Newspaper Page Text
Page 10
December 4, 1990
Clark A tlanta University Panther
History Of Tradition, Pride
CA U Has Rich
By TONYA LATIMER
News Editor
“Tuition , $1 per month, Board, $6 and $8 per
month. Admits students of all races and both sexes,”
was the advertisement for the opening of Clark
University.
This advertisement appeared in the 1881 Atlanta
City Directory.
Religion molded the history of what is now Clark
Atlanta University. It was founded by the Methodist
Episcopal Church through the Freedmen’s Aid
Society. The organization’s educational aim was to
provide elementary education for the Negro children;
to provide teacher training; and to provide training
fora ministers. The twostory building formally
opened Aug.4, 1869, marked the beginning of a legacy.
Just as a butterfly goes through metamorphosis, so
did CAU. Clark College has relocated four times. It
was first located at Summer Hill in 1872 and moved to
Whitehall and McDaniels Street and again in 1880 to
South Atlanta and finally taking permanent roots in it
present location in 1941.
Its first location was where the school at Clark
Chapel was held. There were three departments:
Normal, Preparatory and Primary. The Clark College
alma mater makes reference to this location in its first
verse. It states, “There’s a school on a hill that we love
good and true . . .”
According to The Clark College Legacy, by Dr.
James P. Brawley. former president of Clark College.
“No man in the church has done more for this
educational work than Bishop Clark." Therefore,
after af few years Summer Hill was given the name
Clark “...in honor of our beloved Bishop.”
Bishop Dr. Davis Westgate Clark, the first president
of the Freedmen’s Aid Society, was an experienced
educator, the author of several textbooks and an
"...able divine.”
In extending his efforts to help educate African
American children, Bishop Clark encouraged
ministers to establish primary schools. Among those
to oblige Bishop Clark's wishes was the Rev. J.W. Lee,
who took charge of a primry school in Clark Chapel
.Methodist Church in 1867.
The school was taken over by the Freedmen’s Aid
Society in 1869 and they later purchased a building in
the Summer Hill area of Atlanta for $4,500. The
school became known as the Summer Hill School and
was the basic beginning of what came to be known as
Clark University.
Ironically, as the seed of Clark College was
sprouting, the Atlanta Board of Education was just
beginning. It was in January of 1872 that the Atlanta
Public School System came into existence.
The second transition occurred when the Lloyd
Street Church transferred its classes to Whitehall
Street. Shortly afterwards, the Clark University
School of Theology was founded. The Freedmen’s
Aid Society reported that the Clark Theological
Seminary was opened with appropriate religious
services, in February 1875.
The Gammon Theological Seminary, which is now
a component of the Interdenominational Theological
Center, is another example of how Clark's founders
strongly convicted education and religion.
In the meantime, the Primary work was continued
in the Summer Hill School that was sold to the City of
Atlanta in 1877 for $3,000.
The Sixth Annual Report of the Freedmen’s Society
indicated that the term 1872 to 1873 was the first full
session of the theological school. During that year 78
students were enrolled. There were 23 in theological
school and 55 in the Preparatory and Normal
Departments.
These students primarily represented Alabama,
Florida and Georgia. Today, the enrollment is in the
thousands and students come from everywhere; the
West Indies, California and Africa, to gain a higher
level of education.
According to Dr. Brawley, the school flourished in
1874 under the administration of Rev. Isaac J.
Lansing. He stated that along with other
developments, a wooden structure was added to
supplement the brick building of 11 rooms.
“The twostory wooden structure provided two large
recitation rooms on the first floor and dormitory
rooms for men on the second floor,”according to Dr.
Brawley.
As times change, developments advance.
According to Dr. Isabella Jenkins, director of the
Honor Program, when she came to Clark as a student
in 1941, Pfeiffer and Merner Halls were the only two
dormitories on campus. In contrast to the present, the
men lived in Pfeiffer and the women lived in Merner.
She added that later came Holmes Hall, Brawley Hall
and Kresge Hall.
Kresge was not an honors dormitory in the
beginning. It belonged to the home economics majors.
They used the facilities to cook, have classes and
house women majoring in home economics. Here
again is another difference. Home economics is no
longer offered as a major at Clark Atlanta University.
Dr. Brawley said that the most important
development during 1876 to 1877 was the addition of
Dr. William Henry Crogman, who was the first
(acting) African American president. Dr. Brawley
described him as a “man of unusual ability and
maturity.”
Dr. Crogman was also the first African American
teacher employed by the Freedmen’s Aid Society in
1870 at Chaflin University.
According to the book, by the end of the period
when Clark University was located on Whitehall
Street, there had been much growth. The departments
increased, resulting in an increase in faculty members.
The last move resulted in the present location in
South Atlanta. This was the location of the first
building, Chrisman Hall. In a report to the General
Conference in 1884, the building was described as “the
most beautiful and convenient building to society,
having class and school rooms and a chapel large
enough to accommodate 200 students.”
This large space was needed because chapel was well
attended. Dr. Jenkins said that chapel was required as
if it were a course. She continued that if a student
didn't come he or she was punished. Although several
students hid to avoid attending the service, only a few
succeeded. She said that today chapel is no longer a
requirement which explains the low turnout every
Sunday.
Curfews were also important to the institution.
Juniors had to be in by 9 p.m.; first semester seniors
had to be in by 11 p.m.; and second semester senior
had to be in by midnight. This could be attributed to
the time in history and the fact that the students were
young. Dr. Jenkins stated that on an average her
freshmen class was 16. Whereas, today the average
freshman is 18 and beyond the minor stage.
Disrupting during the rigidly enforced study hours,
which were 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. then also, could result in
punishment. “You could just about hear a pin drop,’
described Dr. Jenkins.
The rule that students must sign out of the
dormitory if they are leaving campus has become
almost obsolete. This could also result in punishment
during Dr. Jenkins' days. She said that the institution
was responsible for the student and considered a
substitute parent.
Parents
Continued From Page 5
in the safety of the area," he
said.
Francis Crues of St. Louis,
would like to see her daughter,
Serita, a junior majoring in
sociology, come home.
“I’m worried sick about her
and sometimes I wish she
would come home, but I know
that Serita can take care of
herself,” she said. “It is such a
shame that the young man was
killed.”
Ms. Crues, who owns a
convienence store, knows that
there is no use in running.
“You can’t escape crime and
violence,” she said. “It’s sad
but it is everywhere.”
Desiree Gulston, a freshman
psychology major, is also in the
Marching Panther band. She
lives off campus and does not
have a car. She must catch
MARTA home from practice.
Her mother is 42-year-old
Margurite Wenham, a regis
tered nurse in Snellville. Ms.
Wenham is understandably
worried about her daughter.
“It’s very disturbing and yes,
I do feel for my daughter’s
safety,” she said.
However, Ms. Wenham does
not feel that campus crime is a
problem that is solely limited to
CAU.
“J’hat could have happened
at any school,” she said. “I’m
sure that crime occurs at other
campuses but most of it goes
unreported so we don’t hear
about it.”
The parents of male students
are just as concerned about
their sons as female parents are
about their daughters.
Mary Huff, the mother of
Pierce Huff, has been a resident
of Atlanta for over 25 years.
She knows that crime is
inescapable here.
“People are rowdy every
where, so you really can not run
from crime,” she said. Even
where we attend church (Vine
City) there is a lot of crime. We
could be victimized while at
church.”
Pierce is a senior journalism
major and was formerly the
sports editor of the Panther.
Panther staffers, especially
section editors, remain at the
school late into the night and
early morning hours. Ms. Huff
is glad that her son no longer
works with the paper.
“I am so relieved that he isn’t
the sports editor anymore,”
said the 47-year-old defense
department management
analyst. “He was always out so
late and I was worried.”
“1 never gave thought about
pulling him out (of CAU)," she
said. “Crime is all over. Even
(Georgia) Tech is next to
Techwood Homes. I just feel
that they need to beef up
security at Clark (Atlanta
University) and use more cops
to protect these kids who are
studying late.”
Linda Jones, 37, is very close
to her son Ralph. JTie shooting
took place right outside of his
dormroom window.
“I was stunned to hear what
happened,” said the Savannah
housewife.
Ralph is a sophomore
biology major. He knows that
if the security situation doesn't
improve, he could be spending
his last two years of undergrad
uate study at Savannah State
University.
“If the security doesn’t get
better, my mom definitely
wants me to come home. She
makes no bones about it,” he
said. “My dad feels that I am a
grown man and can take care of
myself, but my mom would like
nothing better than to see me at
home.”
AUC Officials
Continued From Page 2
More than 320 competitors
are expected to be at the 1996
Summer Games. Competition
will include both men’s and
women's tournaments, which
span a total of 13 days, from
July 21 to Aug. 2.
The Atlanta University
Complex will be located within
walking distance of the Georgia
Dome, the Omni Coliseum, the
World Congress Center and
other Olympic Centre venues.
Travel from either the Olympic
Village or the Olympic Family
Hotel, which are expected to be
built to provide housing for
some Olympiads, to the
Complex is less than five
minutes.
The two main competition
areas will feature identical
surfaces of synthetic turf or a
comparable material. The
enlarged Herndon Stadium
will seat 25,000 spectators, and
the AU Stadium will seat at
least 5,000. At both locations,
all the appropiate equipment
and staff will be provided to the
complete satisfaction of the
Federation Internationale de
Hockey (FIH).
Adequate space has been
reserved for precompetition
warmup in three areas that
feature nonsanded synthetic
surfaces identical to those of
the main areas. One will be
located at the AU Stadium, just
off the playing field.
Prior to the competition and
during those periods when the
tournament program allows it,
the competition will also serve
as training sites. There will also
be other pitches of the required
dimensions and surfaces within
the Village and Complex.
These sites will incude all the
necessary equipment and
nearby changing rooms to
accommodate practicing
teams.
All athletes and officials
involved in the Village, to be
located within the Olympic
Ring, will be just two kilome
ters from the Olympic Centre.
The Family Hotel will provide
accommodations for the
president, secretary general
and members of the executive
committee of the FIH. Other
VIPs will be accommodated in
luxury hotels adjacent to the
Hotel.