 5-6-2019 Ever True: 150 Years of Giant Leaps at Purdue University John Norberg Follow this and additional works at: https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/purduepress_previews Part of the Higher Education Commons Recommended Citation Norberg, John, "Ever True: 150 Years of Giant Leaps at Purdue University" (2019). Purdue University Press Book Previews. 23. https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/purduepress_previews/23 This document has been made available through Purdue e-Pubs, a service of the Purdue University Libraries. Please contact [email protected] for additional information. “Ever True . the compelling story about the first 150 years of Purdue University. Written with concise historical perspective, and mixed with humor and wit, this quick read tells the stories of the people who have made Purdue into the outstanding University it is today. This book is laced with appreciation and respect, as only this accomplished ‘Hall of Fame’ author could do. Thank you, John Norberg!” —Vanessa J. Castagna, Board of Trustees, 2013–Present, Purdue University * * * “Take a long, thrilling ride on the Boilermaker Special with chronicler John Norberg. With wit and humor, Norberg captures the spirit, the adventure, the stories, and the achievements of one of America’s oldest and most admired institutions of higher education. You will feel that you are living the legends that inspire Boilermakers everywhere. You will meet the people who have made a lasting impact on a university that is both respectful of tradition and welcoming of new ideas. The world’s oldest Big Bass Drum is summoning you to spend some time with this delightful history, which marches through 150 years of famous competitions on the gridiron to inspira­ tion from Nobel Laureates.” — France A. Córdova, President Emerita, Purdue University * * * “Among its stories of alumni and faculty giants, Ever True illuminates the role students have played in shaping the University, and the book reads as a familiar and telling account of what students prize. It grounds the reader in what truly exemplifies being a Boilermaker — that the bold spirit present in many members of the Purdue community today is nothing new, but rather to be expected and cherished.” — Samuel Eschker, Student Body President, 2017–2018, Purdue University * * * “John Norberg’s Ever True: 150 Years of Giant Leaps at Purdue University is an engaging, inspiring, and beautifully written history of one of America’s most distinguished public universities. It tells the story of Purdue from its humble origins through to its emergence as a preeminent research university. Purdue’s relentless commitment to excellence is captured in the personalities and stories of its leaders, its faculty, its students, and its remarkably devoted alumni. Norberg artfully captures the excitement and progress of the time period after 2000 that I have personally experienced at Purdue. This wonderful book is a must­read for all who love this great University.” — Martin C. Jischke, President Emeritus, Purdue University * * * “With captivating storytelling, drama, and wit, John Norberg has compiled the most comprehensive history of Purdue University to date. His account brings history to life by focusing on the people who shaped Purdue. Written as a series of vignettes, each chapter illuminates a major event or tradition, always with the human element at the forefront. Through diaries, interviews, and other rare sources, Norberg offers a variety of perspectives that define the identity and character of the institution via the personalities involved. Even the most die­hard Purdue fan will find something new to learn and savor in Ever True.” — Sammie L. Morris, University Archivist, Purdue University * * * “Ever True is a very good read! Anyone who approaches this book believing the old myth that history is dull and uninteresting will be pleasantly surprised. This book is a gift of great value to the Purdue community — now and as long as there is a Purdue University.” — Betty M. Nelson, Dean of Students Emerita, Purdue University * * * “Norberg skillfully walks readers through time in this fascinating, comprehensive history of Purdue. His relatable descriptions contain something for everyone to learn. We as students should be proud to be part of this rich history, and Ever True provides us with a sense of what it means to be a Boilermaker: a hardworking, humble individual who has the potential to make an enormous impact. I am ever grateful to the Boilermakers in this book who have made Purdue what it is today. As a trustee, I feel even more compelled after reading Ever True to ensure that Purdue’s future is as fruitful as its 150­year history. Hail Purdue.” — Daniel Romary, Student Trustee, 2017–2019, Purdue University The Founders Series 150 Years of Giant Leaps at PURDUE UNIVERSITY JOHN NORBERG Purdue University Press, West Lafayette, Indiana Copyright 2019 by Purdue University. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Cataloging-in-Publication data is on file at the Library of Congress. Print ISBN: 978-155753-822-2 ePDF ISBN: 978-161249-543-9 ePUB ISBN: 978-161249-544-6 Images copyright Purdue University unless otherwise indicated. To all the voices singing “Hail Purdue” who shaped its past and herald its future ever grateful, ever true Teaching Us How to Think “I remember going to aerodynamics class taught by professor Merrill Shanks. In the first day of class he gave an assignment to read pages 62 to 69 which was Bernoulli’s Law and the assignment was to criticize it. It was right then that I realized they weren’t teaching us facts and information. They were teaching us how to think. And that turned out to be extremely important in many of the situations I encountered through my life.” — Neil Armstrong, Aeronautical Engineering ’55, fall of 2004 interview with Raymond Cubberley, broadcast media senior producer, Purdue Marketing Photo and Video Contents List of Giant Leaps xii Foreword xv Preface xix Part One 1869 to 1900 1 First Commencement June 1875 3 2 On the Cusp of Greatness: A City and a Man 1802 to 1869 10 3 Bidding for a University 1869 17 4 Making of a University 1869 to 1874 24 5 Presidents Come and Go 1874 to 1876 30 6 His Spirit Departs 1876 41 vii 7 Old Borax 1880 to 1906 47 8 Turbulence, Enthusiasm, and Accomplishments 1883 to 1893 58 9 One Brick Higher 1890 to 1895 73 10 The Look and Feel of a University 1890 to 1900 81 Part Two 1900 to 1971 11 Dawn of a New Century 1900 to 1921 93 12 Football Train Wreck: Cheers to Tears 1903 109 13 The Problem of Purdue’s Duty to Women 1904 to 1918 117 14 The Purdue School of Medicine 1903 to 1908 124 15 A Man of Stone Quietly Faces a Personal Crisis 1907 to 1919 131 16 A Bulwark of Defense in Time of War 1917 to 1918 137 17 Winthrop Stone Saw Nothing Higher 1921 141 18 Edward C. Elliott Wakes Up Purdue 1922 to 1945 144 viii EVER TRUE 19 The Dean: Andrey A. Potter 1882 to 1979 160 20 An Era of Change 1922 to 1937 167 21 A Hall of Music in the Great Depression 1929 to 1940 180 22 Preparing Students for War 1941 to 1945 189 23 Redbrick Buildings and Quonset Huts 1945 to 1950 201 24 Basketball Bleacher Collapse February 1947 212 25 African Americans Apply to Purdue Residence Halls 1944 to 1947 217 26 New Schools and New Traditions: Everything’s Coming Up Roses 1940s, 1950s, 1960s 225 27 The Spring of Discontent 1968 to 1971 240 28 Purdue Astronauts 1946 to Present 255 Part Three 1972 to 2018 29 Arthur Hansen: The Students’ President 1970s 267 30 Opportunity, Equality, and Respect 1970s 280 Contents ix 31 Purdue Celebrates a Nobel Prize 1979 to 1982 290 32 Steven C. Beering: The Years Before Purdue 1932 to 1983 296 33 The Steven Beering Years 1983 to 2000 304 34 A Makeover for Purdue 1983 to 2000 317 35 A Photo Finish 1983 to 2000 324 36 Martin Jischke: The Next Level 1941 to 2000 330 37 Who Moved My Cheese? 2000 to 2001 339 38 Preeminence 2001 to 2002 347 39 Mission Accomplished 2003 to 2007 354 40 France Córdova: A Résumé Out of This World 1947 to 2007 362 41 Progress Through Economic Recession 2007 to 2012 367 42 The 5 a.m. Telephone Call 2007 to 2012 374 43 A Governor for Purdue 2012 to 2018 382 x EVER TRUE 44 A New Model for Higher Education 2012 to 2018 387 45 Ever True 399 Notes 403 Bibliography 441 Index 445 Contents xi Giant Leaps John Bradford Harper 9 Eulora Miller Jennings 39 Chase Osborn 40 Annie Peck 57 William Freeman Myrick (W. F. M.) Goss 72 Elwood Mead 80 Katherine Golden Bitting 108 Maurice Zucrow 159 Orville Redenbacher 166 Francis Beck 179 Charles A. Ellis 188 Frank P. Thomas Jr. 199 James S. Peters II 200 Gertrude Sunderlin 210 Ruth Siems 211 Robert C. Baker 215 Joel Spira 216 Frank Brown Jr. 223 Forest Farmer 224 Brian Lamb 237 Delon Hampton 238 Jules Janick 239 Roland G. Parrish 253 Dolores Cooper Shockley 254 xii Frank Bass 262 Scott Niswonger 263 Seymour Benzer 278 H. Edwin Umbarger 279 Beth Brooke­Marciniak 287 Carol Pottenger 288 Anthony Harris 289 Michael Rossmann 294 Carolyn Woo 295 Don Thompson 303 Vernon L. Smith 338 Arun K. Ghosh 346 R. Graham Cooks 353 Leslie Geddes 361 Rakesh Agrawal 380 Nancy W. Y. Ho 381 Deborah Knapp 386 Philip S. Low 398 Giant Leaps xiii Foreword hose among us of a certain age will never forget the moment Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon.