Dr. Allan Miller's Speech Notes

Authors

Fort Hays State University

Files

Identifier

plymouth_010_036

Publication Date

6-23-1977

Description

This black and white five page document features notes from Dr. Miller's speech at a luncheon he had attended for alumni at the Black and Gold room.

Physical Description

handwritten text on paper

Subject

Fort Hays State University, Ellis County (Kan.), Educational facilities, Buildings, One-room schools, Speechwriting

Rights

© University Archives, Forsyth Library, Fort Hays State University

Publisher

Digitized by Forsyth Digital Collections

Repository

University Archives, Forsyth Library, Fort Hays State University

Comments

For questions contact ScholarsRepository@fhsu.edu

Recommended Citation

Fort Hays State University, "Dr. Allan Miller's Speech Notes" (1977). Buildings & Facilities. 1165.
https://scholars.fhsu.edu/buildings/1165

Language

eng

Transcription

Dr. Allan Miller notes on the speech he made at the luncheon attended by 500-600 alumni at the Black & Gold room- June 23-1977 Fort Hays State University. Several years ago, my wife and I had the opportunity to visit Knott Berry Farm in Los Angeles. Being educators, we became quite interested in the beautifully reconstructed white frame schoolhouse. Upon close examination we discovered it had come from Beloit, Kansas -- a city in our own western part of the state. We wondered then if the Kansas schoolchildren would someday need to travel thousands of miles to California to observe how their own ancestors were schooled out here on the farming frontier. This past year, as a result of the American Bicentennial and our own diamond jubilee, it was believed that a fitting project for Phi Delta Kappa, our education honorary, might be the reconstruction of a stone schoolhouse. Thanks to an excellent press release, which should win an award for Dave Adams of our Journalism Department, the response was overwhelming. I'm sure at one point, President Tomanek possibly considered putting in an additional telephone line. By the end of the first semester, we had 32 stone schoolhouses under consideration -- more than I imagined were still standing. Thanks to a grant written for us by Nancy Vogel of our English Department and the hard work of twenty super graduate students in my History of American Education class, the schools were investigated and histories were compiled for each school. Our faculty selection committee, along with some of these graduate students visited the final ten choices. On the last day of the spring semester, the Plymouth School of eastern Russell County was selected for restoration on our campus. The school is presently on the Frances Kaufman farm and was first reported to us by Mrs. Loretta Doubrava. The history was so complete there was never any doubt or dissention on the choice. The campus site of restoration will be across the street -- west of Davis Hall. The schoolhouse will become, at the same time, the oldest and newest building on campus, dating back to 1874. The model school you may have seen at the entrance of this room is the Plymouth School, designed by David Claflin, whose parents are members of our Education faculty. While the project is still a year away from completion, I would like to publicly thank several people without whose help we could not have managed to come this far. They are: Nancy Vogel, Meryl Walker, Bill Robinson, Robert Luehrs, Ann Gustad, and Bill Claflin. We have also enjoyed administrative support from Dean Garwood, Dean Steven, Vice President Eickhoff, and President Tomanek. Finally, President Tomanek, we invite you to come out next year, with trowel in hand, to lay the first stone. But be advised to bring along some friends to help because the stones sometimes weigh 300 lbs. Friends of Fort Hays State, thank you very much.