Program for the cornerstone exercises for the Bona Thompson Memorial at Butler College

Description:	Program for the October 19, 1902, corner stone exercises for the Bona Thompson Memorial at Butler College. This corner stone was to become part of the Bona Thompson Memorial Library. After graduating from Butler University in 1897, Bona Thompson embarked on a European tour with her mother. Unfortunately, she contracted typhoid and passed away soon after returning to Indiana. Her parents donated land in Irvington and $40,000 to build the Bona Thompson Memorial Library in her honor. The Bona Thompson Memorial Library became Butler Universitys first dedicated library building and was in operation from 1904 until 1928, when the University moved to its current Fairview Park campus. During the cornerstone laying ceremony for the building on October 19, 1902, Addison C. Harris, president of the board of directors for the University of Indianapolis said the following words. ...we are come to dedicate a memorial to the memory of Bona Thompson. It is not a pyramid, or a tomb, or a shaft or a statute. It is a fitter and better thing for her memory. It is a better place where the students will come and under the influences of the memory of her sweet virtues read the good thoughts of men and women brought together in a library bearing her name. Towards the end of the ceremony University students sang Butler, and followed it with the College Yell. Next, a copper box containing photographs of the Thompson family, Indianapolis newspapers, and documents related to the University, among other items, was placed into the cornerstone. Harris applied the first trowel of mortar over the top and then workmen completed the laying of the cornerstone. At the time of this ceremony, Butler University went by the name Butler College (1898-1923) and was considered part of University of Indianapolis (1896-1906), not to be confused with the current University of Indianapolis. This University of Indianapolis was an umbrella organization over Butler College, which was the liberal arts and sciences college in the organization. The inclusion of the University of Indianapolis in front of Butler College was quietly dropped in 1906 and the name was changed back to Butler University in 1923.
Origin:	1902-10
Source:	http://palni.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/BldgsGrnds/id/244
Collection:	Butler University Buildings and Grounds Collection
Rights:	http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/
Copyright:	No Copyright - United States
Geography:	Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, 39.766501, -86.076849 39.766501 -86.076849
Subjects:	Cornerstone laying Programs Butler University--Library Academic libraries Butler College--History Butler University--History Irvington (Indianapolis, Ind.)--History Bona Thompson Memorial Library Irvington campus

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