MEMORIAL STUDENT UNION (MSC)Graceland University, Lamoni, Iowa |
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In April of 1946, the RLDS General Conference designated that
$60,000 from the next College Day offering would be used for a Graceland
student center. This was a lofty goal considering that the largest total
from any previous College Day collection was $15,000 which was raised in
1945. The student center was intended to be a memorial to all youth of
the church who had served during World War II. During the next three years, several fund raising events helped achieve the $86,000 needed to build the center. During the 1946 homecoming, alumni could sit in business manager Neal Deaver's comfortable chair for $1,000. This raised $3,000 from two people because one donor sat down twice to double his pledge. The Independence alumni chapter pledged to raise $10,000. The first major gift from a student group was donated by the class of 1947 who offered approximately $300 toward the construction of a fireplace. The class of 1946 donated chancel furnishings. Graceland president Edmund J. Gleazer held a student body meeting on March 31, 1948, and announced a fund-raising drive to help construction of the building to begin that summer. A freshman from Medina, Texas, Carl Wheeler, spoke the drive's slogan at that meeting: “Through the Front Door in '48.” This was amended to “Through the Front Door in '49” the following year. During May 1-28, 1948, the college promoted a nationwide fund-raising campaign with a goal set at $22,000. The Lamoni community set a $5,000 goal. One social club volunteered to cancel all of its social activities and donate the money they would have spent to the student center. Paul Morden, a 1936 alumnus from Niagara Falls, New York, donated $3,500 in 1948 toward the student center's snack bar. On December 9, 1952, a plaque was placed on the center's north lobby wall acknowledging donors who contributed approximately $30,000 toward the project. David B. Runnels of Kansas City, Missouri, submitted architectural drawings early in April of 1948. During homecoming weekend, groundbreaking ceremonies were held on Sunday, October 24, 1948. Bishop Walter Johnson, John Garver, Apostle George Mesley, Evan Wsalden, Paul Elliott, Bernard Butterworth and Jack Watt each scooped dirt with a chrome shovel. The structure is single-story and houses a large main room for entertainment events, the campus post office, the Bookstore , the Swarm Inn snack bar, the Americas Rooms and other student service offices. The large main room was built with a maple floor measuring 60' x 90' and has a stage located on the north end and four rooms along a raised walkway at the west side that housed, from north to south, a lounge, snack shop, bookstore, and a room which was used by the bookstore for storage. College crews rushed to install the doors in time for the ribbon-cutting ceremony held on Sunday, October 16, 1949. Oneida Archibald, a third generation Gracelander from St. Louis, Missouri, snipped the ribbon; her grandfather, 1895 student Ed Bell also was in attendance. Carl Mesle spoke for the alumni; Tommy McGeorge spoke for the student body; Dayle Bethel spoke for the servicemen; and Graceland president Edmund Gleazer spoke for the college. Two weeks after the ribbon-cutting, the window frames were in place, the roof was completed with steel side trim, and the interior offices were completed. Early in November of 1949, folding chairs began to arrive. During Christmas recess other furnishings were set in place. The center's original furnishings cost $2,500 and included two-sedater couches, six plywood tables for the snack shop, 16 matching red plywood chairs, two coffee tables and three two-seater divans. Doris Conklin was named the Memorial Student Center's first director in 1949. MSC's first Sunday morning service was held at 10 a.m. on January 8, 1950. President Gleazer delivered the address and a new Hammond organ, installed in a special room on the west side of the stage, made its debut on Graceland's campus. The organ came from the Stoner Music Company in Des Moines through a trade of a smaller organ that had been used in Zimmerman Hall. A month later, the auditorium was used for the first MSC skate on February 3, 1950, sponsored by the Skate Club, a.k.a. Graceland Holy Rollers. The Memorial Student Center was dedicated on March 12, 1950, which was the same day as the groundbreaking ceremony for Gunsolley Hall. Barbara McFarlene Higdon, a 1949 graduate and future Graceland president, offered opening remarks entitled “I Saw the Building Grow.” William Leonard of Independence, Missouri, sang Bless This House. President Gleazer offered the dedicatory talk which was entitled “Memorial or Mausoleum.” Gustav Platz offered the dedicatory prayer. The entire ceremony was carried by KGRA radio. Several years later there was some thought about turning the MSC into a library, which would have provided stack space for 38,000 volumes compared to the 22,000 volume capacity of the library located in Briggs Hall. Chemistry instructor Delmar Goode, with the assistance of the Physical Plant and several students, created a small park along the MSC's south side in the spring of 1963. Initial plantings, which included a magnolia tree, four kinds of azaleas, a spindle tree, berry bushes and several dwarf pines, all came from Mr. Goode's own gardens with the exception of some of the shrubbery provided by the Physical Plant. Mr. Goode's trees had been obtained from Shenandoah, Iowa, the same company from which Joseph Smith III purchased the original trees that were planted on Graceland's campus. Nine five-ton air conditioning units were installed during the summer of 1976. The following winter, a wall was added to separate the MSC's new art gallery from the main room, and the wall between the pool room and pinball room was removed as well. In 1982, the art gallery became a game room upon the completion of The Shaw Center. During the summer of 1990, a video projection united utilizing a movie-sized screen was added to the main room. MSC Snack Bar In 1948, Paul Morden, a member of the class of 1936, donated $2,500 toward the construction of a snack bar in the student center. The snack shop opened in September of 1950, serving ice cream items and candy bars on a limited basis. Later, soups, sandwiches, burgers and soft drinks were offered and the snack shop employed 10 to 15 students. Laurice Crum was the snack shop's first student manager. During the summer of 1959, additional counter space was added. MSC Addition In 1959, the RLDS World Conference appropriated $100,000 toward additions to be built on the MSC's east side. Construction began during the summer of 1961. This created a larger campus bookstore, a new snack shop which was named the Swarm Inn, a new campus post office, the Americas Room, a central lounge and additional offices. Members of the expansion committee were chair Doris Conklin, Henry Anderson, J. W. White, Harold Condit, Lloyd R. Young, Howard Mussell, Terry Rice and Howard Reynolds. Dane D. Morgan and Associates of Burlington, Iowa designed the expansion and plans were approved by the Graceland College Board of Trustees in May of 1961. The east walls of the previous MSC snack shop and bookstore were removed to create a large open lounge that could accommodate 200 people for auditorium overflow. The old bookstore stockroom became a music listening room with display cases for artwork. A $300 Scott Stereo kit was donated by the class of 1961 sophomore and senior classes; records were purchased with funds donated by social clubs when they disbanded in the spring of 1962. The room was completed in 1964. The original lounge was enclosed for use as a TV room. A central faculty lounge was built around what had been MSC's outdoor fireplace. A conference room was added along with offices for student activities, such as Alpha Phi Omega, the Senate, MSC Activity Board, Tower and Acacia, each with a separate door to the hallway. The Americas Room (named in December of 1962) was added, a multi-purpose room with a kitchenette for meetings for 100 to 150 people. During the summer of 1962, new sidewalks and a concrete roadway were laid east and north of the building. Other plans which would have created a large game room, a bowling alley and a small theater with seating capacity of approximately 170 people were unrealized. On Sunday, January 28, 1962 at 3 p.m. a ceremony held in the MSC auditorium officially opened the addition. The choir and band performed Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring by Bach, and The Cry of God by Luvaas. The choir sang Prelude to Eternity and was joined by the band to perform Grand Symphony for Band by Hector Berlioz. Graceland's treasurer James White presented the keys to Doris Conklin, who then turned over keys for the new student offices to president of the MSC Activity Board Beryl Butterfield, student body president Norman Glenn, Tower editor Jay Newcom, Acacia editor William Morain and representing Alpha Phi Omega, Gerald Hancock. Keys were also given to MSC custodian Aaron Engle, faculty member William Gould, snack bar and bookstore manager Howard Reynolds and full-time Graceland postmaster Max Walden. Symbolizing the warmth and welcome to Graceland alumni, a key was given to director of Alumni Relations Barney Parker. Clive Davis delivered a talk entitled “My Expectations.” Harold Condit, dean of students, led the group in the dedication pledge. Norman Glenn and Beryl Butterfield cut the ribbon to the new addition. The meditation chapel, previously located in the Administration Building, was moved to the north portion of the MSC during the summer of 1965. It had a maximum seating of about 40. Graceland College Bookstore Since the beginning, Graceland has provided her students with bookstore facilities where they could purchase classroom texts, textbooks and supplies. As time progressed, snacks, college apparel and a gift section were added. Jeremiah A. Gunsolley was appointed by the Board of Trustees on June 1, 1909 to prepare a room for a book and stationery store. The Board appointed H. H. Gold as bookkeeper and store manager on September 13, 1909. This bookstore was located in a room of the northwest corner of the Administration Building's basement. The bookstore and snack shop along with adjacent storage space was moved into two rooms of the Memorial Student Center when that facility opened during the 1949-50 school term. These rooms were located along the raised walkway of at the building's west side. The Bookstore and storage area was moved early in 1962 to a larger area in the east-side addition of the Memorial Student Center. This new location provided a self-service sales area that was approximately 33' x 40' with the storage area readily accessible directly east of the store. |
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A collection of current faculty and administration photographs,
titled “Graceland At A Glance,” was added across the hallway from the
bookstore in the fall of 1983. During the spring of 1993, the housing and dean of students offices relocated to rooms along MSC's north hallway. The Memorial Student Center Activity Board (M.S.C.A.B.) was in existence for two years from 1960 until 1962. The group planned all-campus social activities and the four executive officers were chosen by the student body. The first officers were president Terry Rice, vice-president Larry Hughes, secretary Judy Miller and treasurer Ada Mae Flower. The M.S.C.A.B. was succeeded by the Campus Organization of Student Activities (COSA). |
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| click on images below for larger views |
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SOURCES: Edwards, Paul M. "The Hilltop Where. . . An Informal
History of Graceland College." Venture Foundation. Lamoni IA. 1972.
Goehner, David. “The Graceland College Book of Knowledge: From A To Z.”
Pp 35-6, 209-13. Herald House. Independence MO. 1997. 2015 Photographs &
Submission by Sharon R. Becker, February 2017. NOTE: Graceland University expressly granted permission to Decatur County IAGenWeb to use photographs and materials for the sole purpose of this website. Please, extend courtesy toward Graceland University and Decatur County IAGenWeb ~ ask before you "borrow" from this site. Thank you. These pages have been updated and reformatted by Conni McDaniel Hall, October 2019 |
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