TOLD by the PIONEERS - Washington Secretary of State

Told
by the Pioneers
ritorial Uni,-ersity at Seattle, it did not g-raduate any students until
twenty years had g-one by after its founding-. Nevertheless, it was the
only chance for an education beyond the grades within a wide radius
and it drew to itself many a boy who afterwards attained distinction
in the life of the state.
In 1882 the decision was reached by the local supporters of the Seminary
that the time had come to develop it into a college and to apply
to the American Colleg-e and Education Society of Boston for aid in
that undertaking. Funds were raised and an invitation was extended
to the president of the territorial university, Alexander J. Anderson,
Ph. D., to become the president of the enlarg-ed institution. He
had been successful and popular in Seattle and after nine years had
the university to the point of graduating its first four year college
class in that year, 1882,but he accepted the invitation to Walla 'Valla
and in September came with his wife and six children to become president
of Whitman college and to finish the last chapter of his distinguished
career as an educator.
The charter was amended by the legislature to authorize" the board
of Trustees of Whitman Colleg-e" to establish an institution of learning
"for instruction in literature, science and art." It empowered
them to "confer all such deg-rees and honors as are conferred by colleg-es
and universities of the United States and such others (having
reference to the course of study and the attainments of the applicants)
as they may deem proper." A suitable new building was constructed
by the citizens of Walla Walla on ground given by Dr. Baker
adjacent to the original campus, an endowment fund was begun, and
in 1886 the first four year college class was graduated under an able
and energetic faculty. The institution retained a preparatory department
for many years and this was usually the larger part of it,
but the college -department steadily grew in prestige and influence
until the preparatory department was finally abandoned and the college
stood alone, a New England college like Amherst or 'Villiams,
,,'ith equal standards, but, like Oberlin of Beloit or Grinnell, co-educational
in its administration.
It is accredited lw the Association of American Universities as an
•
A class institution and is fully accredited by the best eastern universities
as doing work fully equal to their own in the field of undergraduate
instruction..It has such honor societies as Phi Beta Kappa, Mortarboard,
Delta Sig-ma Rho, and Mu Phi Epsilon, and also has chapters
of leading national fraternities and sororities.
·Whitman College is a non-sectarian, Christian colleg-e, free from
either political or denominational control. It is unhampered ill its
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