Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-11-13
Committee Presents Plan
to Special Session Of
Board of Trustees
HAVE OPTION ON LAND
NEAR COUNTRY CLUB
Must Put Up Guarantee Of
Practically 100000 to
Move the School

The appearance OF a committee a
Ottumwa business men before th>
board of trustees Of Iowa Wesleyan
college, in extraordinary session at M
Pleasant Thursday afternoon to con-
slider the future of the school. caused
1 one or the biggest sensations that has
been known in that city for some time.
They came to present the proposition
OF moving the school to Ottumwa.
While no definite action was taken n
Is expected within the next two weeks
There was never a meeting in the
three-quarters of century history Of
the school, filled with more thrilling
surprises and unexpected climaxee.
Ihe most intense excitement prevailed
throughout Mt. Pleasant and the result
OF the board meeting was awaited with
the greatest of excitement. The board
convened In the morning at nine
o'clock. The first event on the vari-
gated program was the appearance OF
committee Of five business men of
that city. This committee through
their spokesman expressed the intense
loyalty OF Mt. Pleasant to the college
the sacrifices that the town had made
IN the past, and its realization OF what
the school meant to the community
MT. Pleasant stands ready at this hour
to strain It's resources to the very ut.
most to meet any reasonable demands
that may be made upon 1t by the board
provided that the college may be 10.
Gated there permanently.
Real Surprise Sprung.
In the afternoon the real surprise
was sp"i-n~. and perhaps the one that
althor was anticipated to GER
tain 9 yet was considered by
many to lie largely baseless rumor.
delegation of the leading business
men OF Ottumwa appeared before the
board and announced that they had oh
tanned an option upon a tract of two
hundred and ffty-four acres of land In
Ottumwa located half mile north of the
Country club, with the view to locate
Iowa WESLEYAN there. The committee
explained the advantages of Ottumwa
as a college center. 1t is growing
town OF practically twenty-five thous-
and inhabitants. The high school grad
yates in the neighborhooa of one hum
dered students. 1t is ideally located as
to the center Of the conference, and
is one Of the best railroad centers In
Iowa The college would have far
larger field to draw from and the po-
tential resources for the future would
be far greater than in Mt Pleasant. 1t
is the tentative plan Of Ottumwa to re-
serve forty acres of this tract for the
main camDus and some twenty acres
for an athletic field. The balance will
be subdivided into lots, total of eight
hundred and sold The car line will be
extended. water and gas mains run I
out to the new addition, roads will be
graded and curbed and sidewalks put
in. The board told Ottumwa that be- !
fore removal could be thought OF q :
campus must be guaranteed and the
eight hundred lots underwritten at Ave
hundred dollars apiece or 100000 The
second proposition to Ottumwa was to
give the school campus, 100000 for
buildings and 100000 for endowment.
This would mean a school Of resources
totalling almost million dollars
Parsons Proposition
, At the session of the Iowa confer.
ence held in Centerville last Septem-
Der proposal was made by Parsons
college for the consolidation Of Iowa
Wesleyan, Parsons and Simpson.
Simpson has turned this proposal down
and it now lies between Parsons and
Wesleyan. The conference appointed
committee Of five to confer with
like committee from Parsons. Before
any proposal can be considered these
two committees must first meet. 1t
is understood on good authority that
they will confer within the next two
weeks
Then Mt. Pleasant must be given
her chance. The town has always been
loyal to the school. While it is not es-
sentially wealthy community, 1t 10
felt that Henry county will strain
every resource rather than see the coli
lege which has made its home therefor
the past seventy-five years leave that
city All the history and tradition OF
| the school centers there. The three
thousand alumni and former students
think always of Iowa Wesleyan and
Mt. Pleasant. Many OF the former
presidents are buried there and there
are men today who make their homo
there, who have devoted practically
their entire lives to the building up
and maintenance of the school.