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History

1960

Dr. William H. Crook Leads In Campus Expansion

Dr. William H. Crook became president in June, 1960, and immediately set into motion plans which resulted in more improvements in less time than at any other period in Academy history. His first emphasis was to improve the quality of personnel by increasing remuneration and recruiting outstanding people. 
The years of Crook’s administration also witnessed growth in enrollment, especially in the summer school.

The campus was expanded to approximately eighty acres, and a building program, which included numerous additions, as well as the rehabilitation of existing facilities, was inaugurated. A new academic building to be named Cavness-Reed Hall was constructed. The Sabre Bookstore and a new cadet dormitory were built. Upon completion of the dormitory, the trustees enthusiastically named it William H. Crook Hall. The dream of a new chapel was also resurrected, and the Tower of Prayer, as the first element in the chapel complex, was completed, thanks to a donation from Mrs. Velma Robinson.

With excellence as the goal of all Academy programs, academics, student life, and Christian emphasis were strengthened during Dr. Crook’s administration. His ideas, vision, and direction still influence the Academy today. He left the Academy in the summer of 1965 to serve his country in a number of posts, including United States Ambassador to Australia.
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