Ambler Campus, Temple University

The year 1884 probably doesn’t stand out to very many people when thinking about American history — but it should.

In 1884, the Statue of Liberty was presented to the United States in Paris; Alaska became a U.S. territory; Chicago began construction on its first skyscraper; the U.S. adopted Standard Time; the Ringling Brothers Circus premiered; and the first long-distance telephone call was made from Boston to New York.

In Philadelphia in 1884 at Grace Baptist Church on Marvine Street near the location of Temple University’s Gladfelter Hall today, Russell Conwell quietly began tutoring seven young men in Greek, Latin, theology, and writing. It was there that the history of Temple University began and the face of higher education was radically changed.

“Conwell sought to democratize, diversify, and broaden the reach of higher education. He challenged the prevailing notion of college education in this country in providing open access to higher education to everyone regardless of status or station in life,” said Dr. James W. Hilty, Temple University Professor of History and Community and Regional Planning and former Dean of Temple University Ambler. “The Temple idea spread and Conwell’s ideals have succeeded well beyond his expectations. Temple has changed over the years from a sidewalk campus to one of the premiere residential urban campuses in the nation.”

On Thursday, May 6, Temple University Ambler will host a special reception for Dr. Hilty, celebrating the release of his new book, Temple University: 125 Years of Service to Philadelphia, the Nation, and the World, based on his forthcoming book of the same name. The reception will be held from 5:30 to 8 p.m., in Bright Hall Lounge. Dr. Hilty’s book will also be available for purchase and signing.

In Temple University: 125 Years of Service to Philadelphia, the Nation, and the World, Dr. Hilty explores the rich canvas of Temple’s history from the life of Conwell and Conwell’s founding of Temple to Temple’s present day status as the twenty-eighth largest university and the fifth largest provider of professional education in the United States — one of every eight college graduates in the Philadelphia area received their degrees at Temple.

The “Showman”

According to Dr. Hilty, several attempts have been made to chronicle the history of Temple, including attempts by Conwell himself, who remained president of Temple until his death in 1925.

“Part of the problem of writing the history of Temple,” said Hilty, “is that the early years were recorded and interpreted by Conwell himself. His iconic Acres of Diamonds speech is in effect a running history of the University as he saw it.”

The difficulty, as Hilty and other historians discovered, is that Conwell was not always a reliable source for either the history of Temple or his own personal history, particularly his record in the Civil War.

“In the 1880s and 1890s, people were fond of referring to America’s ‘Captains of Industry,’ such as Rockefeller, Carnegie, and others. Conwell was a ‘Captain of Erudition,’ taking great risks in building a college and then a university during a very challenging time,” he said.

Conwell, according to Hilty, was an accomplished journalist, lawyer, minister, entrepreneur, public speaker, and world traveler.

“He was also quite the showman and mythmaker,” he added.

Becoming Temple

Temple University: 125 Years of Service to Philadelphia, the Nation, and the World, written with research assistance from Temple Ambler history instructor Matthew Hanson in coordination with the University Archives and support from the Temple Review, Temple Times, and Temple University Press, captures Temple’s long record of service to its North Philadelphia neighbors, its global reach to Rome, Tokyo, and beyond, and its development from a row house campus into an 11,000- resident urban village at its main campus — all the while assuring deserving students “Access to Excellence.”

Hilty’s research highlights the defining moments in Temple’s history, focusing on some the major events and people who shaped the destiny of Conwell’s university. He will also briefly preview some of the themes explored in the forthcoming book (due out in February), including the development of Temple’s symbols and lore, its athletics history, and its development into what he calls a “multiversity” and “globalversity.”

One of the inescapable facts about the history of Temple, said Hilty, is that “The Conwell Idea — providing access to excellent education for the deserving and the qualified — was and is an expensive undertaking.”

“In some respects, the history of Temple is basically one financial crisis after another. On several occasions, the institution almost collapsed,” he said. “Temple for most of its existence was a private institution serving a public need. In 1965, when Temple became state affiliated, it was the fourth largest private university in the country. Today, with the uncertainty of continued commonwealth support, Temple seeks once again to redefine itself.”

Regardless of the changing circumstances throughout Temple’s history, said Hilty, “there is a persistence of excellence that we need to celebrate.”

“In all these years, I’ve believed in the Temple idea and believed that a University of this size should have a written history. This book (which features more than 250 images from Temple’s diverse history) is intended to be not just a historical chronicle but also a celebration of our past for our faculty, students, staff, and alumni who have made up that history,” said Dr. Hilty, who has been a member of the Temple community for 40 years. “A university doesn’t just happen; a great deal of dedication and sacrifice was required. For everyone that lives, works, and studies here, there is a lot to be proud of.”