Citation: "A $7 million Valentine to B-W," Synergies (Winter 2010): pg.25.
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A love story that began nearly 80 years ago in a Baldwin-Wallace College science laboratory has resulted in a valentine to the Berea school that will help its other students for years to come.
Baldwin-Wallace has received the largest estate gift in its history February 13 from a Florida alumni couple, who met and fell in love while both were science students there in the late 1920s and were married in the B-W chapel.
The $7 million bequest of the late Arthur and Helen Telfer of Opopca, Fla. will help B-W fully fund a $27 million expansion for its new facilities for science and innovation, which is scheduled to be completed this summer.
To show its appreciation for the couple's enduring commitment and ongoing support, the Baldwin-Wallace College Board of Trustees voted to name the building that houses its departments of biology - Helen's major - and neuroscience Art and Helen Telfer Hall.
"Art and Helen Telfer recognized the role that Baldwin-Wallace played not only during their time as students here, but in helping to form the people that they would become," said B-W President Richard Durst. "Their wonderful gift already is helping us ensure that the outstanding opportunities for learning that they enjoyed seven decades ago will continue to be a cornerstone for other B-W students now and well into the future.
"We are deeply grateful for their generosity, vision and personal commitment to the students of Baldwin-Wallace College," said Durst.
A biology major, Helen Rockwood was raised in Akron. At B-W she was active in Gamma Sigma sorority, the college yearbook (Grindstone), and the interdisciplinary Science Seminar. She was voted the "most popular girl" in 1931. Helen later recalled that since there were very few female science majors at the time, she had no shortage of offers of assistance with her science projects.
One of those volunteers was Arthur Telfer, a chemistry major, who had grown up in Lakewood. He was a leader in Phi Pi Phi fraternity, contributed to the student newspaper (The Exponent), and was a manager for varsity football and wrestling. Obviously, the "elements for a perfect bond" were there. They were married in the B-W Chapel shortly after Helen's graduation in 1932.
Art went on to a distinguished career in business, retiring as vice president of the chemical division of 3M. Arthur Telfer died May 21, 1996 at age 86. He was followed by Helen, May 11, 2009, shortly before her 99th birthday.
The Telfer gift also is the largest to Transforming Lives: The Campaign for Baldwin-Wallace College, a comprehensive effort to raise more than $82 million for campus construction and renovation, endowed support for scholarships and academic initiatives, and for annual unrestricted support. The campaign, which ends in December, now stands at $93.5 million.
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Going...going...and soon to be gone is the present situation of the B-W trailer camp. Come this June the camp site, which was once a practice football field, will be reconverted to that use and another era will end.
It has been a busy era of nine years with 157 families having lived in the camp. Once there were 55 ex-G. I.'s living in the camp, but now only ten families remain. This June the remaining ten will have to leave, never to return.
The administration cites that the increasing cost of operation and the wish to reconvert the land into a football' field are the reasons for closing. Also, three months ago the county health officials served a closing order. To meet their requirements wo years so that an emergency situation could be handled.
The remaining families have been referred to the Berea Homes an Riverside housing projects. This, though, presents problems for the trailerites. The rents there are much higher than the $25 a month they are now paying and, besides, they are not nearly so handy to the campus. Also, for Norma and Darwin Mayal, who own their trailer, this would mean giving up their trailer for trailers aren’t permitted in Berea and surrounding towns. Cleveland would be the nearest place, but there are no openings in trailer camps there and it is required that the trailer be in a camp, it might very well mean transferring to another college for Darwin who is a junior.
Transferring seems to be the most common solution to the problem for all of the trailerites, though none of them have made up their minds definitely yet. Many other colleges have apartment buildings for the married students and it is to these colleges the some are thinking of going.
When asked what they would like to have done the most common answer by the trailerites has been to let them remain. They say that while the trailers have not been fancy, they are satisfied. Bill Cash, a senior who plans to graduate, next December, said, "I like living in a trailer; it's economical and makes a good temporary arrangement while going to college." Dave and Lily who are the only ones in the camp that have a child, said, 'When we moved in last quarter the trailer was pretty beat up, but I've done some work on it and it isn't too bad now. If we knew we were going to stay we'd paint the trailer and make other improvements." Bob Buchanan, a freshman, stated, "If we could come back next fall all of us would be glad to put some work into the camp, such as putting in grass seed, fixing the boards on the walks, removing the unused trailers and so forth."
Citation: Updated B-W History, n.d.
After World War II, many soldiers attended college through the G. I. Bill. Many of these students were married, and some had children. For this reason, living in a dorm wasn't possible. A community of house trailers were set up in 1944 to provide housing for veterans and their families. The original twenty-five trailers were obtained from the Federal government and moved to B-W from Cleveland. The 22' x 8' trailers at B-W were located behind the stadium, in an area once used as the practice football field. The trailer camp residents used community shower, necessitating a walk to the shower and back, which was harder in the winter. All water had to be hauled to and from the trailer. The trailers consisted of one bed, one closet, a fold-down table, two chairs, and some storage space over the bed. Cooking was done on a butane stove and hot plate and clotheslines were shared between buildings. The trailer camp staff included a full-time superintendent, two part-time students, and college maintenance men. The students were involved in many of the regular college activities, but considered themselves different 38 because of their added responsibilities. At its peak in 1950, the trailer camp had fifty-five trailers in use. During its time of use, the camp housed 157 families.
By 1953, however, the camp had only twenty-eight trailers with ten being occupied. The last of the trailers was vacant by June of 1953. The trailers were sold to various groups and individuals.
Citation: “New Trophy Room,” The Exponent, June 13, 1921, p. 1.
B-W. will soon have a real athletic trophy room. Coach Lemke is fixing room 5 in the Memorial building. From seeing a few of the things that will be put there we are sure it will be a room of which to be proud. There will be pictures of many of B-W.'s athletic teams and many trophies and other things of interest.
