1946 

 Ground-breaking Ceremony  
 at Sunnydale Academy  

 Promptly at 2 o'clock on the afternoon  
 of February 18 a goodly number of  
 workers, lay members, business associates  
 and friends from the surrounding com-  
 munities met on the future nine-acre  
 campus for a ground-breaking ceremony  
 marking the beginning of the girls' dorm-  
 itory, the first building to be erected at  
 our academy.  

 The program was presented from a  
 temporary platform erected on the future  
 site of the new building. Superinten-  
 dent H. C. Hartman served as master of  
 ceremonies, introducing the program  
 and speakers.  

 Elder Leon Robbins from St. Louis  
 offered the opening prayer. Elder G. E.  
 Hutches, president of the board of di-  
 rectors, sketched the "Historic Back-  
 ground," relating the activities of the  
 academy commission from the day it  
 was organized until the day in October,  
 1945, when the end of the long search  
 for an academy site was reached.  

 A hearty welcome was extended to the  
 academy from Centralia by Mr. Julius Ed-  
 wards from the First National Bank and  
 from the community by Mr. John  
 Shindler.  

 Elder G. R. Fattic, Central Union ed-  
 ucational secretary, outlined the purposes  
 and objectives of our three hundred ed-  
 ucational institutions the world over,  
 assuring the hearers that we had come  

 to be a permanent institution in this  
 community and the state of Missouri.  

 Elder E. E. Cossentine, president of  
 Union College, welcomed Sunnydale  
 \cademv into the sisterhood of acade-  
 mies comprising Union's territory. He  
 stated that Union College would be  
 happy to accept the first graduates as  
 well as future graduates in view of the  
 fact that Sunnydale will be staffed quite  
 largely by fully accredited teachers from  
 Union College.  

 Mr. Hartman pointed out the loca-  
 tions of the proposed building sites for  
 the girls' dormitory, boys' domitory, ad-  
 ministration building, teachers' cottages,  
 superintendent's home, and other fu-  
 ture structures to be erected on the  
 spacious nine-acre plot. He then intro-  
 duced Mr. Robert Deering, Columbia  
 arcritect who drew the plans for the  
 girls' domitory. Mr. Deering briefly out-  
 lined the outstanding features of the  
 building which will house 80 girls and  
 expressed his belief in its beauty, prac-  
 tibility, and adequacy.  

 Staff Sergeant Willard L. Bresee was  
 next introduced as building supervisor  
 and he made a brief response. Because  
 of Sgt. Bresee's experience in supervising  
 the erection of a number of other large  
 buildings, such as the auditorium and  
 Don Lo\e industrial building located  
 on the Union College campus, we can  
 be assured of well constructed edifices.  

 In an earnest dedicatory prayer Elder  
 C. M. Babcock from Columbia pre-  
 sented the plot of ground to the throne  
 of grace, asking that the purposes for  
 which it had been set aside be carried  
 out.  

 Then with Mr. Hartman at the con-  
 trols of a caterpillar tractor and Elder  
 Hutches guiding the plow, Mr. HerscJiel  
 Turner driv ing -a team of typical Missouri  
 mules and Elder Babcock holding an-  
 other plow, deep furrows were made in  
 preparation for laving the foundation  
 of the new building.  

 In spite of cloudv, wet weather every-  
 one seemed to recognize the advantages  
 of a location where pure air, sunshine, and  
 spacious, roomy lawns provide an ideal  
 setting for student home life.  

 A serious, interested atmosphere pre-  
 \aded the group as this milestone was  
 reached, and we rejoice that our acad-  
 emy is started; for its primary purpose  

 is to help save Missouri youth and aid  
 in preparing them for the kingdom of  
 God.  

 MRS. H. C. HARTMAN  

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