7/27/2019 90th Anniversary Design
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T
he News
F
eatur
e
s Edit
or:Anna TaylorAs
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stant Editor: Savannah SawyerPhone: 809-5871
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6B Aug
ust 31, 2012
Features
W
hats i
n a na
me?Information and story by Anna Taylor, Features Editor. Photos
and graphics courtesy of Murray State University archives.
Since then, 90 years have passed and that normal school
underwent a namechange or two. With more than 10,600 students and
120 degree programs, ac-
cording to the 2011-12 Murray State Fact Book, the University is
currently com-prised of 74 major buildings and two libraries.
Both Murray State and the city of Murray were recently awarded
national hon-ors for the accomplishments and work put into the
college and city throughoutthe years. The Chronicle of Higher
Education named Murray State a Great Col-lege to Work For, USA
Today Travel named the city of Murray as the Friend-liest Small
Town in America, and Forbes considered Murray State in the Top100
Best Buy Colleges. Forbes also listed Murray State as one of
Americas TopColleges.
Along with its national recognitions, Murray State and its
students have manyannual traditions that make it unique from any
other University. Some of thesetraditions include the shoe tree,
Great Beginnings, Tent City, Campus Lights, AllCampus Sing,
midnight breakfast, homecoming and Racer 1s celebratory laparound
the football field during games. Murray State was also one of the
firstcolleges to have a residential college system, making its
students closer thanthose at other Universities.
This September marks the anniversaryfor Murray State. In
celebration of the spe-
cial occurrence, Town and Gown is hostingan event at 6 p.m. on
Sept. 6 in the Quad,weather permitting.
Were going to celebrate pretty much thefirst decade of the
campus, Mark Welch, direc-tor of community relations and public
informa-tion, said. What I wanted to do was to talk about
theoriginal campus. The original campus was just rightaround the
quad.
During this event, faculty members will help educate students
about some ofMurray States oldest history and even some familiar
historic figures.Well do short presentations about the history of
Wrather, Wilson, Wells, Lovettand Pogue, Wells said. Well talk
about Oakhurst, which existed prior to thecampus getting
constructed. It was constructed in 1917 and 1918. It was
Rainey(Wells)s home.
To go along with this event, students, faculty members, alumni
and Racer fansin general can submit their favorite memories, photos
and stories to MurrayStates 90th Anniversary website,
murraystate.edu/90th.
Tony Powell, Murray States web manager, created the web pages as
another
way to honor the special year. The website will remain online
throughout theentire school year.Its the same kind of idea as the
Where Do You Blue and Gold blog, Powell
said, except we want people to send in their Murray State
pictures, and storiesand things and Ill post them on this website
for a year.
To submit entries, interested students can do so through the
website, mur-raystate.edu/90th.
There arent any specific things Im looking for, just Murray
State-related(content), Powell said. Whether its ballgames or trips
or supper one night orwhatever, the more personal (the content),
the better.
It wasaround thistime 90years agothe city ofMurray wasbeing
con-
sidered forthe site of anew Normal
School, or aschool for the
training ofteachers. Through
the guidance ofRainey T. Wells and
the help of thecountys fundraising,
what is now known as Murray State University wascreated.
On March 8, 1922, Governor Edwin Morrowsigned Senate Bill 14 to
establish two NormalSchools in the state of Kentucky. One school
was setto be in the western side of the state and another inthe
eastern side. There were ten cities throughoutthe Jackson Purchase
that were competing for thewestern Normal School: Benton, Paducah,
Murray,
Mayfield, Clinton, Henderson, Hopkinsville, Mor-ganfield,
Owensboro and Princeton.
The people of Calloway County, with the direc-tion of Wells,
launched a campaign to raise at least$100,000 to make a bid for the
school. By the end ofMarch, the money had been raised from more
than1,100 contributions.
At a formal presentation between the 10 interestedcities, Wells
spoke in behalf of Murray. After hispresentation, he laid down two
checks, each for$50,000.
Its not what the people of Murray have promisedto do but what
they have already done that counts,
he said affirmatively.It was discovered after the presentation
that an
additional $16,000 would need to be raised for thebid, so the
people of Calloway County and Murrayjoined together once more and
raised the funds forthe new school.
On Friday, Sept. 1, 1922, Murray was officially cho-
sen as the home for the Western State NormalSchool and Morehead
for the Eastern State NormalSchool. Western State Normal School was
laternamed Murray State Normal School and officiallyopened Sept.
24, 1923. The school consisted of fourrooms and an auditorium and
was located on thefirst floor of the brand new Murray High
School,which is Murray Middle School today. By the end ofits
opening day, 87students were en-rolled and sixclasses
werefilled.
What can be expected to come for Murray State in the next 20,
40, or even just10 years to come? Maybe a new library and more
renovated dormitories will beon campus. Perhaps 12,000-plus
students will be enrolled at one time. MaybeRacer basketball and
other University sports teams will make several more NCAAmemories.
Whatever there is to come in its future, Murray State will always
have
its unique history and a special campus to add to it.
Murray State celebrates
The Past
The Present
The Future
Senate Bill
14 is takento the Houseof Represen-tatives
1922
1923
Murray StateNormal Schoolof
ficially opens
The newstudentcenter, theCurrisCenter,opens
The NursingBuilding isconstructed
Murray StateCollegeachievesUniversity
tatus
he schoolsirst library,
Pogue Libraryopens
Murray StateTeachersCollege is
renamedMurray StateCollege
Murray State
Normal School andTeachers CollegebecomesMurray
StateTeachersCollege
he firstbuilding oncampus iscompleted-now WratherMuseum
1967
1966
1948
1931
1930
1924
President KernAlexander
guides MurrayState to begin aResidentialCollege System
The RegionalSpecialEventsCenteropens
AlexanderHall iscompleted
he RSECchanges itsname to theCFSB Center
1981
1996
1998
2005
2010
1922
1923
1924
1930
Cutchin Field Carlisle Cutchin was MurrayStates first football
and basketball coach. Whatwas once Cutchin Stadium is now the
intramu-ral fields. Cutchin Field, located next to theBennie
Purcell tennis courts, is now home toMurray State soccer and Take
Back the Night.
Lovett Auditorium Named after Laurine WellsLovett, Rainey T.
Wells daughter, this audito-rium was built in 1928. Its known for
its unusu-
ally large stage, which was once used as abasketball court. It
is now the home of CampusLights, among many other campus
activitiesand shows. It seats approximately 3,000 andhas been the
location of many weddings.
Price Doyle Fine Arts The Fine Arts centerwas finished at a cost
of $105,091 and was reno-vated in 1997. Price Pop Doyle was a
professorof music and head of the department of finearts.
Wells Hall Named after Rainey T. Wells, MurrayStates founder and
second president, thisbuilding currently houses student health
serv-ices and the Presidents office.
Woods Hall What was once a dormitory forwomen, Woods Hall is now
used for Interna-tional Programs. It was named after Ralph H.Woods,
Murray States fourth and longest serv-ing president.
Wilson Hall Being the second old-est building on campus,
WilsonHall was named after James F. Wil-son, one of Murray States
firstBoard of Regents members.
Wrather Museum Originally knownas the Administration Building,
thebuilding was later renamed in honorof M. O. Wrather, an
Executive Vice
President of Murray State in 1968. Itonce housed the presidents
office, acafeteria, a library, a bookstore, du-plicating services,
a chapel, class-rooms and laboratories.
Alexander Hall Completed just seven yearsago, this Education
building was named afterDr. Kern Alexander, Murray States ninth
presi-dent and the founder of its residential collegesystem.
Carr Health This building is the home of RacerArena and was
built in 1937. It was named afterMurray States first president,
John Carr.
Curris Center At the center of campus, the
Curris Center is home to the University Store,the Curris Center
Theater and various diningvenues. This building took the name of
MurrayStates youngest president, Constantine W. Cur-ris.
1931
Clark Collegeis rebuilt
J. H. Richmond
College isrebuilt
2008
2009
1948
1966
1967
1981
1996
1998
200
5
2008
2009
2010
th e YearsThrough
9090years
