Dr. James H. Peeling speaks at the Ross Hall cornerstone laying ceremony

Description:	Dr. James H. Peeling, Head of the Department of Sociology and faculty representative, speaks during the Ross Hall cornerstone laying ceremony on September 30, 1953. Seated on the far side of the platform are Skip Booher (Class of 1954) (left), student representative, while partially hidden from view are J. I. Holcomb, Chair of the Buildings and Grounds Committee and Vice President of the Butler University Board of Directors; and Hilton U. Brown (Class of 1880, M.A. 1882) (right), President of the Board of Directors. University President M. O. Ross stands on the ground next to the platform. Seated on the other side of the platform are Frank Reissner (Class of 1934) (left), Butler Alumni Association President and Dr. E. Robert Andry (Class of 1930, M.A. and B.D. 1934) (right), Head of the Department of Religion, while L. Gray Burdin (Class of 1935, M.S. 1937), Dean of Men and Professor of Speech, stands off to the right. According to Betty Greenes article Mens Dorm is Symbolic of Progress in the October 1, 1953, issue of The Butler Collegian, approximately 200 students, alumni, faculty, and construction workers attended the event (p. 1). In the background, some people, possibly construction workers, watch the proceedings from scaffolding or from inside the building, which is under construction. When the dorm opened on September 12, 1954, it was known as the Mens Residence Hall and was the first dorm on the Universitys Fairview campus. After Ross announced his plans to retire in 1962, the board passed a resolution to rename the building in his honor. The name of the building was officially changed to Ross Residence Hall in 1963. During Ross tenure as President of the University, the endowment doubled and the number of students attending tripled, while academic and admission standards increased. Ross also oversaw a building boom on campus, which included the construction of Ross Hall, Schwitzer Hall, the Pharmacy Building, Atherton Union, and the Holcomb Observatory, while Irwin Library, Lilly Hall, and Clowes Memorial Hall were all under construction when he retired.
Origin:	1953-09-30
Created By:	Houghtalen, H. H.
Source:	http://palni.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/BldgsGrnds/id/2649
Collection:	Butler University Buildings and Grounds Collection
Rights:	http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/
Copyright:	In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
Geography:	Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, 39.836378, -86.169854 39.836378 -86.169854
Subjects:	Construction projects Construction equipment Scaffolding Cornerstone laying Dormitories College presidents College teachers College students Butler University--Alumni and alumnae Ross, Maurice ORear, 1897- Microphone Mortar Butler University--Buildings College buildings Butler University--History Indianapolis (Ind.)--History People Peeling, James H. Booher, Skip (Gary Lee) Andry, E. Robert Reissner, Frank Ross Residence Hall Mens Residence Hall Cornerstones Lecterns Fairview campus

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