Student Body Protests (1911)
The following is an article from the Ring-tum Phi edition on October 3, 1911. The article details W&L students’ passionate response to the possibility of President Denny leaving W&L for the University of Alabama. For more information, please see the full edition in W&L Special Collections.
(Lee Chapel at sunrise | Source: Alex Kagan)
Not for many a day, probably never in its history, has this University seen such a demonstration as that made by the students last Tuesday in their effort to persuade President Denny to remain at Washington and Lee. In point of numbers, it undoubtedly exceeded any gathering in the past, practically the entire student body being present; and as to enthusiasm, Lee Memorial Chapel has perhaps never before seen such a wildly demonstrative and deeply moved body of men as was gathered there when Dr. Denny, himself strongly affected, arose to respond to the demonstration. Some men had tears in their eyes, some were too choked to trust themselves to speak, and many sought to relieve their feelings by shouts and cheers.
As in the case of most genuine expressions of the kind, no elaborate plans were made beforehand. On Monday a week ago a number of men went to Dr. Denny’s office to express to him their individual wish that he remain, this being the first formal expression made by the students. On the same day a call for a mass meeting was issued by President Hobson, to take place on Tuesday at 11. Several large placards on the bulletin boards and trees announced the purpose of the gathering, and when the meeting on Tuesday was called to order, it seemed as if not a dozen men from the student body were missing. Mr. Hobson stated the purpose of the meeting and C. E. Burks at once arose and offered the following resolutions:
“Gathered in mass meeting in the Lee Memorial Chapel this the 26th day of September 1911, we the students of Washington and Lee University desire to show our appreciation of Dr. George H. Denny, and in efforts to hold him here, do pass the following resolutions:
That we, the students now resident in the University and speaking for the younger alumni of the institution, most earnestly desire Dr. Denny to remain at Washington and Lee University in his office as president.
That the students of this university believe that the institution needs the strong hand of its present executive to guide her in the immediate future, and that his resignation would cause a vacancy well nigh impossible to be filled.
That we most earnestly urge Dr. Denny to consider the record of the past ten years. No man can deny that the improvement as shown by this record is almost exclusively due to him. He has brought three students where there was but one, he has erected buildings on what fifteen years ago was a weed grown hilltop. The present condition of the whole plant speaks of one man at its head whose energy and marvelous attention to detail have secured these results. Not only in material things has Washington and Lee prospered but prestige and power have increased every year. We also urge Dr. Denny to consider the fact that there was great opposition in his early administration and that his record has been made in spite of it. We further urge him to consider that his work here is incomplete, that there is much for him to do, that there is now no one to oppose him as in former years. And we assure him that we can picture greater and more perfect results in a score of years than the past decade would have dared to dream.
That if Dr. Denny should not be convinced by these and other appeals made to him by his many friends, and should take his influence to other fields of usefulness, that the State of Virginia would lose one of her most influential and valued leaders.
That our idea of Washington and Lee is intricately interwoven with the name and good influences of George Hutcheson Denny, that the empty space made by his departure from his present position would be felt in the heart of every lover of this institution.
We further believe if Dr. Denny will remain with us that his name will be remembered here for time out of mind and that he will be classed with the other great men, now gone, who in days past rendered such signal service to their countries and to this institution.”
In offering the resolutions, Mr. Burks stated that it was not his intention to eulogize any man, but that here was a good opportunity, if there ever was one, in view of Dr. Denny’s almost phenomenal record.
Before the vote was taken, several other men spoke along the same lines. William Hodges Mann, Jr., spoke of the high regard in which Dr. Denny is held throughout the body of alumni and throughout the state of Virginia and the entire South, predicting that his name would be coupled in the history of this institution with those of Washington and of Lee. A. H. Hopkins, in a few words, referred to the fact that Dr. Denny had been mentioned in connection with the governorship of Virginia. Summers and MacDonald also spoke, and A. L. Herold made the pregnant suggestion, whether it originated with him, we do not know, that the entire body of men should, after the meeting, proceed to Newcomb Hall and cheer for Dr. Denny.
The resolutions were then voted on, and it is needless to say that they were unanimously adopted. C. N. Hobson suggested that three or four students be appointed to present the resolutions to Dr. Denny at once, and President Hobson appointed C. E. Burks, R. W. Pipes, and R. R. Witt, Jr., to take the paper to Dr. Denny, Harry Moran being appointed to lead the student body up to Newcomb Hall and lead the cheering.