150th Timeline Resized

1969 Rathskellar Opened
The Rathskellar bar opened in the basement of Letchworth Dining Hall. It remained a popular gathering spot until it closed in 1985 when New York State raised the legal drinking age from 19 to 21. Geneseo Foundation Emeritus Board Chair Kevin Gavagan ’75 worked as a bartender for four years and was the student manager his senior year. “Most everyone was 18 and could frequent the bar,” he has said. “Not only could you get a beer for 25 cents—on Fridays, you could get one with a sub as part of your meal plan. But frankly, many of the subs never got unwrapped.”

1869 Groundbreaking
Ground was broken for the Wadsworth Normal and Training School on June 15. Normal schools issued state-certified teaching credentials to students upon completion of two- or three-year academic and training programs.

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1871 Old Main
The normal school’s first building, Old Main, was completed in April. Old Main’s design was adapted from Fredonia’s Normal School. The 11,418-square-foot, 3-story building was steam-heated, gas-lit, and had hot and cold running water. The top floor served as a boarding hall to female students who paid $3.50 per week for room and use of the laundry facilities. The boarding hall provided “parlors for students, assembly room, which might be used for calisthenics for lady students, lavatories, and sleeping apartments.” Old Main stood for eighty years and was razed in 1951–52.

1871 Opening Bell
Renamed from the Wadsworth Normal and Training School before it opened, the Geneseo Normal and Training School officially opened on September 13, with 71 certificate-seeking students, and offered programs in Elementary English, Advanced English, and the Classical Course. Pictured: Faculty members and twenty-eight year old principal William Milne

1871 First Greek
The Delphic Society fraternity was founded.

1872 Women’s Fraternity
The women’s Clionian fraternity was founded. Regardless of gender, Greek societies were known as “fraternities.” Fraternities and sororities enriched campus social life, sponsoring get-togethers such as this "Cionian spread" at the simmons boarding house

1890–91 100-Grad Graduation
The normal school graduated its first class of over 100 students with 105 degree holders. Photo: The 1891 faculty included (first row, from left): Cora Northrup, Hubert Schmiz, Elizabeth McBride, Sara Goheen; (second row): Jennie Coe, William Milne, Maria Chichester, Emeline McMaster Curtiss; (third row): Phebe Hall, Mary Burns, Myra Burdick, Mary Parks; (fourth row): Frank Welles, John Milne, Marcia Heath Rowland, Sarah Parry; (top): Reuben Waterbury

1896 First Athletic Competitions
The football and men’s track and field teams participated in the college’s earliest known intercollegiate athletic competitions. Photo: The 1901 football team included (front, from left): Claire Wilson, "Herb" Dunn, unidentified players; (middle): Purl Zielman, Gene Weller, Archibald Campbell; (back): manager Clarence Averill, "Jap" Hurlburt, "Can" Patchin, "Jo" Purdym John Clancy. (Photo Livingston County HIstorian)

1896 First Athletic Competitions
The football and men’s track and field teams participated in the college’s earliest known intercollegiate athletic competitions. Photo: The 1901 football team included (front, from left): Claire Wilson, "Herb" Dunn, unidentified players; (middle): Purl Zielman, Gene Weller, Archibald Campbell; (back): manager Clarence Averill, "Jap" Hurlburt, "Can" Patchin, "Jo" Purdym John Clancy. (Photo Livingston County HIstorian)

1903–04 New Library Wing
Addition of the library wing to house the school’s 3–5,000 volumes (with a swimming pool in the basement) was added to the south end of Old Main.

1903–05 First Interim Leader
John Milne took leave of his position as principal for health issues in the summer of 1903. Hubert J. Schmitz was appointed acting principal several months later. Schmitz, a Berlin University graduate, was hired in November 1881 to head the science department. When Schmitz assumed the position of principal, he was concurrently appointed to serve as the school’s vice principal.

1905 James Sturges, the First Post-Milne Principal
John Milne died on January 7, 1905, of tuberculosis. With his death, James V. Sturges took over the leadership of the Geneseo Normal School from 1905–1922. Due to changes in New York State’s education organizational structure, especially the Unification Act of 1904, the Geneseo Normal School went through major changes in its structure and curriculum under Sturges’ leadership, including the elimination of the Academic Department in coordination with the creation of a local high school, the introduction of a state-mandated (rather than locally controlled) curriculum, a reorganization of the Training School, and the requirement of a high school diploma for applicants. In addition, Sturges oversaw long-due repairs to existing buildings, adding electrical lighting to the gymnasium, and grading of the grounds to create proper athletic fields. [Sturges photo Mahood p63] [photo of gym Mahood p46] [athlete pics, pp 68, 71, 56, 54, 55]

1905 James Sturges, the First Post-Milne Principal.
[photo of Old Main gym Mahood p46]

1905 James Sturges, the First Post-Milne Principal. Photo: The 1911 football team included (front, from left): Dudley, Watson, Schaefer, K. Werner; (center): Davis, Friar, Campbell; (back): Stevens, Flansburg, SCott, Grey, Leonard Barber. Livingston County HIstorian

1905 James Sturges, the First Post-Milne Principal. Photo: Members of the 1915 women's basketball team wore the typical women's athletic costume of the era.

1905 James Sturges, the First Post-Milne Principal. Photo: The 1905 baseball team members were (front): unidentified; (middle, from left): Clarence Rogers, Dallas Newton, John Fraser, John Freeman, unidentified, Earl Tripp, John Stickney, coach Carl Schrader, Howard McNaughton, Charles Toole. (Livingston County Historian)

1905 James Sturges, the First Post-Milne Principal. Photo: Director of Physical Culture Henry Patten's 1897-98 shinny team (a sport similar to field hockey) posed in Old Main's gymnasium surrounded by exercise equipment. Team members included Gertrude Barnum, Della Balding, Edith Warford, Alice Davey, Catherine Lotz, Anna Winans, Belle Houce, Maybell Roper, Cystine Lotz, Naomi Hooker, Mary Streamer, and Ava Hooker. (Houseknecht photo, Livingston County Historian)

1905 James Sturges, the First Post-Milne Principal. Photo: Proud members of the Philalethean fraternity's 1902-1903 championship track team demonstrated the winning athletic spirit that remains a Geneseo tradition: (from left) William Whitmore, Leland Bartoo, Charles Toole, William Flynn. (Houseknecht photo, Livingston County Historian)

1905 Curriculum Reorganization. The college’s original curriculum (two years of elementary English, three years of advanced English, four years of classical studies) was reorganized, now requiring two years of professional study. By the following year, admission to the Normal School was restricted to candidates with a four-year high school diploma or an equivalent approved by the Commissioner of Education.

1907 Kindergarten-Primary Program Added
The kindergarten-primary program proved very popular with the Normal School students, and increased enrollment led to the opening of an additional kindergarten in 1916. But the program was also popular with local families, many of whom sent younger siblings to school with older brothers and sisters attending the Normal School, allowing the youngsters to receive instruction from students in the training school.

1907 Kindergarten-Primary Program Added. Increased kindergarten enrollment led to the February 23 1916 opening of an additional kindergarten, the Pestalozzi-Froebel House, on Court Street (Snap Shots 1918)

1909 Teacher-Librarians
The teacher-librarian program was added, and the library was expanded. The two-year course prepared students to teach in the upper grades while maintaining their schools’ libraries. Photo: For many years, Geneseo's school of library and information sciences sponsored an annual lecture named for early library education chair Mary C. Richardson. (1933 Normalian)

1914 Watson Clark Became Janitor
The school’s first—and at the time only—janitor L.C. Morey retired after 37 years (a retirement evidently hastened in part because he acted as if he owned the school). Morey was replaced by L. Watson Clark, who served as supervising janitor until his retirement in 1949 and for whom the Clark Maintenance Building was named.
The Normalian lauded long-time janitor L. Watson "Wat" Clark for his "unfailing loyalty and patience," and said that "a janitor with a disposition like Mr. Clark's is not only a luxury but a necesssity in a school composed mostly of girls" who considered him a "life-saver."

1915 First College Infirmary Opened
Known officially as the Elizabeth Wadsworth Nursing Home, the infirmary was established and funded by Mrs. W. Austin Wadsworth and served the students until the 1950s. The property at 32 North Street became a student rental property.

1915 First College Infirmary Opened
Known officially as the Elizabeth Wadsworth Nursing Home, the infirmary was established and funded by Mrs. W. Austin Wadsworth and served the students until the 1950s. The property at 32 North Street became a student rental property. The Wadsworth Nursing Home's sun room also served as a sleeping proch, a feature consistent with the popular belief in the curative power of fresh air. (Merrell Photo, Milne Archives)

1921 Acting Principal Blake
Principal James Sturges was granted a leave of absence for health reasons, and Dean Anne Blake served as acting principal till the next year.

1921 50 Years
The Geneseo State Normal School celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in June. A big celebration, held during several days in conjunction with graduation, included a baccalaureate service, a picnic, a baseball game, and a sunset sing on campus, lectures by politicians and school administrators, and a day filled with activities for alumni. A “Pageant of Gifts” featured hundreds of participants and was effusively reported in the Livingston Record as “a riot of color, music, and dancing.” Though considered quaint now, the importance of the event was underscored by the esteemed attendees at commencement, including U.S. Senator James Wadsworth Jr., New York State Attorney General Charles Newton, and Commissioner of Education Frank Graves.

1922 Special Education Program Began
Mandated by an act of state legislature in 1920, a program for preparing teachers of mentally handicapped children was implemented. The School of Practice and Demonstration at Craig Colony, an extension department, educated teachers of exceptional children. The specialization began to distinguish Geneseo after only six years. [photo of Craig Colony building, Mahood p94]

1922 Winfield Holcomb Became Principal
Principal Sturges retired for health reasons, and Winfield Holcomb took over leadership of the school. Although his tenure saw the construction of several new buildings, Holcomb believed that his most important contribution was upgrading the faculty. When he first arrived in 1922, 27 of the teachers held no degree. By his retirement in 1934, four of the 55 faculty held doctoral degrees, 34 held master’s, 12 had bachelor’s, and only five were without degrees.

1924 Student Cooperative Government Organized
The Student Cooperative Government intended “to train students in self-direction and in meeting individual responsibilities,” such as “driving after dark, study hours, lighting regulations, control over attendance, outside dances.” Faculty continued to wrestle with the matters of attendance to class and chapel and appropriate penalties for absences.

1924 Student Cooperative Government Organized
The Student Cooperative Government intended “to train students in self-direction and in meeting individual responsibilities,” such as “driving after dark, study hours, lighting regulations, control over attendance, outside dances.” Faculty continued to wrestle with the matters of attendance to class and chapel and appropriate penalties for absences.

1932 Winfield Holcomb School of Practice Opened
Dedicated the following spring on May 27, 1933, the Winfield Holcomb School of Practice (later renamed Welles Hall) served as Geneseo’s elementary school until the new Holcomb School opened in 1969. Village elementary students attended until 1974, when the K–12 Geneseo Central School admitted its first students.

1932 Geneseo Junior-Senior High School Opened
A separate high school, the Geneseo Junior-Senior High School, opened on campus. Now Doty Hall, the building was built on Wadsworth property per an agreement between Geneseo Normal and the District No. 5 boards.

James Welles, an Alumni Principal
Principal Winfield Holcomb retired in June, and James Welles, Class of 1905 and son of early graduate Frank Welles, became principal. Welles’ tenure (1934–1946) is best remembered for managing to keep the College open and functional during the Great Depression and through World War II. During those years, Geneseo also gained degree-granting status as a teachers college.

1935 Save the Clock Tower!
Old Main’s deteriorated and hazardous clock tower was razed during the summer. Fun fact: The tower had clock faces on all sides, but only the one facing front was a working clock.

1938 Class Room and Administration Building Opened
The Class Room and Administration Building (later named Sturges Hall) was completed; it was formally dedicated in 1940. The three-story building housed student and faculty lounges, administrative and faculty offices, classrooms and laboratories, a bookstore, a 250-seat cafeteria, an audatorium, a speech clinic, and a greenhouse. From 1938 to 1950, the campus consisted only of this building, the Holcomb School of Practice (later Welles Hall), and Old Main.

1938 Up from Three to Four
All programs were lengthened to four years in September. To reflect that status, the name of the school changed to the State Normal School of Geneseo. Photo: The 1937-38 Faculty Council, which acted "as a benevolent parent" and advised the Student Council, consisted of (front, from left): Clarence Lehman, Lucy Harmon, John Parry, Principal Welles; (back): Mary Richardson, Lena Rogers, Herman Behrens, Clayton Mau, Guy Bailey, Frederick Holcomb, R. LeRoy Countryman, and Garretta Seger. (1938 Normalian)

1942–45 World War II
The College faced a 50 percent drop in enrollment during World War II. Enrollment for the 1943–44 academic year was only 324, the modern-day low. The Class of 1944 had only one male student, and men’s sports were cancelled for the duration. The campus population was bolstered by naval and air cadets beginning September 16, 1942. Other wartime measures included finding room in Old Main for the county rationing board, which had expanded operations beyond its quarters at the courthouse. The College also rearranged students’ schedules so they could help harvest or pack produce for civilian and military consumption—including the crops on Professor Guy Bailey’s farm on Center Street.

1945 Prisoners of War Near Campus
German and Italian prisoners of war were held in a camp (ten prefabricated buildings) near where the track and field complex is today. Photo: A prisoner of war camp was built in 1945 near a canning factory at the lower end of Court Street. (Bright Collection)

1946 First President, Herbert Espy
Principal Welles’ successor Herbert Espy was appointed president of the New York State Teachers College, serving until 1952. Espy earned a graduate degree in education from Harvard University and served as an assistant professor, chairman of education, and staff education officer at various institutions before coming to Geneseo. His tenure saw the college’s first accreditation by the Middle States Association, the awarding of the college’s first master’s degrees, and the opening of four new residence halls.

1948 State University of New York Established
Geneseo became part of the new State University of New York system, with 30,000 students enrolled across 33 institutions. Photo: In the early 1950s, faculty parking was conveniently located on the quadrangle in front of Sturges Hall.

1950–51 Blake A–E Opened to Students
Blake was originally subdivided into A, B, C, D, and E sections, which were named College Center, Bailey, Fraser, Blake, and Sturges respectively. Blake B–E comprised four residence halls that housed 200 students, each of whom paid $145 per ten-week quarter for room and board. The building’s name honored Anne S. Blake, whose 17-year tenure at the College included service as Dean of Women from 1921 until her retirement in 1934. Blake D and E were razed in 2004; the remaining Blake buildings now house faculty offices. [PHOTO: Photo of one of the halls with students in them][photos of Blake construction AND completed Blake buildings.

1950–51 Blake A–E Opened to Students
Blake was originally subdivided into A, B, C, D, and E sections, which were named College Center, Bailey, Fraser, Blake, and Sturges respectively. Blake B–E comprised four residence halls that housed 200 students, each of whom paid $145 per ten-week quarter for room and board. The building’s name honored Anne S. Blake, whose 17-year tenure at the College included service as Dean of Women from 1921 until her retirement in 1934. Blake D and E were razed in 2004; the remaining Blake buildings now house faculty offices. [PHOTO: Photo of one of the halls with students in them][photos of Blake construction AND completed Blake buildings

1951 Old Main Razed
Old Main, the first building constructed for what was then the Normal School, had stood for 80 years and was increasingly dilapidated. Nevertheless, Old Main was a beloved symbol of the College, and induction into the Alumni Association’s Society of Old Main was the highest honor for alumni. With the loss of their gymnasium, the college’s sports teams began to use the athletic facilities at the Geneseo Junior-Senior High School (now Doty Hall)

1953 Acting President Freeman
College President Herbert Espy resigned in 1952 to become Maine’s superintendent of public instruction, and acting dean Kenneth Freeman became acting president, serving from January 1953 to June 1954. Photo: Mrs. Moench watched a formal gift presentation between Kenneth Freeman and President Moench (Pretzer Collection)

1953
First Homecoming
Geneseo’s first Homecoming was held October 16 and 17 and featured a parade along Main Street. Students made grand entries and elaborate floats over the years, such as Phi Sigma Epsilon’s 1963 float that celebrated the 1939 World’s Fair with a trylon and perisphere. (The trylon and perisphere were hinged, so students could lower them to pass under power lines on Main Street.) Homecoming is now celebrated in partnership with Family Weekend. Photo: While waiting for the parade to begin, Queen Stephanie O'hara and Acting President Kenneth Freeman chatted with Dean Rosalind Fisher, gneeral chair of the parade.

1953
First Homecoming
Geneseo’s first Homecoming was held October 16 and 17 and featured a parade along Main Street. Students made grand entries and elaborate floats over the years, such as Phi Sigma Epsilon’s 1963 float that celebrated the 1939 World’s Fair with a trylon and perisphere. (The trylon and perisphere were hinged, so students could lower them to pass under power lines on Main Street.) Homecoming is now celebrated in partnership with Family Weekend. Photo: Phi Sigma Epsilon's 1963 homecoming float depicting the 1939 World's Fair trylon and perisphere was hinged the trylon could be lowered to pass below power lines along the parade route. The hard work paid off with first-prize honors.

1954 Moench Appointed President
Francis Moench became college president, serving until 1963. He was also the first Geneseo president to be formally installed. A World War I veteran with master’s and doctorate degrees, he headed Cortland Normal School’s physical education department and served as dean before coming to Geneseo. His tenure witnessed increased enrollment, the recruitment of new faculty, and the construction of the library-auditorium, three dorms, a dining hall, and the health and physical education building.