Skip Booher adds newspapers to the cornerstone during the Ross Hall cornerstone laying ceremony

Description:	Student representative Skip Booher (Class of 1954) adds two copies of The Butler Collegian featuring details of the event to a copper box, which was sealed in the cornerstone during the Ross Hall cornerstone laying ceremony. The person sitting in the background with the hat is J. I. Holcomb, Chair of the Buildings and Grounds Committee and Vice President of the Butler University Board of Directors, while University President M. O. Ross stands on the ground next to the platform. Seated on the other side of the platform, from left to right, are Frank Reissner (Class of 1934), Butler Alumni Association President; Dr. James H. Peeling, Head of the Department of Speech and faculty representative; and Dr. E. Robert Andry (Class of 1930, M.A. and B.D. 1934), Head of the Department of Religion. L. Gray Burdin (Class of 1935, M.S. 1937), Dean of Men and Professor of Speech, stands off to the right. In the background, construction workers and perhaps other people sit on the scaffolding, or look out of the buildings openings. 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). 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/2654
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 trustees College teachers College students Butler University--Alumni and alumnae Ross, Maurice ORear, 1897- Holcomb, J. I. (James Irving), 1876-1962 Microphone Chairs Hats Mortar Butler University--Buildings College buildings Butler University--History Indianapolis (Ind.)--History People Booher, Skip (Gary Lee) Andry, E. Robert Peeling, James H. Reissner, Frank Ross Residence Hall Mens Residence Hall Cornerstones Lecterns Fairview campus

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