Editor's note: This is the second in a three-part series looking at the presidents of Ohio University. The information in the story came from the Mahn Center for Archives in Alden Library.
Ohio University's eighth president, Charles William Super, oversaw the turn of the century at OU. Regarded as the greatest scholar of the university's presidents, Super taught Greek, German and philosophy, received three honorary degrees and spoke nine languages, including Latin, French and Arabic. During his first term, he founded the State Normal College, which later became the College of Education, and created business and music courses. He resigned in 1896 to return to teaching.
Isaac Crook replaced Super but was overshadowed by the former president. Crook worked to gain support by acquiring library books, creating a 14-person Faculty Senate and actively recruiting new students through newspaper ads proclaiming no tuition
high moral tone and no saloons. Despite his efforts, he received little support and resigned after two years.
While trustees looked for a replacement, Super returned at a salary of $2,500. He began discussions for a new library and a summer term, both of which were carried out by his successor, Alston Ellis.
Much of Ellis' 19-year tenure was spent improving on ideas from predecessors. He expanded classes in music, commerce and engineering, developed a curriculum for the Normal College and completed plans for a new library and summer term.
Ellis also spent time and money increasing the campus size by adding seven new buildings and starting the first regional campuses in 1909. Squirrels were brought to OU after Ellis saw some on New England campuses and requested the trustees to introduce them to Athens.
Women dominated the campus during Ellis' time because of World War I. Ellis built dormitories for women, hired Irma Voigt, the dean of women, and saw the first female black student - Martha Jane Hunley Blackburn - graduate. He died in office in 1920.
To finish out the year, Dean Edwin Watts Chubb acted as president until OU's 11th president, Elmer Burritt Bryan, was hired.
The trustees unanimously chose Bryan because of his convictions about higher education and his intentions to increase enrollment and national exposure for OU. Most students then were women in the normal school, but Bryan built a men's gym, a men's union and a football stadium as incentives to increase the number of male students.
After serving for five years, Bryan submitted his resignation, but the trustees convinced him to stay for 10 more years. He died in office in 1934.
While the trustees searched for a new president, Chubb again served as acting president until 1935 when Herman Gerlach James accepted the job.
James, an author, quickly reorganized OU into five degree-granting colleges, including the new colleges of Commerce and Fine Arts. Despite criticism, he created the University College, which required all freshmen to enroll for one year before specializing their studies. He also started the ROTC program on campus in 1936.
When America entered World War II, James took a leave of absence to assist the federal government and officially resigned in 1943.
Prior to becoming president in 1943, Walter Sylvester Gamertsfelder taught philosophy and ethics to students who paid $96 per semester for tuition. He led OU through World War II and went back to teaching when the trustees appointed John Calhoun Baker the 14th president in 1945.
OU ushered in a new era at the end of the war with Baker. Formerly the associate dean at Harvard Business School, Baker created the OU Foundation, scholarship drives and the Distinguished Professor awards.
He had an authoritarian presence and the respect of the campus said Alan Geiger, current secretary to the trustees and a student in the '50s.
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Katie Primm
