Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-12-11
WESLEYAN HAS
NEW RECORDS
VERY COMPLETE ALUMNI REGIS.
TER COMPLETED BY JET
FREY AND OTHERS.

| Mt. Pleasant, Dec. 10.--COmmemor'
alive of the diamond jubilee anniver.
i sary OF the college, which occurs this
year, the Alumni association of Iowa
Wesleyan has just issued new alum
nj record and history, book contain
ing 500 pages dealing with the per
| sonal and collegiate history OF the In
stitution. 1t has been declared by the
publishers to be the most thorough
complete and accurate alumni record
yet printed by an Iowa college. Her
bert w. Jeffrey Of the class Of 1914 is
the editor-in-chief. Ben Hur Wilson,
| 'O9 associate editor and supervisor OF
the collection of data and printing and
w. II. Evans, '9S, business manager
| The book has taken over two years OF
/ consistent work to finish. 1t contains
| individual data and personal history
| concerning every one of the 1347 grad
yates of the college. So painstakins
has been the work of the editors dur
| ing the past two years that there are
less than one dozen graduates of the
school who have not been finally locat'
ed and their complete history secured.
IN TWO SECTIONS.
The book is divided into two sec
tons, the first dealing with complete
history Of the college since its found
ing in 1912 down to the present date;
the second part is confined to the
alumni records. The volume is caro-
fully indexed and every name Is listed.
, The female graduates Of the school are
listed both under their single and mar
ried names. The historical section, be-
sides containing the narrated story OF
the college in addition gives the PIC
lures of each president Of the lnsutu-
ton. a complete list Of each member
of the board of trustees, faculty. execu-
tive committee, and board OF visitors
from the beginning. There is also
section devoted to various organiza'
tions of the school, including the liter
ary societies, Greek letter fraternltles
and sororities.
The history was compiled from tns
original records and documents aga
at the cost of no little trouble and eS-
pense heretofore unavailable RECORDS
have been brought to light. AS Yves.
leyan was the first college established
west OF the Mississippi the work Is
valuable as a medium for throwing
light upon early educational enter
prises in the west.
FIVE ACRES FOR SCHOOL.
The college was founded in 1912 as
Tho reSuIt of four citizens of Mt. Pleas
ant giving five acres from the corners
of their farms. The twenty acres LIS
secured forms the present campus. me
original name of the institution was
the Mt. Pleasant Collegiate institute
This was changed to Iowa Conference
University in 1850, one year after the
institution was formally adopted by
the Iowa conference. ItNwas re-char-
tered Iowa Wesleyan University III
1854 and Iowa Wesleyan college IN
1911.
The p. f. o. sisterhood was founded
at Wesleyan; the Oldest chapter OF the
Pi Beta Phi Sorority is located here,
while the second chapter OF the Phi
Delta Theta fraternity to be estab-
lished west of the Mississippi. is at
WESLEYAN. Ham1ine Literary society
has the honor of being the first char
tered literary society in the state
That the college suffered the usual
yicissitudes of all educational institu-
the chapter devoted to the history OF
the recent successful endowment cam
paign for 100000 After speaking OF
this great undertaking the editors
quote from the old records OF the exec
utiye committee in which the president
vas given permission to cut enough
hay and wood off of the campus to pay
mart of the arrears in his salary.
Winfield Scott Mayne was the first
graduate of Iowa Wesleyan college. He
is still living, a lawyer in active serv-
ice at Council Bluffs. His sons are
Wesleyan graduates and two of his
grandsons are in the college at the
present time Thirteen hundred and
forty-six graduates have followed
Mayne.
OF particular interest at this time is
the fact that Wesleyan has furnished
soldiers for five wars: Mexican, civil.
Spanish-American, philippines and the
present one.