SIR
‘
1958
Maud Wadestrandt as May Queen.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: The following account
of College Misericordia, from its inception to
the present, was compiled by members of the
staff of the College Misericordia Communica-
tions Department. It was most recently pub-
lished. in the Back to School issue of The
Catholic Light.)
College Misericordia is a Catholic college
A co-educational institution which welcomes
individuals of all faiths, Misericordia offers a
grams at the undergraduate level in addition
fo professional graduate programs.
College Misericordia will celebrate 60 years
education on September 24, 1984.
What began as a dream over 70 years ago
by Sisters of Mercy who worked, often
without reward, begged, often without suc-
cess, and learned, to obtain degrees neces-
sary for college teaching, is today a reality. A
reality of success.
THE DREAM: The Religious Sisters of
Mercy, in the year 1913, purchased a tract of
land 99 and two fifths acres, just up from the
railroad station (now the Dallas Postal
office), situated on a lovely hill overlooking
the farms and the reservoir. That single legal
action changed the pattern of life in Dallas
for the next 60 years.
The Great War of 1914 brought with it
problems, problems which necessitated the
newly purchased land to stand as it was for
the next 10 years.
Ground was broken on June 3, 1921 for two
purposes: the erection of a Motherhouse and
the beginnings of a four-year liberal arts
college. The dream -of educating girls, first
interrupted by the Great War of 1914 and
almost ended by the St. Mary’s Convent fire
of 1920, became a reality on the Feast of Our
Lady of Mercy, September 24, 1924. College
Misericordia was not only the first college ir.
Wyoming Valley, but was also the only
women’s college, a far seeing ambition in the
1960, Misericordia also led the way by becom-
graduate students.
Thirty-seven girls made up the first student
members and three lecturers. Sixty years
later, approximately 1000 men and women
attended the College, with 127 faculty and
academic support members on staff.
so did the need to expand the physical plant.
The Administration Building (1924) consisted
of what is now only the center of that
building. By 1929, a dormitory-McAuley Hall
was erected and later connected to the
Administration Building with an arcade. East
and West wings were added to the original
main building in 1932. McGann Hall, opened
in 1946 as a student dormitory, now serves as
a faculty house for Sisters of Mercy. By 1951,
an auditorium, (Walsh) and gymnasium
(McGinty) were added. Twenty-five years
later the campus included the Hafey Science
Hall (1957), Alumnae Hall (1963) and Merrick
Hall (1963). McHale Hall was opened in
September of 1972. The major portion of the
structures were dedicated to those individuals
College’s history: Mother Catherine McAuley,
the founder of the Religious Sisters of Mercy
in Dublin, Ireland, in 1831; Mother Mary
Theresa Walsh, whose untimely death was
caused by the St. Mary’s fire, was a prime
mover in the Sister’s efforts to buy the land
college; and Mother Catherine McGann, the
first Dean of the College, who personally set
academic standards and guided students indi-
vidually in curricular matters. Whether a
leader in the religious community, like
Mother Mary Mercede McHale or an innova-
tor on the academic scene, like Sister Mary
Annunciata Merrick and Sister Mary Celes-
tine McHale, these names prevail in Miseri-
cordia’s account of 60 years spent in the
causes of higher education.
Alumnae Hall has perhaps the most unique
history of all the buildings. During the
devastating days of Hurricane Agnes in June
of 1972, Alumnae Hall was commandeered to
serve as the West Side Emergency Hospital,
with every inch utilized for routine and
emergency services. The campus proved
admirably constructed for helicopter land-
headquarters and flood communications radio
systems. One of the proudest records is the 54
babies born the summer Alumnae Hall was a
still apparent as the College upgrades its
academic standards to meet the needs of a
challenging society and increases the physi-
cal structure to accommodate the influx of
students desiring individualized instruction
and the small campus homespun atmosphere.
CURRICULUM: Perhaps no other facet of
academic life has been so commented upon,
criticized, changed, or challenged as cchricu-
lar structure in American Higher Educarion
over the past 60 years. Founded as a liberal
arts college, Misericordia has maintained as
humanities vision: Liberal Arts.
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
granted Misericordia the power to bestow the
degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of
Science in 1927, and Bachelor of Music in
1934. Accredited first by the Middle States
Association of Colleges and Secondary
Schools in 1936, the college has been granted
recognition of its merits by every applicable
major accrediting agency in American
Higher Education. Majors in liberal arts
subjects are available as are majors in allied
health professions, social work, business
administration, elementary and special edu-
cation, computer science and information
systems. Graduate studies at Misericordia
include Master of Science degrees in Nursing
and Human Services Administration.
THE FUTURE: Misericordia began with 37
students over a half century ago. The first
degrees were presented on June 14, 1927, one
Bachelor of Arts and four Bachelor of Sci-
ence. In 1984, College Misericordia graduated
225 men and women.
Tomorrow will rise from the present and
the past, making possible the future of the
in 1924.
ast
time and two
graduate in May, 1985.
in the part
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#
937
Notice the gym uniforms the girls are wearing.
1929
Some of the girls gather in one of the dormitory lounges.
Notice the uniforms they were required to wear. Although
there was a short period during the 1930's that uniforms
were not required, the girls’ wore uniforms until the 1950’s
when they were required to wear blazers embossed with the
College Misericordia seal. In the 1960's, the dress code for
students became less stringent.
{
i
1946
The original gymnasium had to be converted into a dorm in
September, 1946, in order to accommodate the influx of
resident freshman students. Here, freshmen: await the
evening's mail on one of the lonely days after their arrival.
ko