Historian's ‘The High Seminary' reveals early Clemson University
June 12, 2011
CLEMSON, SC – June 8, 2011 – Historian and professor emeritus Jerome Reel has always been the go-to guy for information about Clemson University, its customs and its origins. Now Reel has shaped his wealth of information into “The High Seminary: A History of the Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina, Volume I, 1889-1964.”
“The High Seminary” looks at the changing social, cultural, economic and political climates between 1889 and 1964 and how the changes affected the university. The stories are historic, beneficial, at times humorous and, most importantly, demonstrate the determined spirit of the early university leaders.
According to Reel, one such determined comment came from Richard Wright Simpson, writer of Thomas Green Clemson’s will, executor to the estate and first president of the board of trustees.
“While planning and building the school, Richard Wright Simpson once declared, ‘We are building in the forest a college, which one day will be the equal of any in the South, including Vanderbilt,’” Reel said.
The book transitions through the first 75 years of the university. The stories help define how university leaders stayed true to the plans laid out in Thomas Green Clemson’s will while weathering times of war, economic depression and administrative upheaval.
As the first university president, Henry Strode was charged with building the campus. He also hired the university’s first professor, Col. Mark Bernard Hardin. Buildings on campus today bear their names. As does Sikes Hall, named for university President Enoch Walter Sikes.
Sikes affected the most changes in academics at the university. The number of teachers with Ph.D.s grew from six in 1926 to 13 in 1929. And by the end of 1939–1940, Sikes’ last year as president, the change was even more pronounced. The university had 31 instructors with Ph.D.s.
History stories also can be found in the structures on campus.
There are 10 faces looking out of the architecture of Riggs Hall and they each have a meaning. They represent the various programs taught in the building. The faces, each with a different shape and expression, are believed to be modeled after the professors and their respective academic fields.
Sirrine Hall, which houses programs in the College of Business and Behavioral Science, is adorned around its top with images related to its textiles origin: cotton, a spinning wheel and a loom.
“The High Seminary” is the most comprehensive, researched history of the university. The book’s 620 pages include 250 images that include photographs, maps and charts. Published by the Clemson University Digital Press, the book is available through the Alumni Association at http://hearusroarstore.com.
Reel will sign copies of his book this Thursday through Saturday during the Clemson Reunion 2011 at the Madren Center.
