Congratulations to all the Rall Symposium and Honors Day award recipients! A special congratulations to all the library student assistants that participated in yesterday’s events: Michelle DePasquale, Rachel Garthe, Ryan Mueller, Kayleigh Pryzgoda, Megan Shoemate, Victoria Volckmann, and Becky Wagoner.

The Union Biblical Institute was incorporated in 1873 and began holding classes in 1876, renting space in Old Main for a nominal fee. The Evangelical Association started UBI as a training ground for its pastors, missionaries, and church workers. In 1908, UBI purchased property at the corner of School and Loomis streets, just north of the College. In 1912, this house was moved to the corner of Wright and School streets and served for many years as a residence for seminary students, remaining today as a private home. Construction began immediately on a new building to house the Evangelical Theological Seminary (the name changed from Union Biblical Institute in 1909). For many decades, the ETS building housed all functions of the seminary, including classroom, worship, library, and faculty offices. Additional buildings including Seybert and Kimmel residence halls and a new Academic Center were added to the ETS facilities. In 1968, the Evangelical United Brethren Church merged to form the United Methodist Church which resulted in two separate seminaries in the Chicago area, an impractical arrangement at best. In 1974, the seminaries merged to become Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary and relocated to the campus of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. In 1976-1977, the College was able to act on their option to purchase the former Seminary properties and they were dedicated on May 15, 1977.

Oesterle Library will be closing at noon on Friday, April 6th in observance of Good Friday. The library will remain closed for the remainder of the Easter weekend and will reopen Monday, April 9th at 7:45 am.

Dramatic Watercolor, an exhibit by painter Tom Lynch, will be on display from April 1, 2012 to May 3, 2012 in the Osterle Library Gallery. Lynch’s dramatic use of color, contrast, sunlight and shadow will stimulate the imagination. He strives for movement and resonance in his paintings, pushing beyond what the environment provides on its own by embellishing the already striking features of nature. The artist reception will take place from 1 to 3 p.m., Sunday, April 1. For more information see: http://finearts.northcentralcollege.edu/x53598.xml

A bronze bust of Abraham Lincoln is currently on display at the entrance of Oesterle Library, 320 E. School St. Thanks to the research of North Central College’s archivist, Kimberly Butler, this sculptor has more significance than one may think. The bust is a replica of an original sculpture created by the man behind Mount Rushmore. Gutzon Burglum carved Lincoln’s head in 1908 out of marble to be on display in Theodore Roosevelt’s White House. In the early 20th Century bronze casts were made from Burglum’s original sculpture and were sent to museums around the nation. One was lucky enough to be donated to NCC by Phillip and Elsie Sang. So if you haven’t gotten a chance to check it out, stop by Oesterle and check out the top hatted fellow.

Library users looking for films and CDs from the library collection may have noticed the empty shelves in the Tyson Center/Giere Audiovisual Center. The library’s collection of films and CDs have moved! Popular films, CDs, and films related to the subject of music have been moved to the new Giere Audiovisual Center located at the top of the lobby stairs. All other films (including most of the library’s non-fiction film collection) has been integrated into the upper and main level stacks. Please feel free to stop by the Information Services Desk if you are having trouble locating a particular film or CD and we would be happy to help you!

Oesterle Library will be closed Tuesday, December 20th through Monday, December 26th for holiday recess. The library will also be closed the weekends of Saturday, December 17th through Sunday, December 18th and Saturday, December 31st through Monday, January 2nd. The library will be open Monday, December 19th and Tuesday, December 27th through Friday, December 30th from 8am to 4pm. The library will begin regular winter term hours on Tuesday, January 3rd. Happy holidays from the staff at Oesterle Library!

North Central College’s fifth president was Edward E. Rall. Rall’s tenure spanned the world crises of World War I, the boom time of the 1920’s, the Great Depression and World War II. His dynamic leadership allowed the College to weather the crises, as well as expand its physical plant, faculty and staff, and course offerings. The first challenge President Rall met was meeting new requirements for accreditation by the North Central Association, which he managed by raising the endowment to meet the new standards. During both World wars, President Rall petitioned to participate in two U.S. Army-sponsored training programs—the Student Army Training Corps during WWI and the Army Specialized Training Program during WWII. The use of campus facilities for these programs helped provide needed funds to support the College in wartime.

After the armistice ending World War I, the College was able to focus on expanding its physical facilities, including the purchase of Bolton (1921) and Johnson (1922) Halls as women’s dormitories, purchase of the Fort Hill Campus (1923), construction of Pfeiffer Hall (1926) as a chapel and performing arts venue, opening of Kaufman Hall (1928) which included a campus dining facility, purchase of the President’s Home (1929) and the completion of Merner Field House (1931). This state-of-the-art physical education facility included two gymnasiums and a pool. Rall’s relationship with the Pfeiffer family The Pfeiffer’s generosity toward the College is noted in the names of Pfeiffer Hall and Merner Field House, but they also provided generous contributions to scholarship funds and the College endowment. In 1946, Rall retired as President of North Central College.

Oesterle Library will be open regular hours of 8 am to midnight Monday and Tuesday. We will be open 8 am to 4 pm Wednesday. The library will be closed Thursday, November 24th through Sunday, November 27th. We will begin D-Term hours on Monday, November 28th.

On November 11, 1861, the Evangelical Association opened a new institution in Plainfield, Illinois, called Plainfield College, and named Augustine A. Smith to be the first president. Smith grew up in Massachusetts, and started teaching at the age of 17. His personal zeal for the abolition of slavery, temperance, Christian principles and women’s right to equal education shaped the development of College. In fact, President Smith stated that a college should be “a great moral lighthouse sending out a clear and steady light upon all subjects that pertain to the well-being of man.”
In 1870, the College, then called North-Western College, relocated to Naperville, taking advantage of accessibility created by the direct railroad line from Chicago. In 1883, Smith retired as the president but continued to teach as professor of Mental and Moral Sciences until his death in 1891.