There is a concept that I refer to often. It is that of the perspective of time. We draw on our own experiences and memories when looking at a person, place, or event. These things shape how we see the world.
Atkinson
Through the years, Atkinson has served as the heart of the school.
The place where people had shared experiences of learning, worship, celebration, and mourning.
The place where faculty and students became a true community, and the place where that community grew to love the school.
The place where millions of memories were made although those memories will be very different depending on the perspective of time!
1906-1922 The Auditorium
1922-1967 Atkinson Chapel
1967-2008 Atkinson Auditorium
2008-2018 That strange building that is closed up.
1906-1922
When the administration building was built in 1906 (or College Hall as it was known at the time), it included a beautiful gathering space for 1,500 people. A place which was referred to from 1906-1922 as the auditorium.
Although it was certainly used for the required Chapel services, Atkinson was also the place which was used for drama productions, recitals and concerts were given by students and famous people alike, and many notable people came to speak.
For example, on Saturday, May 20, 1916, Helen Keller spoke in Atkinson Chapel. According to local papers, she received a standing ovation at the end of her speech, which she could neither see nor hear. She could, however, feel the vibrations in the floor so she knew her talk had been well received.
When President Wallace B. Fleming wrote our Alma Mater in 1918, it would have premiered here. And, through frequent singing of it, everyone would eventually have known all the words.
1922-1967
1922 it was renamed Atkinson Chapel in recognition of George W. Atkinson’s service to the college as a trustee and of his public service to the state of West Virginia. He also gave a gift of $4,000 that year – $3,000 of which was to be used to purchase a pipe organ for the chapel.
From 1922-1967 it was referred to mainly as Atkinson Chapel. Any of the students from that time would remember it as the place where they attended chapel services, lectures, concerts, thuses (pep rallies), and pretty much anything where the entire student body gathered. They inagurated presidents (from Doney to Martin).
The chapel services were required, and there were assigned seats. Roll was taken by student work-study workers. Not all services were strictly religious in nature, however, and some of these gatherings were addresses by presidents, deans, or faculty of the college. Some were nationally recognized speakers on topics relating to Liberal Arts Education or Social Justice.
Here is an example from October 1926
- 20th Paul Chrissman, Professor of Philosophy and Psychology, spoke on “Human Nature”
- 25th Thomas W. Haught, Professor of Geology, spoke on “The Last Leaf”
- 26th Ruth Raw, Professor of English Composition, spoke on “Following the Crowd”
- 27th Lewis H. Chrisman, Professor of English Literature, spoke on “Esau’s Example”
- 28th Nicholas Hyma, Professor of Chemistry, spoke on “Cheating”
- 29th Ralph C. Brown, Professor of Biblical Literature, spoke on “Elections”
1936 production of “The New Henrietta”
1967-2008
After Wesley Chapel was built in 1967, it was mainly referred to as Atkinson Auditorium – although at times the terms chapel and auditorium have seemed to be interchangeable.
The space was still frequently in use for theatre productions and some concerts. Those of us who attended in the mid 1970s might remember this as the place we all had to gather and watch Starry Starry Night with all of the freshman Humanities classes.
Although Atkinson received some renovations in 1953, by 2008 it was needing some serious repairs.
2008-2018
In 2008, after the completion of the Virginia Thomas Law Center for the Performing Arts was opened, the doors of Atkinson were closed. It was mainly used for storage for a full decade before recent activity to bring it back to life. Generations of Wesleyan students arrived and left without ever seeing inside Atkinson.
2019
This week, Tom Schoffler (Associate Professor of Musical Theater, and member of the class of 1997) was able to take his students back into Atkinson. He wrote on Facebook, “Today, for the first time in a decade, actors worked in Atkinson Auditorium!”
Comments began to fly………….
Alumni are rejoicing! (Reliving their own memories.)
Students are rejoicing! (They have been curious about this place.)
Long-time faculty are rejoicing! (They have missed the energy of the place.)
New faculty are rejoicing! (They are excited to experience this part of campus that has been closed to them.)
It’s about time!