Citation: Kieth A. Peppers, 2020.
On July 26, 1913, in Room 331 of the Statler Hotel, in downtown Cleveland, a special meeting was called of the Board of Trustees for Baldwin University. Among the various items on the agenda was a discussion regarding the long-standing relationship between Baldwin University and German Wallace College. The impetus behind the merger was to create an institution that was financially stable, better equipped, and with fewer redundancies. A handwritten letter was drafted by the Board of Trustees and delivered by the Board’s President of German-Wallace College. On August 26, one month later, another special meeting was called. This time, by the Board of Trustees for German Wallace College. According to the Memorandum of Agreement between Trustees for the two entities, “There shall be a genuine union of the two institutions rather than a mere working agreement.” Details of the merger required that the President and Vice-President of the unified college each be from one of the previous entities, the Board had to have representatives from each, as did the faculty.
The first official meeting held by the Board of the newly formed Baldwin-Wallace College occurred on June 1, 1914. The combined student body now consisted of 679 students across seven departments. The one casualty of the merger was the affiliated Pulte Medical School, which chose to withdraw and join with the State School.
Citation: Ryan Cross and Debby Vespoli, "Through the Years...," Pursuit, Fall, 1995, vol. 27, no. 1, pg. 4.
Following the declaration of war on Germany in 1917 the B-W Mens Patriotic League was formed. At their insistence, the stone-cut words on the Conservatory were changed from German Wallace College to Baldwin-Wallace College. Although President Arthur Breslich, a German, declared his allegiance to America he was suspended on the grounds that he failed to denounce German crimes and atrocities and avoided mentioning the war.
Citation: Ryan Cross and Debby Vespoli, "Through the Years...," Pursuit, Fall, 1995, vol. 27, no. 1, pg. 4.
In 1918, Albert T. Storms became president of Baldwin-Wallace, serving in that capacity until his death in 1933.
