Steve Williams describes his two graduation ceremonies and how the keynote speakers have influenced his career.

Commencement Recollections

Before Morrow Library was established in 1930, the college’s library was housed on the second floor of Old Main. Marshall’s first recorded librarian, Mrs. Lizzie Myers, was hired during the 1902-1903 school year. James E. Morrow Library was dedicated on January 31, 1931, and was named after a former president of the university. James E. Morrow’s son, Dwight W. Morrow, was born in Old Main and was a major donor for the library. In 1929, $200,000 was appropriated by state legislation to create a new library, however that was not enough. Marshall University President, Morris P. Shawkey, wrote two letters to Dwight W. Morrow asking for $25,000 to fund the project, and in turn the library would be named after his father. Dwight W. Morrow eventually donated the funds; however he requested that the donation remain anonymous and did not desire the Morrow name to be attached to the new structure. The new library was constructed with a soundproof main reading room, fireproof amenities, an electric elevator, marble accents, and large windows throughout the building. The students at Marshall were responsible for moving the college’s book collection from the old library in Old Main to the new library in 1931. Morrow Library was designed to accommodate 130,000 volumes along with study room for 400 students. Originally, the main floor of Morrow held the stacks and reading areas, while the second floor held the large reading room.Three murals decorate the Hoffman Room in Special Collections. These murals were originally displayed in the Morrow Library reading room in 1937 in celebration of the Marshall University centennial celebration. Marshall University, West Virginia Literature and American Literature were painted by Marshall University art faculty member, Marion Vest Fors, during the Great Depression without compensation. After renovations were made in Morrow during the 1960s, the murals were taken down and placed in cold storage until they were unveiled in the Hoffman Room collectively in November of 2007. Marshall University was the first to be restored and displayed in 2005, while West Virginia Literature and American Literature were restored and displayed in 2007. Helen Chamber Hensley was the model chosen by Marshall’s President James Allen to represent the Alma Mater of Marshall in the murals, and she was present at both unveilings. The murals were restored by nationally recognized conservator Michael Ruzga before being put back on display, and depict the evolution of education.In 1965, Marshall University once again needed a larger library to accommodate both the growing student population and the university collection. Renovations were made to Morrow library that transformed the two story second floor into two separate floors. A wrap around addition was also made to the sides and the back of Morrow and were completed in 1967. Morrow had again outgrown itself in the 1990s, and plans for a new campus library were created. At first, many thought that the new library would completely replace Morrow, however as plans became more concrete, it was clear that the new facility would not be able to fulfill all the needs of campus and Morrow would remain necessary. Only 200,000 of Morrow’s 600,000 holdings were transferred to Drinko. With the opening of Drinko Library in October of 1998, Morrow’s stacks were closed except to staff and students would have to request books that would be delivered to them. A campus petition by students and faculty successfully reopened the stacks to the public.Major renovations began in 1999 to reorganize the library’s documents. Today Morrow Library houses Marshall’s testing center on the ground floor, a federal depository of government documents, university offices, and the entrance to the Morrow Stacks on the ground floor. The second floor holds the Rosanna Blake Civil War collection, the Chuck Yeager collection, the Hoffman Medical Science collection, the West Virginia rare book collection, WSAZ tapes archives, and the Special Collections Department. The Rosanna Blake Civil War Collection was formally dedicated in April of 1990. Rosanna Blake was a Marshall alumnus, and her collection was thought to be the largest private collection of Confederate material anywhere. The main doors on the 3rd avenue facing side of Morrow were walled up in 2003 when a new study area was established. In September of 2012, Morrow was remodeled to reorganize the stacks. The collections were organized by floor and in the Library of Congress call number order. After the process was complete, the stacks were once again reopened to students. Although there is no genealogist on staff, the Family History room in Morrow Library holds numerous documents that aide in genealogical research for West Virginia and the surrounding areas.

Morrow Library was named after former University President, James E. Morrow, and was completed in 1931 to replace the original library on the second floor of Old Main. When the library first opened, it housed study areas and Marshall’s art school. In 1965, a project began to expand the library and added the stacks towers along with wraparound additions to the side and back of the building. During this renovation, the main study hall was split into two floors, and was completed in 1967. In 1998, the John Deaver Drinko Library opened and became Marshall’s main library. However, Morrow continued to serve Marshall by housing the University Special Collections. Today the library is home to a variety of collections and the university’s more rare and valuable books. Some of Morrow’s major collections are the Rosanna Blake Civil War Collection, the Hoffman Medical Science collection, and the Chuck Yeager Collection.

James E. Morrow Library and Marshall Special Collections

Carter Taylor Seaton recounts attending classes and shopping at the school bookstore in Old Main.

Memories of Old Main

Missy Morrison discusses the impact that her Marshall education has had on her life.

Love of Marshall

Linda Holmes briefly recounts the evolution of Marshall's Alumni Association.

Growth of the Alumni Association

Mike Kirtner discusses the filming of the iconic boardroom scene from the movie "We Are Marshall."

Filming "We Are Marshall"

Mike Kirtner recalls a peaceful student protest against the Vietnam War on the front lawn of Old Main. 

Marshall in the '60s.

Mark Hayes talks about attending Marshall while his father, Bob Hayes, was the university president. 

My Dad, the President

Linda Holmes describes the origins of the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine.

The School of Medicine's Humble Beginnings

Brad Smith discusses the impact of his experiences with Marshall.

Marshall University's Character

This virtual tour of Marshall University offers a guided tour led by alumni who share the history of each building and landmark. The tour can be enjoyed from any location and includes audio, video, text, images, and even 360-degree images of the campus. The tour also includes navigation for those who are visiting the campus. The tour can be downloaded in advance to a mobile device,  and it can also be converted into a PDF. The tour begins at Old Main, the location where Marshall Academy began. For those visiting Huntington, be sure to check out nearby landmarks in Clio and the other dozen walking tours created by Marshall students and faculty.

The small hill occupied by Old Main was originally known as Maple Grove. The surrounding area was occupied by forests and farmland, and the nearest settlement was the town of Guyandotte, two miles to the east. In the 1820s or 30s local farmers cleared some of the land and built Mount Hebron Church. This modest, one-room log building housed various denominations and also served as a subscription school. In 1837 a group of locals including John Laidley and William Buffington made efforts to establish a proper school at the site. On March 30, 1838 the Virginia General Assembly formally incorporated Marshall Academy. Laidley had the school named in honor of his acquaintance, Chief Justice John Marshall, who had died in 1835.The Trustees of Marshall Academy purchased a plot of land at Maple Grove from James Holderby for $40. In 1839 they constructed Marshall’s first building, a two-story, four-room brick structure. It housed classrooms and a chapel. In 1846 Virginia cut its funding for the Academy, severely impacting the quality of the school. In 1850 the Trustees gave ownership of Marshall to the Western Virginia Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, which operated the Academy until 1858 when Virginia reincorporated it as Marshall College. By this time the school had outgrown its original building, and in 1858 a three-story addition was built on the west side. The first floor served as a chapel, while the second and third floors (incomplete until 1867) housed dormitories and extra classrooms. Marshall Academy closed at the beginning of the Civil War in 1861. For the next several years school trustee John W. Hite lived in the building; in 1863 his daughter Salina Hite Mason purchased it in a public auction. In 1867 the State of West Virginia bought back the property and reopened it as the State Normal School of Marshall College. The first normal school in the new state, Marshall focused on training teachers. The school building expanded again in 1870 with a new three-story addition built on the west side. The expansion included a bell tower, a stone basement, and a veranda encompassing the entire northern side of the building. The 1870 addition is the oldest surviving portion of Old Main today.Marshall steadily grew over the next several decades in tandem with the development of Huntington. A separate, three-story building was constructed about seventy-five feet west of the original building in 1896 and housed the principal’s office, a study hall, meeting hall, library, and classrooms. The following year West Virginia appropriated more funding to demolish the 1839 and 1856 portions of the original structure and construct a new building on the same spot. This new addition was attached to the 1870 portion and known variously as Normal Hall, Ladies Hall, and College Hall. It originally served as women’s dormitories and living space for the principal and teachers. In 1899 Marshall constructed an annex which joined together the 1870 and 1896 buildings into one large structure.The rapid expansion of Marshall in the early 1900s quickly made the new additions of the 1890s insufficient for the school’s needs. In 1907 the final addition to the building was constructed on the west side. The large, Tudor Gothic style building was adorned with a tower and turrets, and contained a new library, auditorium, President’s Offices, laboratories, and rooms for the Biology, Geology, Mathematics, Music, and Art Departments. Since 1907 the configuration of the building has remained largely the same, although the interior has underwent numerous renovations. In 1937 the structure was first referred to as “Old Main” in the Marshall College Catalog.In the decades following 1907 new buildings were gradually constructed around the growing campus, eliminating the need for classrooms, dormitories, and other student facilities within Old Main itself. Today the building serves as an administrative hub, housing offices for many of Marshall’s organizations. Old Main was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

Now the central administration building for Marshall University, Old Main dates back to 1838 with the construction of a small, four-room brick building to house Marshall Academy. The original structure was expanded with the addition of new sections in 1856, 1870, and 1896. The 1838 and 1856 portions were demolished in 1898 to allow for the construction of a much larger building that reflected Marshall and Huntington's growth. The final, major addition to Old Main was the distinct, Gothic section built on the western side in 1907. Old Main originally housed various facilities for Marshall including dormitories, classrooms, a library, auditorium, dining hall, and chapel. Today it is home to administrative offices and spaces for certain organizations. Old Main was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

Old Main, Marshall University 

By the 1990s Morrow Library, built in 1931, had become inadequate for the growing needs of Marshall University. In 1991 J. Wade Gilley became President of Marshall (1991-1999 c.e.) and made the creation of a new library one of his top priorities, it was apparently one of his proudest acts was his contributions to the Drinko Library. In 1995 the university began an ambitious fundraising campaign, kickstarted with an initial $1 million donation from attorney John Deaver Drinko. A combination of 2,300 individual donations, state bond money, a federal grant, and the passage of a library fee for students raised a total of $31 million for a new, state-of-the-art library.The site of the old Northcott Hall was chosen as the location for the new library. Northcott was built in 1915 and was only the second building on campus, the first being Old Main. It was named after prominent local businessman and politician Gustavus A. Northcott (1861-1938). Northcott originally housed classrooms and facilities for the science departments; after the opening of the Science Building in 1950 it was used for the business and art departments. Northcott Hall was demolished in 1995 to make way for the construction of the new library. The building’s original, carved, stone arch at its main entrance was preserved and incorporated into the design of the library as a window.<blockquote>“I was a poor boy, and someone had to build those dang places before I got there, so I always wanted to pay that back.” – John Deaver Drinko</blockquote>The library was named in honor of Marshall alumnus John Deaver Drinko (1921-2008), who contributed a total of $2.3 million to its construction. Drinko grew up in a poor household in St. Mary’s, West Virginia during the Great Depression; he worked hard to attend school while also supporting his mother and sister. Drinko graduated from Marshall College in 1942 and went on to receive a law degree from Ohio University. He joined the Cleveland, Ohio law firm of Baker &amp; Hostetler and amassed a fortune by helping it grow into one of the largest firms in the nation. John Drinko and his wife Elizabeth frequently engaged in philanthropy and gave generously to various schools and organizations; in 1987 they made the first $1 million, non-corporate donation in Marshall’s history.The John Deaver Drinko Library opened in October, 1998. Officials at the time hailed it as a game changer for Marshall, and predicted that the library’s new technology and high-speed Internet would dramatically change the academic experience for students. The four-story, 118,000 square foot facility contains space for 200,000 books, over 300 workstations, presentation rooms, study rooms, reading areas, a cafe, an IT center, and 24/7 study center. An atrium on the third floor houses the Wilbur E. Myers Gallery of Glass. Contributed in 2002 by Myers, a prominent Marshall donor, the permanent exhibit displays 400 pieces of glass from companies such as Tiffany Studios and Steuben Glass Works.

The John Deaver Drinko Library has been the primary library on campus since it opened in 1998. It stands at the former site of the College of Science Building, Northcott Hall (1915-1995), which was demolished to make room for the new library. Campus officials developed plans for a new library throughout the 1990s as a way to both replace the older Morrow Library and provide new technological and multimedia opportunities to students. The Drinko Library success in being built was that of both James Wade Gilley (President of Marshall University during 1991-1999) and John Deaver Drinko. In fact, the library was named in honor of prominent attorney John Deaver Drinko (a former student at Marshall University), for being one of the largest donor for the library project. Drinko gives Marshall students a place to study, collaborate with peers, utilize computers and access thousands of books, journals, and electronic materials. The library today contains over 180,000 books and other materials, reading and study areas, high-speed Internet and computers, presentation rooms, IT services such as that included but not limited to: houses offices of Information Technology, University Libraries, Instructional Technology, University Computing Services, and Telecommunications, a cafe, and a 24/7 computer lab.

John Deaver Drinko Library, Marshall University

John Marshall was born in Virginia in 1755. He enlisted as a soldier during the Revolutionary War and eventually served as an officer under George Washington. During the war he fought in the Battles of Great Bridge, Brandywine, and Germantown, and wintered with the Continentl Army at Valley Forge in 1777-1778. After leaving the military in 1780 Marshall studied law and became a lawyer. He also served in a number of government positions such as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, a magistrate for the Richmond Hustings Courts, a diplomat to France, and Secretary of State. In 1801 President John Adams appointed Marshall to the Supreme Court, where he became its fourth Chief Justice. Marshall served in the court until his death in 1835, the longest tenure of any Chief Justice in history. During his career in the Supreme Court, Marshall heard over 1,000 cases and wrote 519 decisions.John Marshall is widely regarded as being the most influential Chief Justice in American history; his actions asserted the authority of the Supreme Court, defined the limitations of each branch of government, and provided key precedents for how the Constitution was to be interpreted. Several of his most important court cases, including Marbury v. Madison (1803), McColluch v. Maryland (1819), Cohens v. Virginia (1821) and Gibbens v. Ogden (1824) became landmark decisions that definitively outlined the powers of the federal government. Marbury v. Madison for example established the principle of judicial overview, giving the Supreme Court the ability to overrule acts that violated the Constitution; and McColluch v. Maryland determined that the Constitution and federal laws supersede state laws. John Marshall was also said to be an advocate for Native American rights; the Supreme Court decision in Worcester v. Georgia (1832) determined that the Cherokee Nation was sovereign, although it ultimately failed to prevent the forced expulsion of Cherokee to Oklahoma. Marshall’s views on slavery meanwhile are mixed. While some sources claim that the justice was opposed to slavery, others point out that he owned, bought, and sold hundreds of slaves over the course of his life.John Marshall became the namesake for the new Marshall Academy established in Guyandotte (present-day Huntington) in 1837. One of its founders, attorney John Laidley, had been an acquaintance of the Chief Justice. Marshall Academy eventually evolved into Marshall University, and over the years it has paid homage to John Marshall in a number of ways. In the late 1990s plans were proposed by the John Deaver Drinko Academy, an organization dedicated to promoting civic culture at the university, to erect a statue of Marshall beside the new Drinko Library.North Carolina-based sculptor William Behrends was commissioned to create an eight-foot bronze sculpture of John Marshall perched atop a six-foot tall pedestal. Engraved on the pedestal are the words “Revolutionary soldier. Definer of the Constitution. Devoted husband and father.” The monument altogether cost $118,000. It was formally dedicated in a ceremony on October 23, 1998, the day before the grand opening of the Drinko Library. Remarks were delivered by Chief Joe Byrd of the Cherokee Nation and noted biographer Dr. Jean Edward Smith; the statue itself was unveiled by Andrew Marshall Schiff, a direct descendant of John Marshall

This eight-foot statue of John Marshall outside of the John Deaver Drinko Library was dedicated in 1998. The monument features a six-foot base engraved with the words "Revolutionary Soldier," "Definer of the Constitution," and "Devoted Husband and Father." John Marshall served in the Revolutionary War, explored and surveyed western Virginia, and shaped the federal judiciary while serving as the fourth Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Marshall was appointed Chief Justice on January 27, 1801, and he served until his death in 1835. Most historians agree that John Marshall was one of the most influential leaders of the early republic. More than any other individual in American history, John Marshall shaped the interpretation of the Constitution and established the Judicial Branch as an independent and equal branch of government. 

Statue of John Marshall at Marshall University

On the evening of November 14, 1970, the Marshall University football team, coaches, and their supporters took a Southern Airways flight from Kinston, North Carolina, back to Huntington after losing a game against East Carolina University. Poor weather hampered visibility around the Tri-State Airport, south of Ceredo, where the flight was scheduled to land. At around 7:35 PM, the plane crashed into a hill just west of the airport. All 75 passengers and crew perished, including 37 members of the football team. The crash followed a similar tragedy on October 2, 1970, when a chartered flight carrying some of the members of the Wichita State University football team crashed, resulting in the loss of thirty-one lives. The Marshall University remains the worst aviation disaster in American sports history.Immediately after the tragedy a Memorial Committee was appointed by Marshall to find ways to honor the victims. Their recommendations included the installation of a plaque at Fairfield Stadium, a granite marker at Spring Hill Cemetery, and designating the new student center as a memorial. The committee also sought to build a major monument on the student center plaza. Early ideas suggested a sculpture of a bison or a bronze statue of a football player. The committee ultimately decided to commission Italian-born sculptor Harry Bertoia to create a suitable memorial for $25,000. Bertoia designed a 13-foot tall, 6,500 pound bronze and copper fountain sculpture; it took over a year to complete. 150 welded copper tubes reach towards the sky, while water sprays upwards from the center and pours down into a pool. Bertoia intended for the design to “commemorate the living, rather than death, on the waters of life, rising, receding and surging so as to express upward growth, immortality and eternity.” A bronze plaque at the edge of the fountain lists the names of the 75 victims.<blockquote>"They shall live on in the hearts of their families and friends forever, and this memorial records their loss to the university and to the community." -Fountain Plaque</blockquote>The Memorial Fountain was unveiled and dedicated in a ceremony by Marshall President John G. Barker on November 12, 1972. Each year on November 14 a memorial ceremony is held at the fountain to commemorate the plane crash. Family members of the victims are invited, and the football team lays 75 white flowers at the base of the fountain as names are read. Traditionally an individual connected to the tragedy serves as the guest speaker.The Memorial Fountain underwent extensive refurbishments in 2008. This included repairs to the deteriorating base, the installation of a new granite surface and basin for the fountain, the replacement of pipes and electrical wiring, and an upgraded water pump. The fountain was rededicated in a ceremony on April 9, 2008, and remains the central focus of the university quad.

Designed by artist Harry Bertoia and dedicated in 1972, this fountain pays tribute to the seventy-five people who perished in the 1970 Marshall University Plane Crash and the resilience of the university community. Built of welded copper and bronze tubes, the fountain represents life and upward growth and stands in the middle of the Memorial Student Center plaza. From the time of its dedication, this monument has become the central landmark on campus and is the site of an annual ceremony held here each year on November 14, the anniversary of the crash. During the ceremony, the fountain is turned off in remembrance of the 75 who perished that day. The two audio files embedded within this entry include portions of speeches given at the dedication of the fountain and reflections from members of the Marshall University community.

Marshall University Memorial Fountain 

Marshall University experienced a new period of significant growth in the 1970s and early 1980s. Under the administration of President Robert B. Hayes, multiple building and renovation projects were initiated around campus. This included the construction of the Cam Henderson Center, an expansion of the Science Building, and the establishment of the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine. On November 12, 1977, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the construction of a large, new classroom building at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Hal Greer Boulevard. Initially referred to as Academic Building B, this facility was intended to be the new home of Marshall’s College of Business.In early 1980 Marshall announced that the building would be named in honor of Lawrence J. Corbly for his historic contributions to the development of the school. Corbly was born in 1862 and grew up in Tyler County, West Virginia. He graduated from Fairmont State Normal School and West Virginia University before pursuing a career as a school administrator. In 1895 he traveled to Germany to work on earning a Ph.D.; the following year, he halted his studies and returned to West Virginia after being asked to serve as principal of Marshall College. At the beginning of Corbly’s administration, Marshall was small, had an inadequate curriculum, and did not offer baccalaureate degrees. During his nineteen-year tenure, he worked to improve Marshall and make it a degree-conferring college.Marshall College flourished under Corbly. Enrollment jumped from a little over 200 students to more than 1,000; the faculty grew exponentially; the library increased from 1,200 to 7,000 books; and Old Main expanded three times. The Parthenon student newspaper and the school yearbook began publication while the first intercollegiate athletic teams were established. In 1907 a reorganization plan changed Corbly’s title from Principal to President. He resigned in 1915 and took up a job in local real estate. Marshall College finally began offering degrees in 1920, mainly due to his improvements. In 1925 Corbly returned to serve as a professor, teaching German and astronomy courses. He was so popular amongst the community that when Corbly died in 1935, his funeral was held in the Old Main auditorium.The decision to name the new building after Corbly decades after his death was attributed in large part to the persistent efforts of Mamie Spangler, a retired teacher and 1908 graduate of Marshall College. Spangler wrote a biography of the popular administrator in 1968, and in 1969 she began a campaign to create some sort of memorial to Corbly at Marshall. For the next decade she petitioned the administration to raise awareness of Corbly, writing letters and having meetings with multiple Marshall Presidents. Her work paid off in 1980 when President Hayes supported naming the new academic building Lawrence J. Corbly Hall.Corbly Hall was dedicated on October 4, 1980, in a public ceremony presided over by Gov. Jay Rockefeller. The $6 million, four-story, 93,000-foot structure was the largest classroom building in West Virginia at the time of its opening. It was designed by the Huntington firm of Dean, Dean, and Kieffer and intended to complement the style of the adjacent Memorial Student Center. Since its creation, Corbly Hall has housed the College of Business, the Department of Economics, and the Department of English.The first floor of Corbly Hall contains the Lewis College of Business Hall of Fame, which was established around 1995. The display honors meritorious graduates of Marshall who have achieved outstanding success in the business field. The dozens of members listed in the Hall of Fame include Gov. Jim Justice, Brad D. Smith, Joseph Touma, James and Joan Edwards, John Hall, Marshall Reynolds, and Lynne Morrow Fruth.Also located in Corbly Hall is the Marshall University Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship(MU iCenter), which offers a range of programs for student entrepreneurs — including the MU iCenter’s Brad D. Smith Student Incubator. Marshall President and alum Brad D. Smith established the incubator in 2019 to help students get their startups off the ground and into the market. Created through a partnership between the Brad D. Smith Schools of Business and the Robert C. Byrd Institute, the incubator provides accepted students with guidance and support from tenured local entrepreneurs.Apart from the Brad D. Smith Student Incubator, the MU iCenter is also home to two other programs whose mission is to support students in their entrepreneurial endeavors. Podcasters in Residence encourages students to spread new ideas through podcasts and the Simulated Workplace Entrepreneurship Education Pathway Program (SWEEP) offers entrepreneurial experience to West Virginia Community and Technical Education (CTE) students. The Center also offers Design for Delight (D4D) workshops, which educate students on design thinking methodology. The institution of design thinking as a technique for approaching challenges across campus was an initiative brought to Marshall by President Brad D. Smith.

Corbly Hall is the home of Marshall University's internationally accredited Lewis College of Business as well as the English and Economics Departments. When the four story building was dedicated in November 1980, it was the largest academic building in the West Virginia state system of higher education. It includes some of the largest lecture halls on campus, one of which holds up to 150 people. The facility is named after Lawrence J. Corbly (1862-1935) who served as the last principal and first president of Marshall College from 1896 until 1915. Corbly made significant improvements to Marshall during his tenure, including growing the student body and increasing the quality of the school's curriculum.

Corbly Hall, Marshall University

The Marshall University Foundation was established in 1947 as a way for Marshall graduates to connect and provide support for their alma mater. For years offices and facilities for the foundation were housed in Old Main and the student center. In 1990 businessman Charlie O. Erickson gifted $325,000 to the Foundation to create a permanent headquarters. Using these funds, the Foundation purchased and converted the former Kincaid-Mann Mortuary on Fifth Avenue. The headquarters is known as Erickson Alumni Center and was dedicated on April 25, 1992.Charlie Oscar Erickson (1913-1993) was born in McDowell County, West Virginia, and grew up in the town of Man. He dropped out of high school and never attended college, but Erickson prospered by founding the Durfee Cable Company and invested in cable companies in several other states. Additionally, he was president of the COE, Inc. real estate company. Erickson served as a member of the Advisory Board of the Parkersburg Boys Club and the Board of Directors of the Wood County Cancer Society, the Parkersburg National Bank, and the WV Cable TV Association and was involved in various other institutions. After his retirement, Erickson dedicated himself to philanthropy, in particular to higher education. Through his non-profit Erickson Foundation, he contributed millions of dollars to build alumni centers at eleven schools in West Virginia, including Marshall, WVU, and Wheeling Jesuit.In 2010 the Marshall University Foundation constructed a new headquarters on Fifth Avenue across the street from Corbly Hall. The three-story, 33,000 square foot, $9 million building was designed by the architectural firm of Sherman-Carter-Barnhart. It contains the offices of the Marshall University Foundation and the Marshall University Alumni Association, as well a call center, conference rooms, a reception hall, and private spaces for alumni. The first floor also contains displays of Marshall memorabilia. The name Erickson Alumni Center was retained, while the building was called Foundation Hall. In 2016 the building was renamed the Brad D. Smith Foundation Hall in recognition of Smith’s $10 million donation to establish the Brad and Alys Smith Family Scholarship Fund.<blockquote>"I sit at these meetings next to people who went to Harvard, Yale, Oxford, Stanford and every once in a while after they have a couple glasses of wine they will cozy up to me and ask how I think my education from West Virginia stacks up. I smile and tell them what I have found out over the years is I learned everything you learned in school, but mine cost $150,000 less and our football team was better." – Brad D. Smith</blockquote>Brad D. Smith grew up in Kenova, West Virginia, and graduated from Marshall in 1986 with a degree in Business Administration. He entered the business world working for Pepsi and gradually rose through the ranks at several companies. He eventually became CEO of the global software business Intuit in 2008. Smith credits his Appalachian upbringing and education at Marshall for his success and is a devoted Marshall alum who has donated millions of dollars to the university and to support initiatives aimed at spurring economic growth in West Virginia. In October 2021, Smith was unanimously elected to the position of Marshall University President. He stepped into the role in January 2022 and was officially installed as Marshall’s 38th president in September 2022.

The Erickson Alumni Center serves as the headquarters of the Marshall University Foundation. The Foundation is a non-profit, alumni organization established in 1947 and works to provide financial support for Marshall University. The Center is named after businessman Charlie O. Erickson, who funded the creation of alumni centers at numerous colleges across West Virginia. In 2010 the Center moved into the newly-constructed Brad D. Smith Foundation Hall. It is named after prominent businessman, Marshall graduate, and donor Brad D. Smith, who has contributed millions of dollars to various projects at Marshall. The foundation hall houses offices and alumni facilities, as well as space for lectures, receptions, and private events.

Brad D. Smith Foundation Hall and Erickson Alumni Center, Marshall University

In 1933 Marshall constructed a student union building on campus to provide a place for students and faculty to socialize. The white brick, colonial-style building cost $25,000, which came from a mixture of donations and student fees. It was named the Shawkey Student Union after Morris P. Shawkey, who was president of Marshall College from 1923 to 1935. A former state legislator and state superintendent of schools, Shawkey witnessed Marshall double its enrollment and was responsible for securing funding to build the James E. Morrow Library. The Shawkey Student Union was very popular with students, and notoriously crowded. It contained a soda fountain, jukeboxes, pool tables, meeting rooms, and other facilities. An expansion in 1953 added a basement and a west wing, doubling its size.By the late 1960s plans were in place to build a much larger student union due to significantly higher enrollment. In 1969 construction began on a $4 million, two-story, red brick student center just southeast of Shawkey. The Huntington architectural firm of Dean and Dean designed the new building in such a way as to allow the construction of additional floors or wings in the future, if needed. Following the Marshall Plane Crash in November 1970, the university formally named the new student union the Memorial Student Center (MSC) to serve as a living monument to the victims. The building was completed and opened for use in 1971. At the time it featured a cafeteria, coffeehouse (which sold beer), bookstore, listening room, poster room, meeting rooms, offices, dining halls, alumni facilities, and recreational facilities including a bowling alley. The old Shawkey Student Union closed upon the opening of the MSC, and it was demolished in August 1972. The MSC underwent a series of renovations in 1996-1998 that included the construction of a 7,000 square foot west wing for the bookstore.The Memorial Student Center underwent a new round of refurbishments in 2019 that extensively remodeled the interior; changes included a more open floor plan, an expanded food court, and a touchscreen digital memorial to the 1970 Marshall Football team. Today the MSC features a large food court, school bookstore, recreational space, computer lab, lounge areas, several dining halls, meeting rooms and event spaces. It also houses the Student Government Association, the Campus Activities Board, the Office of Student Involvement, and the LGBT Office.

The Marshall University Memorial Student Center opened in 1971 to provide students with a place to socialize, rest, and study on campus. It replaced an older facility, the Shawkey Student Union, that had been in use since 1933. The MSC was named in honor of the victims of the  November 14, 1970 plane crash and serves as a living memorial. Today it houses a food court, lounge areas, the campus bookstore, a recreational area, various offices, and several meeting rooms, dining halls, and event spaces. 

Memorial Student Center, Marshall University 

Campus was being renovated in the late 1980s, and with those
renovations came a fine arts center, a new football stadium, new walkways, a
parking garage, and additions to the Science Building. Construction on the Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center
began on September 5th, 1989. The first phase of the building constructed the
playhouse, experimental theatre, the lobby, dressing rooms, ballet rooms, and
offices. The groundbreaking ceremony for the Jomie Jazz Center was on
July 30, 1997, and the center’s name is a combination of both donors, Joan C.
and James “Jimmie” Edwards. There is a plaque in the performing arts center dedicated to Bruce Greenwood, who&nbsp;was the Auditoria manager for Marshall University for many years.&nbsp;Marshall University’s College of
Fine Arts offers classes in the departments of art and design, music, and
theatre. Many of these classes are taught or showcased in the Joan C. Edwards
Performing Arts Center. The College of Fine Arts was established at Marshall
University by the West Virginia Board of Regents in April of 1984. The Joan C.
Edwards Performing Arts Center was constructed in 1992 to provide a space for
the College of Fine Arts class exhibitions, and was named after a major donor
to Marshall University, Joan C. Edwards. The Joan C. Edwards Playhouse allows
the theatre department to showcase their talents in a traditional theatre
setting while the Francis-Booth Experimental Theatre showcases a
non-traditional type of theatre that can also be interactive. Many of the
Marshall’s guest speakers lecture in the Francis-Booth Experimental Theatre.
The Jomie Jazz Center allows the jazz studies students to showcase their work
throughout their journey at Marshall in a room designed for musical
performances. 

The Marshall University Theatre
performance program allows students to train in acting and develop skills in
modern American theatre, film, and television. The theatre department also
offers a production program that teaches students how to effectively form
collaborations conduct productions in theatre, film, and television. The
Marshall University School of Music provides students with options to study
performance, composition, and jazz studies or theory. The Joan C. Edwards
Performing Arts Center provides these students with an up-to-date facility to
reach their full potential in practicing and performing their art. The Marshall
Artist Series box office is located in the Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts
Center. The Marshall Artist Series was established in 1936, and is a non-profit
organization that provides the Huntington area with nationally known acts to
stimulate an interest in performance.&nbsp;

The Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center is home of the Marshall University MU School of Theatre, featuring two venues, the Joan C. Edwards Playhouse stage and the smaller, Francis-Booth Experimental Theatre. Adjacent is the Jomie Jazz Center. Along with performance space and a spacious lobby and atrium, the center has classrooms, space for stage design, workshops, and more. Marshall University Theatre shares the box office in the Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center with the Marshall Artists Series.

Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center

Union School, nicknamed “Punkin Center School,” was located on Guyan Creek Road near Glenwood, a rural part of Cabell County. Built around 1888, it was used as a school for the area’s students in the first through eight grades until it closed in 1955. By that time, most one-room schoolhouses were being phased out, as the educational system was consolidated and improvements in transportation made it possible for students to reach schools farther away. Union School was one of the few one-room schoolhouses that has been preserved in West Virginia. Most others, such as the Cuzzy One-Room Schoolhouse in Lincoln County, one of the state’s last one-room schoolhouses to close, were either repurposed, abandoned, or demolished. One-room schoolhouses formed the foundation of education in Appalachia during the 1800s and early 1900s. Prior to 1933, when West Virginia introduced a school system based on county units, there were nearly five thousand one-room schoolhouses across the state. Cabell County, for instance, had over one hundred schools, and Wayne County had one for each of its seven school districts. Students typically walked to school from their homes, and some only attended during months when the weather permitted such a walk. Teachers, who were often as young as eighteen, often had to find room and board with their students’ families or face traveling for miles on horseback to get to work. School buildings themselves were built as cheaply as possible, often with rough frames, poplar lap-siding, and tin roofs. Windows provided the schools with natural light, while potbelly stoves heated them in the winter. Students sat in the classroom according to their age, with the youngest students at the front and the oldest in the back. It was also common for boys and girls to be seated on opposite sides of the room. Textbooks were frequently passed down from family members over time, as there was little to no funding for teaching materials. Blackboards and hand-held slates were often used in place of paper, which was more costly. The One-Room School project was initiated in 1990 by Dr. Paul F. Lutz, a Marshall University history professor. After he was inspired by a student’s idea to interview a former one-room school teacher, Lutz spent five years searching for a schoolhouse. The former Union School had been used for storage, but its owners agreed to have it relocated to Marshall’s campus, where it now sits between Holderby Hall and the Campus Christian Center. Planning grants from the Cabell County Commission and the City of Huntington, as well as donations from Tina F. Bryan, Phil Cline, Marshall alumni, and the Marshall University Foundation funded the project. The schoolhouse was formally donated to Marshall in memory of James “Bill” Bryan, husband of donor Tina Bryan. On October 22, 1995, the relocated schoolhouse was dedicated as the Ovie and Jesse Cline Museum, after two former teachers at one-room schools. The building was renovated and restored to its former appearance and furnished with antiques and replicas from the period when it was a schoolhouse. The museum features Peabody-style desks, era-appropriate books and decorations, as well as a potbelly stove. The museum is currently open by appointment, allowing those interested to step into a scene from the past.

This historic one-room schoolhouse, which houses the Ovie and Jesse Cline Museum, preserves the legacy of rural education in Appalachia. The building dates back to 1888, when it served as a schoolhouse for a rural part of Cabell County. It remained open until 1955, at a time when one-room schoolhouses across the county were closed in favor of larger, consolidated school systems. After being used as a storage shed for many years, the schoolhouse was relocated to the campus of Marshall University in 1995 thanks to the efforts of Paul Lutz, a History Department faculty member. The museum was named after the parents of Phil Cline, who attended and taught in one-room schools. The interior presents a recreation of a one-room schoolhouse, with Peabody-style desks, era-appropriate books, and a pot belly stove. The museum is open by appointment. 

One-Room School Museum, Marshall University

Albert Gallatin Jenkins was born on November 10, 1830, to Captain William Jenkins and Janetta Jenkins on their plantation in Greenbottom Virginia. Prior to settling in Greenbottom, William Jenkins traded wheat from Norfolk for coffee along the coast of Brazil. The Jenkins plantation enslaved 51 people in 1850, and while this number was estimated to reach 80 in 1860, records that would provide a precise number and the names of the enslaved have not yet been discovered. Captain William Jenkins died from pneumonia on November 17th, 1859, and he left his plantation to his three sons, Thomas, William, and Albert. Albert Jenkins inherited a portion of the plantation with the mansion house as well as many of the enslaved persons as his personal property.Albert Gallatin Jenkins took an interest in education after watching his brothers and sisters attend a tutor-led school on the family plantation. Albert’s father enrolled him and his brothers in Marshall Academy in 1845 and a family in Guyandotte was paid $30 to board Albert during his schooling at Marshall Academy until 1846. At that time, Marshall Academy was a single two-story building that could best be understood as a college preparatory academy. From 1846 to 1848, Albert and his brothers attended Jefferson College in Cannonsburg, Pennsylvania, an institution grew into Washington and Jefferson College. Due to their education at Marshall Academy, all three brothers entered Jefferson College as sophomores. After graduating from Jefferson College in 1848, Albert continued his education at Harvard University Law School. In 1850, at the age of 19, Albert graduated from Harvard Law School and was admitted to the bar later that year.Albert began practicing law in Charleston upon his return to Cabell County and he quickly made a name for himself within the Democratic Party. On May 28th, 1857, Albert Jenkins defeated John S. Carlile and became the new Congressman from Cabell County. After a term in the state legislature, Albert defeated James M. Laidley and became a U.S. Congressman in 1859. Jenkins held this seat in Congress until the start of the Civil War in 1861 when he and many other Southern legislators abandoned their seats to support the Confederate States of America.  On April 20th, 1861, Jenkins was named Captain of the Border Rangers, a pro-Confederacy militia composed of men from Cabell and Mason counties. Owing to Jenkins leadership of the unit, these men initially camped at the Jenkins family plantation in Greenbottom. The Border Rangers grew under Jenkins' leadership and the men swore an oath of loyalty to the Confederacy and officially joined the Confederate army on May 29th, 1861. In June of 1861, William McComas nominated Jenkins for a seat in the Confederate Congress at the Virginia State Convention.Jenkins and his men were tasked with maintaining Confederate control of lands between the Guyandotte and the Big Sandy River at the beginning of the war. In August of 1861, Jenkins formed the 8th Virginia Calvary and was named Colonel. In 1862, Jenkins left the battlefield to become a member of the First Confederate Congress, but soon left Richmond after being appointed Brigadier General. During the war Jenkins led raids that resulted in the destruction of homes and the enslavement of free people of color in West Virginia and Pennsylvania. After initial success in causing headaches for Union forces, Jenkins' decision to focus more on stealing horses and attempting to capture free people of color for the purpose of selling them in Richmond limited his usefulness to the Confederate cause and caused Robert E. Lee and other leading Confederate officers to distrust Jenkins. Believing that Jenkins' had failed to support his request for reconnaissance and attacks on Union forces ahead of the Confederate offensive in Pennsylvania that culminated in the Battle of Gettysburg, Lee assigned another officer to stay with Jenkins and assigned the Border Rangers to a far flank in the Battle of Gettysburg.Rather than faithfully executing his orders prior to Gettysburg, Jenkins and his men regularly avoided any confrontation with Union forces in June of 1863. Jenkins even earned the scorn of Pennsylvania newspapers when his men ran from a group of curious civilians, believing the women and men who had come to the Chambersburg area because they were eager to see a bit of the war firsthand might be a Union force. Instead of confronting the small pro-Union militias, Jenkins led raids on Greencastle, Chambersburg, and other neighboring Pennsylvania communities. These raids included multiple instances where local residents witnessed and recorded Jenkins and his men capturing people of color with the intention of selling them into slavery. These individuals included formerly enslaved persons who had escaped bondage as well as local residents who had always been free.These events have been well-documented by historians dating back at least to the 1982 publication of When War Came This Way by now-retired historian Ted Alexander. Alexander served as senior staff historian at Antietam National Battlefield and his book is one of many secondary sources that chronicle the 1863 Pennsylvania raids of Jenkins and his men.   In 2018, the Board of Governors of Marshall University declined a request by students and faculty to rename the building owing to Jenkins actions during the Civil War that included the capture and enslavement of free people of color. The Board of Governors issued a statement that included the following phrase: “There is some evidence that he even captured former slaves who had been freed by their owners to return them to slavery but we have been unable to document that fact.” However, students, librarians, and historians had provided nearly two dozen documents demonstrating that Jenkins and his men knowingly captured and enslaved free people of color in addition to formerly enslaved persons who had escaped bondage.The Board of Governors may have not been privileged to read this information, however, owing to University President Jerry Gilbert's decision to hire an outside consultant whose report to the board failed to include the sources uncovered by students, faculty, and archivists. The report is publicly available, but the consultant refused repeated requests to also make the primary sources uncovered by archivists, students, and historians available.Among the sources provided by historians was the Diary of Rachel Cormany, a resident of Franklin County witnessed Jenkins’ actions firsthand and recorded them in her diary. On June 16, 1863, she recorded this passage:June 16, 1863: Jenkins and his men were “hunting up the contrabands &amp; driving them off by droves. O! How it grated on our hearts to have to sit quietly &amp; look at such brutal deeds--I saw no men among the contrabands--all women &amp; children. Some of the colored people who were raised here were taken along--I sat on the front step as they were driven by just like we would drive cattle. Some laughed &amp; seemed not to care--but nearly all hung their heads. One woman was pleading wonderfully with her driver for her children--but all the sympathy she received from him was a rough "March along"--at which she would quicken her pace again. It is a query what they want with those little babies--whole families were taken. Of course when the mother was taken she would take her children. I suppose the men left thinking the women &amp; children would not be disturbed. I cannot describe all the scenes”Additional sources included a letter of Jenkins' own men and numerous other eyewitnesses collaborating these events. Numerous newspaper accounts were read by a historian at a public meeting, including the Lancaster Daily Express, June 20, 1863 which claimed that Jenkins and his men “went to the part of the town occupied by the colored population, and kidnapped all they could find, from the child in the cradle up to men and women of fifty years of age.” The harm caused by Jenkins and his men is demonstrated by a letter from Priscilla Marshall. Marshall wrote to Freedman's Bureau officials on April 4, 1866, requesting help in finding her three children who were still missing after Albert Jenkins and his men captured them in 1863. Jacob Hoke was another eyewitness to the raids. His book about the Civil War includes several instances where Jenkins and his men captured formerly enslaved persons. According to Hoke, Jenkins’ raiders also knowingly captured local free people of color. Hoke recorded that were was at least one instance where Jenkins was persuaded to release one of his captives after a local minister interceded with evidence proving that one individual he captured was a free man who had been living in Pennsylvania for some time. Hoke and one local newspaper both confirm that local residents interceded to free some of the people who had been captured by Jenkins and his men.“In some cases these negroes were rescued from the guards, who were conducting them South, by the indignant people. A case of this kind occurred in Greencastle, in which a few determined men, armed with revolvers, captured a squad which had in charge a number of these poor frightened creatures, and released them from the unhappy fate which threatened them.”During the Battle of Gettysburg, Jenkins commanded his cavalry, and he was wounded after making a critical error and exposing himself to hostile fire. In May of 1864, during the Battle of Cloyd’s Mountain, Jenkins was severely injured, and his arm was amputated. Jenkins died 12 days later from his injuries and was initially buried at Greenbottom. His body was later moved to the Confederate soldier plot in Spring Hill Cemetery in Huntington.Jenkins Hall was dedicated with a groundbreaking ceremony in 1937 that honored the Confederate General who opposed the formation of West Virginia. He was also celebrated at the building's opening ceremony on April 6th, 1938. In the next few decades, the building that bore his name served as a laboratory school where students at Marshall College observed the teaching of area children. The laboratory school gave education students at Marshall classroom experience prior to graduation. Similar to other campus laboratory schools in the final decades of the 20th century, this public school closed in 1970 and the building became classroom space for Marshall students.The leadership of Marshall University was made aware of Jenkins's actions, including the fate of Priscilla Marshall's children. In 2019, the Board of Governors voted against changing the name of the building despite opposition from faculty, students, and alumni. Hoping for a compromise, the Board installed a plaque that was intended to distance the university from Jenkins' actions in the war. The plaque was quickly removed after discovering typos and a misspelled word. According to university officials interviewed by the local newspaper, the unanimous decision to rename the building in 2020 came only after the "three or four" prospective donors who had previously threatened to withhold potential donations conceded to the name change. The name change reflects the way historical interpretations change over time in the face of new evidence as well as public perception. The name "Education Building" was intended to be temporary, but it serves as a reminder that this building has been the place where generations of teachers have been trained. The two audio recordings that are part of this entry reflect the perspectives of students and teachers who have deep connections to that mission.

This building was constructed in 1937 and known as Jenkins Hall until 2020. The building originally served as a laboratory school where enrollees of the college's teacher preparation program could teach students under the guidance of experienced teachers and their professors. The school served grades kindergarten through twelve until 1970 when the building was repurposed to house Marshall University classes and offices. The third-oldest building on campus, the Education Building includes the Learning Resource Center, a mathematics education laboratory, a science education laboratory, an electronic classroom, and the June Harless Center for Rural Educational Research and Development. The building was originally named for Confederate General and Cabell County native Albert Gallatin Jenkins, a controversial figure in his own time following a raid in Pennsylvania where his men captured and sold Black women and children into slavery. In 2020, the Board of Governors reversed a previous decision and voted unanimously to remove Jenkins' name in the wake of protests around the nation that were a response to the police killing of Goerge Floyd.

Education Building, Marshall University

Construction for a new, $2 million, men’s physical education and recreational building began in April 1959, and was opened to serve the Marshall community on March 2, 1961. The new building was designed as a multi-functional facility to meet the needs of the Health Service Department, the Department of Physical Education for Men, the Department of Military Science, the varsity and intramural sports programs, men’s physical education classes and recreational sports activities. The main gymnasium was built with the capacity to hold 1,260 spectators on the main floor and 290 in the balcony. Lighting was provided by one of the first mercury vapor gymnasium lighting systems in the nation. An auxiliary gymnasium contained a trampoline area, a protective net for baseball batting practice, four single-wall handball courts, and the only NCAA regulation four-wall handball court in the Tri-State area. The NCAA regulation swimming pool was accompanied by seating for 280 spectators. A 30-bed dormitory was installed to accommodate traveling sports teams, and a regulation 60-foot rifle range was built and utilized by the Military Science department. At its opening the building also had the most well equipped Athletic Therapy Room in the region. The health services facility supplied a waiting room, offices for doctors and nurses, treatment rooms, wards, and a lead-lined x-ray room. One major component of the building, originally named the Men’s Health and Physical Education Building, was that it housed facilities for Marshall’s Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC). The ROTC program was first introduced in 1951 under the banner of the Department of Military Science. Marshall’s cadets were initially referred to as the Cadet Corps Battalion; in 1987 they were designated the Thundering Herd Battalion. The ROTC moved to the new physical education building upon its opening in 1961. It remains the program’s headquarters to the present day.<blockquote>"And so this man of boundless enthusiasm and devotion to young people and their development of character, this man who has lived a full life by the Golden Rule, with dignity and purpose, takes his place in the family of illustrations Sons of Marshall. We honor him; we love him. And the naming of Gullickson Hall stands as a permanent monument to the respect and devotion that all of us hold for a beloved professor and friend.” -Eugene H. Brown, Gullickson Hall Dedication Speech, April 22 1964</blockquote>On April 22, 1964 the physical education building was renamed Gullickson Hall in honor of Otto “Swede” Gullickson (1893-1966) upon his retirement. A native of Enderlin, North Dakota, Gullickson joined the Army during World War I before receiving degrees in physical education. Gullickson served as a physical education professor at Marshall for 33 years from 1930 to 1963. He took a break in 1944-1945 to work for the Red Cross during World War II. After the war he resurrected the school’s diminished intramural program and built it into one of the largest in the country; by the end of his career Marshall’s intramural program included 140 separate sports activities and over 5,000 participants. A notably enthusiastic teacher, Gullickson was a very popular speaker at school pep rallies. He also established branches of the Alpha Phi Omega and Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternities on campus. He organized, directed, and volunteered at the Boy’s Club of Huntington for a number of years.

Gullickson Hall was built in 1961 to accommodate a growing student population. It originally housed physical education classrooms, facilities for sports teams to practice, and space for intramural and recreational activities. Originally called the Men's Health and Physical Education Building, the structure was renamed in 1964 after former physical education professor Otto A. "Swede" Gullickson. Gullickson worked at Marshall for over 30 years, overseeing the development of the school's intramural program into one of the largest in the nation.Today Gullickson Hall is attached to the adjacent Cam Henderson Center, and it is home to the Marshall ROTC program. 

Gullickson Hall, Marshall University 

In the early 1900s a two-story brick building was constructed on this space on 3rd Avenue between 17th and 18th Streets. At one point it housed a retail store called Modern Shoe, and then later Dayton Tire Shop. In 1926 Marshall, which at the time consisted only of Old Main and Northcott Hall, purchased and renovated the structure to serve as a space for the Music Department. This original Music Hall was too not and not properly suited for the Music Department, but it was used until 1967 when Smith Music Hall was completed. For a few years afterwards the old building was used to house Marshall’s TV station WMUL. In 1973 it was demolished to make room for Harris Hall.Harris Hall was just one of multiple new buildings and renovation projects conducted all over Marshall during the 1970s and early 1980s. The four-story building, referred to during planning as Academic Building A, was meant to house some of the liberal arts departments, such as history, psychology, geography, religious studies, and the classics. The use of decorative pillars in the exterior design of the structure reflects its purpose as a facility for the humanities. The building was completed in 1975, but was not formally dedicated until November 5, 1976, when a dual ceremony was held naming both Harris Hall and Buskirk Hall (originally known as West Hall). During this period of development Marshall sought to name many of its new and older structures after influential faculty and administration members from the university’s history. The Physical Facilities and Planning Committee recommended that the new academic building be named after Dr. Arvil Ernest Harris (1898-1964).<blockquote>On the streets Arvil Harris knew me. In the halls he recognized me. In his office my problems became his problems. No physician, he knew when I was ill. When I became discouraged, he encouraged me. When I faltered from the direction of my goal, he made me envision it. -Anonymous student</blockquote>Arvil Harris grew up in Braxton County, West Virginia. He graduated from Marshall in 1926 and returned in 1936 to teach political science and social studies. In 1948 Harris was appointed the first Dean of the newly-created Graduate School, a position he held until just before his death. The Graduate School began with only nine master’s degrees offered, but the program and curriculum gradually expanded under Harris’ tenure. At one time the school was the only one in West Virginia to offer a master’s degree in Geography. In addition to working at Marshall, Harris also served as a city councilman, mayor of Huntington, and was an active member of the First Congregational Church of Huntington.

Harris Hall was dedicated in 1976 and is named in honor of Arvil Ernest Harris, who was a political science and social studies professor, as well as the first Dean of the Graduate School. Harris Hall replaced Music Hall, a former retail space purchased by Marshall in 1926 and used to house the Music Department until the construction of Smith Music Hall. Throughout its history Harris Hall has housed many of Marshall's liberal arts programs. Today it is home to the history, geography, psychology, counseling, classics, philosophy, and religious studies departments.

Harris Hall, Marshall University

The first facility at Marshall built specifically for the science departments was Northcott Hall, which was constructed in 1915 on the present site of Drinko Library. By the 1940s the building was too small to meet the school’s needs. The West Virginia legislature allocated funds for a new science building, but work was delayed by the outbreak of World War II. A dramatic increase in student enrollment after the war made the need for a larger building more urgent. Construction of the Science Building, originally dubbed Science Hall, began in 1948 and was completed by the fall of 1950. The four-story, brick structure cost $3 million. Unlike most of the other facilities on campus, the Science Building was never named after anyone. The most distinguishable physical feature was a large, stone façade on the north side containing portraits of Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Edison; it was also inscribed with the names of geologist Thomas Chamberlain, mathematicians Josiah Gibbs and Charles Steinmetz, and biologist Louis Pasteur. Upon its opening the Science Building was the most modern building on campus, and boasted some of the most advanced scientific facilities of its time. It contained classrooms, offices, and laboratories for Physics, Mechanics, Optics, Physiology, Histology, Geography, Geology, Meteorology, Biology, Zoology, and Chemistry. It also featured men’s and women’s lounges, a science library, a geology museum, a herbarium, a telescope platform, and a radio station. The new facilities allowed Marshall to conduct a range of scientific studies, and it immediately began receiving research grants from various organizations. Marshall President Stewart H. Smith declared that the Science Building would create “an enrichment of instruction in the sciences and… contribute greatly to the development and expansion of the industrial and scientific progress of West Virginia.”In 1983 the Science Building underwent a massive expansion and refurbishment to meet the demands of a growing student body and address the problems of an aging infrastructure. A new four-story addition was constructed on the south side, nearly doubling the building’s size. The original portion was also renovated to update the electrical system, plumbing, ventilation, and climate control. The new addition was initially completed in 1984 but it was not opened due to faulty ventilation and other safety concerns. The problems were not completely fixed until a final phase of renovations in 1989.

Marshall University's Science Building was constructed in 1950 to replace Northcott Science Hall. Due to a growing enrollment rate, the Science Building expanded in 1984 to offer better laboratories and lecture halls. The Science Building is home to the College of Science, the Schools of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Forensic & Criminal Justice Sciences, Mathematics & Applied Information, and Physical Sciences. 

Science Building, Marshall University

At the end of World War II, the U.S. Navy provided Marshall with nine frame surplus barrack type buildings located on 16th Street and 4th Ave. These barracks were utilized as student housing and as classroom space for engineering students. As part of the grant by the Navy, it was agreed that when the buildings had fulfilled their purpose and were no longer in use, they would be torn down. The West Virginia Board of Regents approved the razing of the temporary Navy Barracks September of 63. Marshall’s first Engineering Building was established between College and Fifth Avenues and 18th and 19th streets in 1960, but was soon utilized for storage when the Engineering department temporarily moved to a butcher shop on 20th Street. In 1972, the former Board of Regents called for the phasing out of the Engineering program at Marshall University, because they felt that programs at WVU and West Virginia Tech could suit the state’s engineering education needs. After this, Marshall University only offered the first two years of schooling needed to obtain an engineering degree.It wasn’t until 2006 that Marshall University reinstated their four year engineering program. Since the university had phased out engineering nearly 30 years prior, there was a shortage of necessary equipment to suit the growing number of students enrolling in the revived program. The Arthur Weisburg Family Engineering Laboratories was the first building installed in what would become the Arthur Weisburg Engineering Complex. The Engineering Laboratories replaced a parking lot west of the Robert C. Byrd Biotechnology Science Center to better accommodate the locations of classes. On Oct 29, 2012, Marshall University officials broke ground to develop the new $50 million engineering complex, the Arthur Weisburg Family Applied Engineering Complex. Located between the Arthur Weisburg Family Engineering Laboratories and the Robert C. Byrd Biotechnology Science Center. Weisburg is the president of State Electric, and donated $2.5 million to the Marshall University Foundation to fund the complex in 2006.The Arthur Weisberg Family Applied Engineering Complex opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on August 13, 2015. Attendees honored both Arthur Weisberg and the late Stephen Kopp, former Marshall University President, for their commitment to the project. Following a meeting with Stephen Kopp, Art and Joan Weisberg agreed to donate funds that inspired other individuals and organizations to fund the creation of this $56 million facility. With an additional $25 million from the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, numerous private donations, and a Marshall University bond issue, Marshall's new engineering complex opened in the fall semester of 2015. Information about the Arthur and Joan Weisberg and State Electric Company:Arthur Weisberg established State Electric Supply Company in 1952. The company began with humble origins, as Weisberg called on customers directly, selling and delivering equipment with the aid of a single pickup truck. Over time, Weisberg established a retail outlet and warehouse in Huntington, West Virginia. The company grew quickly and presently maintains retail outlets and staff throughout Ohio, Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Illinois, and Pennsylvania.  Inspired by glowing reports of West Virginia and its people from fellow soldiers, Arthur Weisberg chose to move to Huntington after serving four and a half years in the United States Army. With only $2,500 to his name and a degree in Electrical Engineering from City College in New York, Weisberg began his business. Local business owner Shug Halstead allowed Art to use his garage to store his inventory of light bulbs, extension cords, fuses, and other items. After loading some of these items into his pickup truck each day, and with the help and support of his wife Joan, Art drove to small businesses throughout the Tri-State region. The Weisberg's business grew slowly at first, but soon they were to expand the business to include a wide manner of electrical equipment for businesses and consumers.

The Arthur Weisburg Family Applied Engineering Complex was opened in August of 2015, and offers engineering students state of the art equipment. Marshall University did not have an engineering building on campus for nearly thirty years until the installation of the Arthur Weisburg Family Engineering Laboratories building in 2006. The West Virginia Board of Regents phased out the engineering program at Marshall University in the early 1970s, and did not revive the program until the early 2000s. Art Weisburg is the owner of State Electric, and donated generously so that Marshall could once again host an engineering program.

Arthur Weisberg Family Applied Engineering Complex

Marshall experienced a large surge in enrollment during the late 1940s following the end of World War II. To accommodate the need for more classrooms, a former naval barracks was constructed in a low field to the north of Old Main. It housed engineering, math, sociology, language, philosophy, and military science classes. Referred to as the Old Main Annex, this frame structure was meant to be temporary but remained in use for nearly twenty years. It was finally demolished in the 1960s to make way for Smith Hall.In 1963 the West Virginia legislature approved a $7 million bond to fund improvements and construction projects on campus. Around $3.8 million was allocated to build a large new Academic Center and Music Hall. Construction began with a groundbreaking ceremony on April 27, 1965 and continued for two years. Designed by the Huntington architectural firm of Dean and Dean, the complex featured an eight-story tower, a three-story music hall, and a communications building. Smith Hall was named in honor of Marshall President Stewart H. Smith (1904-1982) and his wife Evelyn Marion Hollberg. Smith served as President from 1946 to 1968, the longest tenure in Marshall’s history; he was also one of the school’s most popular presidents among both students and the Huntington community. Marshall grew substantially under his administration. Enrollment tripled; new buildings were constructed; and the Graduate College was established. Smith zealously advocated for the state legislature to provide more funding, and in 1961 he oversaw Marshall’s transition from a college to a university. After twenty-two years of service, Stewart Smith sent notice of his resignation on November 7, 1967, effective the following July. Four days later, Smith and his wife were surprised at the dedication ceremony of the new Academic Center on November 11 when officials announced that it would be named the Stewart Harold Smith Academic Center and the Evelyn Hollberg Smith Music Hall.<blockquote>"Marshall University is on the move, but there are many things to be done. I would remind our administrators, faculty, staff and students that they are part of a great institution which knows no frontiers..." -Stewart H. Smith</blockquote>Today Smith Hall houses classrooms, offices, and other facilities for parts of the College of Liberal Arts and the College of Arts and Media. This includes the School of Music, the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications, and the Mathematics, Political Science, Sociology, Criminal Justice, Modern Languages, Communication Studies, and Communication Disorders Departments. The ground floor contains a student lounge, a café, the Marshall University Speech and Hearing Center, and the Birke Art Gallery. The Communications Building is home to The Parthenon student newspaper, the WMUL radio station, and the MU Report television broadcast station.

Smith Hall is an academic complex that consists of Stewart Smith Hall, Evelyn Hollberg Smith Music Hall, the Birke Art Gallery, and the Communications Building. The building opened in 1967 and replaced a former naval barracks that acted as temporary classrooms. Smith Hall is named after popular longtime Marshall President Stewart H. Smith, who served from 1946 to 1968. Today the facility is utilized for many general education classes. It is home to many College of Liberal Arts and College of Arts and Media Departments, including the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications and the School of Music. Smith Hall also contains a student lounge, cafe, speech clinic, offices for The Parthenon, and the WMUL radio station. 

Marshall University Campus Tour - History of Marshall University