The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1912-11-29
DR.. MORROW EN-.
LOGIES DR.. GATES
IMPRESSIVE SERVICE AT FISK
SUNDAY.
Was Elected President of Fisk in
19os-Had Enjoyed The Best Ed
ucational Advantages-eradu-
ate of Dartmouth and An
dOver-Was One Time
President of Two Other
Colleges.

Sunday morning at II o'clock a
impressive memorial service in r,
spect to the memory of the late Get
A. Gates was held in the Fisk Me
mortal Chapel Rev. C. w. Morrow
u. D., professor of philosophy and col
' lege pastor, delivered the followini
address, in part:
DR. George A. Gates was eIecte,
PRESIDENT of Fisk University in 1909
he had enjoyed the best educationa
advantages, being graduate of Dart
mouth College and Andover Theologi
cal Seminary, and having Travelled
ana studied abroad. For some year,
ne was engaged in the active work
Oh the gospel ministry, and then, fol
over score of years, was a college
President, holding that Office at Grin
nell Ia, and at Pomona, Cal. He
came to Fisk therefore, not as a tyro
out as one who had had extended ex.
perlence at the head of institutions of
Ine higher learning. With him came
MIS- Gates, most devoted wife, whose
wonderful equipoise, delicate discri-
nlnatlon and cheerful, loving spirit
nave been of great value to our col.
lege community. And, friends. we can
not forget her aged mother, whose
tenderness for one and all have given
her a large place in every heart, and
whose entrance into our little social
cir lie here on the hilltop we owe. of
course, to DR.. Gates becoming our
President.
He brought to Fisk a rigorous
personality. Many changes in the life
OF the college were instituted by him.
and ne lived to see them become an
integral part of the order of things
and working well.
DIR. Gates was a firm believer in
the higher education of the Negro. He
was opposed to speaking of Fisk as
school, fearing that the word school
might mislead some as to the fact of
Its being a college. At the time he
came, the Committee on Courses. of
winch | happened to be Chairman.
was at work on scheme for raising
our standard of scholarship and ex-
pandlng our curriculum. Some of lis
wondered how the new President
would regard such purpose. We
found him to be most enthusiastical-
ly in favor of lettering the scholastic
life OF the institution. He brought
to bear ali the influence of his office
for such learning in Fisk as would
Justify its being styled a college. No
professor Held up too high ideals in
the class loom to suit the president
He insisted upon the students doing
solid work as college men and women
because he believed in the higher
learning for the Negro, whose capa-
bIlity he never questioned. No pro
lessor, | repeat, could doubt his hav- 6
ing DR.. Gates full approval in his eff !
Iorts to maintain in his classes a i
high standard of scholarship. The Q
President believed in industrial edu- a
,ation but he did not think that I
Fisk's raison d'etre was for the pro O
notion of such an object. Coming to il
Il without any direct, personal
knowledge of educational needs in +
he Southland, he might easily have d
Numbered along this line, but his vi
ion was clear, and he was true in Il
ct to what he saw. AS the Fisk T
athers blazed the way for the higher p
earning DR.. Gates carried the stand "
rd forward 81 'endidly. II
"Io many, in 'ed, he has been the To