Before the "Great War" destroyed untold lives and changed the face of world politics, the United States would exert greater influence than ever before as a global powerhouse—and as a center of innovation as well. These years saw the Wright Brothers take to the skies, Henry Ford’s Model T roll off the assembly line and, with the help of some engineering prowess by Lehigh alums, the Panama Canal connect the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.
Started in a first-floor photography lab when flash powder exploded, igniting heavy curtains, the fire quickly spread to nearby lumber. Nobody was injured in the blaze, and the building (now known as the Sherman Fairchild Center for the Physical Sciences) was rebuilt.
Edward H. Williams '75 was a professor of geology and mechanical engineering who donated much of his own money to create a new home for Mechanical Engineering, Mining and Geology.
The Sayre Observatory Annex is completed.
Known as Arcadia, it aimed to uphold the honor code and promote student activities. Representatives initially came from campus organizations and sports teams and later from fraternities and residence halls. Eventually, students came to feel that they were not being heard by administrators, and in 1970 the group disbanded.
Henry S. Drinker '71 is named president.
Fifteen men gathered in Christmas-Saucon Hall under the direction of band leader E.E. Ross. Now known as the Marching 97 (named for the fact that it has 97 members - the number needed for the band to spell out "Lehigh"), it is one of the few collegiate marching bands in the nation that remains completely student-run.
A philosopher, teacher and professor, Percy Hughes directed the Philosophy, Education and Psychology Department until 1942. Over the course of his 35-year tenure at Lehigh, Hughes used the responsibility of scholarship to pursue social change and transform the Lehigh culture. From women’s rights to environmentalism, Hughes devoted his life to historically progressive ideas.
Drown Hall, Taylor Hall and College Commons Dining Hall are completed.
Sayre Park was formally established in 1909 after a donation from the children of Robert Sayre, chief engineer of the Lehigh Valley Railroad and an original member of the Board of Trustees. Throughout the early 1900s, many fraternities moved onto “The Hill” once they raised money for construction. In the late 1950s, Lehigh started a program to help the remaining off-campus fraternities move onto campus by contributing money toward construction. Sororities began to move onto The Hill in the 1990s, and Sayre Park opened in 1998 as an apartment-style option. In 2003, the UMOJA living community moved onto The Hill.
The School of General Literature was replaced by the College of Arts and Science.
The flagpole is presented by the Class of '78.
John Fritz was a friend of Asa Packer, an original Lehigh trustee and a steel industry pioneer who loved Lehigh so much that, at the age of 87, he funded, designed and supervised the construction of the research laboratory that bears his name. The original lab had state-of-the-art machines, including an 800,000-pound Riehle universal testing machine, that allowed for testing of many structural components, including sections of the gates of the Panama Canal.
The first four-year business curriculum was established.
Wrestling begins as an official sport.
Starting as a 12-page pamphlet about campus happenings designed to promote a closer relationship between alumni and the student body, the Bulletin grew into a major university publication, publishing monthly in 1920, then nine or 10 times a year. Today the Bulletin, which is full of information about the university, faculty research and alumni achievements, is distributed three times a year.
Charles L. Taylor '76 presented “his” stadium to Lehigh on October 17th, a day that was to become known as “Taylor Day” in appreciation of what he brought to the Lehigh athletics program. The stadium was built in conjunction with Taylor Gymnasium to create a home for both personal, intramural and intercollegiate athletics for Lehigh students.
College of Arts and Science; College of Business Administration; and College of Engineering.
Women are admitted as graduate students.
The university initially required all physically qualified students to complete the basic ROTC course in order to graduate. The “Steel Battalion” became voluntary in 1961.
Clarence “The Wonder Dog” becomes Lehigh’s unofficial mascot.
