Stetson Cupola 1974-3-2

VOL. 3 NO. 2 STETSON UNIVERSITY, DELAND, FLORIDA OCTOBER, 1974 Activities Center Named for Edmunds Dedication Set Stetson's new $1.6 million activities center will be named in honor of university chancellor Dr. J. Ollie Edmunds, according to Stetson president Dr. John E. Johns. His announcement followed action by the school's board of trustees at their September meeting in DeLand. Formal dedication ceremonies for the multi-purpose building are planned for Nov. 15. Explaining the trustees' decision to honor Dr. Edmunds, Dr. Johns pointed out, "This action was taken in recognition of his many valuable past serves to this university." Pr. Edmunds served as president of 5tson from 1948 until his retirement /1967 when he was named chancellor and an emeritus member of the /board of trustees. "Dr. Edmunds has not forgotten Stetson since his retirement, and his interest and enthusiasm continue," Dr. Johns explained. One of Stetson's most prominent alumni, Chancellor Edmunds received an A.B. in 1925, an A.M. in 1927 and an LL.B. in 1928. In 1943, Stetson honored him with an LL.D. In 1930, he began a life of public service when he was appointed county judge in Duval Co. He was reelected three times, serving until 1944. STETSON'S ACTIVITIES CENTER — Stetson's new activities center is named in honor of Or. J. Ollie Edmunds, chancellor and former president of the university. The school's trustees made the selection at their September meeting in DeLand. The building's dedication is scheduled Nov. 15. Named president of Stetson in 1948, he was the first graduate of any Florida college to return to his alma mater in that capacity. He was the first Florida college president to also serve as president of the American Association of Colleges. Dr. Edmunds gained national attention in 1950 for a series of articles and addresses on financial conditions of small, private, church-related colleges. He, also, has received three Freedoms Foundation Awards for addresses. In 1961, he served as president of the Florida Baptist State Convention. He is past chairman of the board of directors of the Jacksonville Branch, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta; a director of the Florida National Bank of Jacksonville; director of the John B. Stetson Co. of Philadelphia; and a partner of Gualala Redwoods of Santa Rosa, Calif. Stetson's activities center, designed to serve both the university and surrounding community, will accommodate large audiences for concerts, lectures, convocations, commencements, athletic events and the university's intramural program. With the opening of the facility, the university, for the first time in 25 years, will have seating capacity for the entire student body under one roof. Chisholm Speech Launches Artists-Lecturers Series CHISHOLM GREETS FUTURE VOTER — U. S. Rep. Shirley Chisholm, right, took a moment away from meeting Stetson students during a reception in her honor to give this unidentified future voter an autograph. The reception followed her speech at Elizabeth Hall auditorium which inaugurated the university's 1974-75 Artists and Lecturers Series. Calling for a reunion of religious faith and public life, U.S. Rep. Shirley Chisholm (D-N.Y.) told her Stetson audience, "For too long we've tried to divorce public and private life" keeping "public life and religious faith in two separate watertight compartments." "Without some kind of firm moral basis, the conduct of government seems no longer possible," she continued. She was speaking in Elizabeth Hall auditorium during orientation in the first guest appearance of the 1974- 75 Artists and Lecturers Series. The 49-year-old ex-schoolteacher said the failure Americans have experienced is a moral failure due to a simple lack of principle — a vacuum of ethical standards. Although she was speaking of recent events in governmental history, Rep. Chisholm indicated the problem pervaded many segments of today's society from government to business. She insisted the American people should demand ethical leadership in order to "put this country back on an even keel." "In our nation, we get what we deserve, and we deserve what we get," she explained. "I've never seen such apathy over elections as I've seen in our country," she added. "Everyone says politics is dirty business, but politics controls the air we breathe and the water we drink." continued on page 20