Posted on 02/04/2005 7:59:45 PM PST by Land_of_Lincoln_John
EUREKA, Ill. (AP) It stayed open even as most of its students left to fight the Civil War. It remained open during the Great Depression, when many poor families paid tuition in poultry and livestock, and awarded a scholarship and a campus job to a young man who didn't have much money named Ronald Reagan.
This weekend, Eureka College celebrates its 150th anniversary a milestone reached by just 260 of more than 4,000 colleges and universities in the nation.
``Not a lot of places can say they've been around for 150 years,'' said theater arts and drama professor Bill Davis. ``History is part of who we are; it's part of the heritage and tradition.''
Reagan is at the center of that history. A 1932 graduate, the late president was fond of talking about his days at the college. In 1982, he used the college as a backdrop for a speech in which he announced a plan that became the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. Today, the Ronald Reagan Museum is the home of an expansive collection of memorabilia.
But Reagan is not the college's only claim to fame. The college was founded in 1855 by a group from the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), who freed their slaves and moved from Kentucky to Illinois to escape the institution of slavery, said Paul Lister, the college's president.
Eureka is also the first college in Illinois and the third in the United States to admit men and women on an equal basis.
``History pervades this place. Here's this little tiny school founded by people who weren't satisfied with the status quo,'' said Lister.
The college has also produced members of Congress and more than 40 graduates who have become presidents of colleges and universities.
The college predates the founding of the city of Eureka by one year and today the college is a major part of the lives of both the students and members of the community, said Eureka's mayor, Laura Siscoe.
``I can't imagine what Eureka would be like without the college,'' said Siscoe. ``It is very important to the total Eureka community.''
With an enrollment of just over 500 students, Eureka provides an environment that students say they enjoy.
``One thing I cherish is family, and Eureka College felt like a family,'' said senior Kouri Marshall. ``Not only do I know the faculty, I know their spouses and their children.''
On the Net: http://www.eureka.edu/
Bump for the best president of the 20th Century and the man who won the Cold War!
Reagan at the Berlin Wall -- "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.