Scott of Northwestern

Chapter 10 - More millions for his alma mater

In the ensuing years contributions continued to pour in. One of these was from Mrs. George R. Thorne, Mrs. Ward's sister. Impressed by the contribution to mankind her sister's gift made possible, Mrs. Thorne called together her heirs to ask their approval of a substantial gift to Northwestern. All of them, in the presence of Dr. Scott, expressed their hearty consent, and as a result, Northwestern funds became $250,000 richer.

This sum was used to build the George R. Thorne Memorial Hall which fittingly now stands on Chicago Campus in the shadows of the Montgomery Ward Medical and Dental Memorial Building.

In 1922 the General Education Board, in recognition of the university's accomplishments, pledged a $600,000 endowment for the College of Liberal Arts and the School of Engineering, provided an additional $1,400,000 was raised by July 1, 1924. On June 27, 1924, President Scott publicly announced that this sum had been raised.
"During the commencement exercises two weeks ago," he said, "I stated that we lacked $91,000 to complete this $1,400,000. I also stated that I had planned to sail for Europe with my family on July 2, but that I would not go unless we had met the condition of the General Education Board. The alumni, the trustees, and other friends of the university have been steadily at work, and I am happy to announce that the subscriptions are in and I am starting with my family for Europe."

While abroad, Dr. Scott went on to say, he would seek ideas regarding the architecture of educational institutions, and on his return in September would devote himself to obtaining funds for the construction of a School of Commerce Building on the Chicago Campus.
"The objects of pressing importance," he added, "Will then be the erection of the Woman's Building, the Music Hall, the Science Hall, and the Library in Evanston; then further endowments for the work both in Evanston and Chicago."

He recalled that "four years ago Northwestern University made a survey of its needs and discovered that during the next ten years $30,000,000 would be required." He announced that in three years $9,000,000 had been raised in subscriptions of less than $100 each from six thousand persons and of $100,000 of more from each of 17 contributors.

In his statement, Scott gave high praise to Daniel H. Burnham's grand-scale conception of the future of Chicago and added: "As I go abroad, I go realizing that a large part of the joy of the trip will be in returning to Chicago, which I regard as the greatest city of the world."

Included in the $9,000,000 raised in three years was a bequest of $100,000 from Mrs. G. F. Swift for the permanent endowment of the School of Engineering and similar amounts from Judge Elbert H. Gary, a graduate of Northwestern's Law School; from John C. Schaffer, publisher of the Chicago Evening Post, and from an anonymous donor.

The contribution from Judge Gary came as a permanent endowment of the Elbert H. Gary Law Library, that from Mr. Schaffer as a permanent endowment of a professorship in the College of Liberal Arts, and that from the anonymous friend as an endowment of a professorship in botany.

Particularly gratifying to Dr. Scott was the fact that small subscriptions from students and faculty formed a substantial share of the growing fund. The evening section of the School of Commerce, typical of other schools, reached its goal of $100,000 long before the campaign ended. Other gratifying and substantial gifts came from the alumni and the citizens of Evanston.

In 1923 the Swift family gave $100,000 and Mrs. Levi Mayer $500,000. Scott had first approached Mrs. Mayer's husband, a noted Chicago lawyer. He was favorably disposed but died before he could take action. His widow carried out his wishes, and her half million dollar bequest made possible the erection of the Levi Mayer Hall of Law.

Also received the same year were gifts of $100,000 each from Ira Cook and from Charles Deering, at one time president of the Deering Farm Implement Company, later absorbed by International Harvester Company. Ira Cook's son, Chester, made arrangements with Scott for the contribution from his father.

What made 1923 a banner year, however, was the gift of $4,223,000 from Mrs. A. Montgomery Ward.

In 1924 Joseph Medill Patterson gave $125,000 for the Medill School of journalism, Dr. Archibald Church and Mrs. Manlove Rea gave $100,000 each, and Samuel Insull swelled the funds by contributing $100,000 for general university needs.

Judge Gary gave a second $100,000 for Gary Hall in 1925, and a similar amount was received that year from Dr. Appleman. The most exciting and significant contribution of 1925 came from W. A. Wieboldt. Representatives of the University of Chicago tried to convince him he should give $1,000,000 to their institution. Wieboldt was sold on the idea, but his children urged him to consider the desirability of dividing the money between the University of Chicago and Northwestern.

One of them, Raymond, rushed to Dr. Scott one evening with the urgent plea, "You must prepare a prospectus for a project that will appeal to father. You must do it immediately. And it must be a project for which he will be willing to give a half million."

Dr. Scott and Raymond Wieboldt worked hours that night outlining plans for a large hall to be devoted to the education of part-time students, mainly young men and young women in business and industry who desired to advance themselves by taking college evening studies.

The elder Wieboldt liked the idea and showed it by giving $500,000 as part payment for the construction of Wieboldt Hall on the Chicago Campus.

The following year was made memorable in the annals of Northwestern by a second gift of $4,000,000 from Mrs. Ward. This, plus her contribution of $4,223,000 three years earlier, brought the amount received from her to $8,223,000. In 1928 her heirs gave the university an additional gift—enough to bring the total to an even $9,000,000.

Also, in 1926 three gifts of $100,000 each came in—one from the Carnegie Corporation, one from Mrs. Anna L. Raymond, and one from Mrs. Frederick A. Ingalls.

Erection of the magnificent Deering Library was made possible by the $1,000,000 received from five members of the Charles Deering family in 1927 and 1929. Half of this amount came in the form of a bequest from Charles Deering. Mr. Deering's will provided that Judge Elbert H. Gary and Walter Dill Scott should decide on how to use this money for Northwestern. Judge Gary died, however, before Deering did. This left Scott with the sole responsibility of making the decision. As soon as a definite idea crystallized in Scott's mind, he conferred with the Deering heirs. He told them there was urgent need for a vast new library building on the Evanston campus, one that would cost $1,000,000. Without hesitation or delay they gave, in memory of their father, the additional half million required.

In 1928, Dr. Archibald Church gave his second $100,000, and W. A. Wieboldt added $125,000 to the half million he had given three years before.

In the financial history of Northwestern, the depression year of 1929 shines brightly. Most of the $2,000,000 given to the university by Frederick C. Austin was received that year. The Chicago manufacturer's intention was to be even more generous, for when he died he thought he was leaving the school $10,000,000, the value of his holdings before the depression struck. The bequest was eventually appraised at $2,000,000 and was used for the selection and training of young men who ranked high scholastically. Called Austin Scholars, they have been given the best the university could offer, including trips abroad and financial aid when necessary.

The same year brought a bequest of $8,500,000 from Milton Wilson for unspecified use. He was an uncle of Oliver Wilson, the lifelong friend of Scott. Also in 1929, Mrs. Levi Mayer gave an additional $300,000 for the Levi Mayer Hall of Law, Samuel Insull gave his second $100,000, and Dr. Joseph Bolivar De Lee, head of the University of Chicago Lying-In Hospital, gave $100,000 by way of showing his good will even though circumstances had led to his severance of professional connections with Northwestern.

Though the depression slackened the stream of gifts, the Presser Foundation gave $250,000 in 1930 and the Chicago Tribune an additional $125,000 for the Medill School of Journalism. In 1931, $144,000 was received from the Whitney family, but 1932 failed to bring in a single gift. A turn for the better came about in 1933 when an annuity of $257,000 and a contribution of $300,000 from Miss Edith M. Patterson was announced,

John C. Schaffer donated an additional $150,000 in 1934 and added still another gift of the same amount in 1935. In the same year the Patten family gave $100,000.

The following year, 1936, was saved from being a financial blank for Northwestern by one man—a rare and remarkable character. He was Roger Deering. An invalid from infancy and bedridden much of the time, he made a fortune by shrewd and brilliant speculation from his bedside.

He traveled a great deal, mostly by himself, in search of a climate that would improve his health. Only his mother knew his whereabouts. She kept Scott informed of this, and he would arrange for Northwestern alumni in various parts of the country to extend courtesies to Roger and invite him to their homes.

Though Deering had made millions he was economical to the point of eccentricity. To the needs of Northwestern, however, he responded generously, and in 1936, when the school's needs were especially great, he willed the university more than $7,000,000, as an example of that generosity.

The remaining three years of Scott's presidency were bountiful, indeed, for his Alma Mater. In 1937 the Abbott Laboratories gave $1,250,000. This may have been in part a result of Scott's delivery of twenty lectures on psychology many years previously before a study group consisting of Abbott and about twenty other young businessmen.

The same year there were received the Rea bequest of $150,000, the La Verne Noyes Estate, World War I Veterans Scholarship fund of $406,000, the Bertram Cahn gift of $100,000 for Scott Hall, and the Milton H. Florsheim gift of the same amount.

In 1938 Dr. George J. Dennis gave $250,000 and Dr. John S. Appleman another $103,000. The following year, 1939, still another Appleman gift—$650,000—came through.

The other large-scale gift of 1939 is really a story in itself. And, as a matter of fact, Dr. Scott himself has told it in his biography of Walter P. Murphy, the prolific inventor and industrialist who chose to keep out of the limelight.

Murphy gave Northwestern $6,735,000 in 1939 for the establishment and maintenance of a School of Technology. The same year he assured Dr. Scott that his contribution would be increased to $35,000,000 and during that year took steps toward bringing this about. The total amount was received at his death but not until after Scott had retired from the presidency.