Written by: Hannah Field | Editor-in-Chief<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jan. 18, 1856 \u2014 169 long years ago \u2014 Western was founded by 11 Disciples of Christ, originally titled Monmouth University. They were hoping to create a united community in their religion, which did, in its own way over time, become a tight-knit intermingling of students, professors and others, although without the faith originally in mind. Instead, the Western community honors their devotion to academic excellence and the Western way \u2014 a tailored educational experience, boasting small class sizes, caring professional staff, educational resources and a safe, walkable campus. Or, in Western\u2019s words, \u201c(commitment) to changing lives, strengthening communities and transforming our world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Western is the oldest public university in the state of Oregon, as well as an NCAA Division II institution, harboring a diverse population of students from underrepresented groups, veterans and especially first generation college students, notably recognized by the college.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thanks to settlers who donated land and money, as well as financial support from local government members, Western came to fruition amongst a trying time in the 1850s, when customs and traditions were clashing with new age movements. Western, despite its religious founding, became an established center for training teachers for public and private schools, becoming Oregon State Normal School in 1882. It closed for a year after lack of funds and reopened as Oregon Normal School \u2014 hence the former \u201cLamron\u201d title of \u201cThe Western Howl\u201d paper. If unsure, read it backwards \u2014 not a very \u201cnormal\u201d concept.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To add on to the normal trend: Western\u2019s athletic teams, prior to 1928, were known as \u201cThe Normals.\u201d Yeah, really regular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Western adopted multiple other names over time: Christian College (1865-82); Oregon State Normal School (1882-1909); Oregon Normal School (1911-39); Oregon College of Education (1931-81); Western Oregon State College (1981-1997); and lastly, the current title, from 1997 to the present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Throughout the last 169 years, Western hosted some significant and unforgettable events \u2014 as well as stories. In 1962, American Communist Party Secretary Gus Hall delivered a controversial speech at the Oregon College of Education, inciting an uproar. The event was later dubbed the \u201cGus Hall Affair.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Previously, Hall had spent years running away from the IRS, after having been convicted of fraud and forgery in an election and had even been imprisoned after attempts to overthrow the American government, posted bail, fled to Mexico City and then was re-imprisoned. And, then, 11 years later, someone <\/em>invited Gus Hall to speak at Western \u2014 nice move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In less exciting, but still important, history, the 123-foot Sequoia tree in the middle of campus used for the annual holiday tree lighting was planted by the class of 1887. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Columbus Day, Oct. 12, 1962, Campbell Hall lost its iconic tower structure in a massive storm overtaking Oregon, the crash photographed by student Wes Luchau. The storm, titled the Columbus Day Storm, has been tied directly to Luchau\u2019s photo, even after more than 50 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many of the buildings on campus are named after graduates of Western that went on to make notable accomplishments or titles, such as John H. Ackerman, former president of Oregon Normal School. He helped to secure adequate and stable funding for the school. In 2010, Ackerman Hall was named in his honor, incorporating housing and classrooms in an energy-efficient building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Todd Hall was named after former Dean of Students Jessica Todd. The building was erected in 1912, closely followed by The Cottage in 1917. Todd, having retired in 1931 and passing away in 1944, was fondly remembered by the college community, but also regarded as being a stern, protective and respected woman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here comes the interesting part \u2014 it\u2019s been told that Todd\u2019s ghost still roams Western\u2019s campus, looking over the students and the dormitories, as she once had so diligently. Possibly a myth, but in order to discover the truth, one might have to ask around or take a visit to one of Western\u2019s oldest buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In more recent news, Western was picked as the focus for the Amazon Prime Video television show, \u201cThe College Tour,\u201d in 2024. And \u2014 not to bring myself into one of Western\u2019s most accomplished moments \u2014 I was featured in B-roll for the episode, partaking in maybe the most awkward conversation I\u2019ve ever had in American Sign Language. They had me sign a waiver and gave me a sticker, which might be worth the embarrassment. I only have myself to blame, after all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking of American Sign Language, the ASL program, as well as the Education program, continue to be vital to Western. After all, it was the Oregon College of Education, finding its footing by training teachers all those years ago \u2014 169 is nothing to scoff at.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite its many name changes, \u201cnormalcy,\u201d previous scandals \u2014 looking at you, Gus Hall \u2014 and potential ghosts, Western has become a beloved part of many students, professors and others\u2019 lives, showcasing a gorgeous campus, with compassionate staff, enticing classes and endless opportunities. If there\u2019s any time to be grateful, it makes sense to celebrate on Western\u2019s birthday Jan. 18, potentially by toasting to Campbell\u2019s lost tower or mourning the loss of the former publishing name \u201cThe Lamron\u201d \u2014 I admit, it\u2019s a lot funnier than \u201cThe Western Howl.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Contact the author at howleditorinchief@wou.edu<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Written by: Hannah Field | Editor-in-Chief Jan. 18, 1856 \u2014 169 long years ago \u2014 Western was founded by 11 Disciples of Christ, originally titled Monmouth University. They were hoping to create a united community in their religion, which did, in its own way over time, become a tight-knit intermingling of students, professors and others, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[5268,5269,3477,341,4233,708,5266,610,1938,5273,4290,41,5287,5270,5282,4132,5274,5276,737,5275,5264,3654,5267,5272,5285,3443,5283,1786,3621,5286,5277,3324,5279,3626,3307,5278,309,5265,5290,5069,1271,3321,5292,1882,3937,5271,5281,3625,5289,5280,4613,1254,5291,5284,5288,684,1507,39],"class_list":["post-22008","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-lifestyle","tag-5268","tag-5269","tag-ackerman","tag-amazon","tag-american","tag-american-sign-language","tag-anniversary","tag-asl","tag-birthday","tag-campbell","tag-christian","tag-college","tag-college-of-education","tag-columbus","tag-communist","tag-day","tag-diverse","tag-division-ii","tag-education","tag-educational","tag-founded","tag-ghost","tag-gus","tag-gus-hall","tag-gus-hall-affair","tag-hall","tag-happy","tag-history","tag-howl","tag-jessica","tag-jessica-todd","tag-john","tag-john-h-ackerman","tag-lamron","tag-language","tag-luchau","tag-monmouth","tag-normal","tag-prime","tag-program","tag-school","tag-sign","tag-sign-language","tag-speech","tag-state","tag-state-college","tag-storm","tag-the","tag-the-college-tour","tag-the-lamron","tag-todd","tag-university","tag-video","tag-wes","tag-wes-luchau","tag-western","tag-western-howl","tag-wou"],"modified_by":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22008","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22008"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22008\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22013,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22008\/revisions\/22013"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22008"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22008"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22008"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}