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GW in History

25 Years Ago

Singer-songwriter Barry Manilow made a generous donation to the GW Music Department through the Manilow Fund for Health and Hope. The goal of the donation, given only to eight colleges around the globe, was to support up-and-coming musicians. The Barry Manilow Endowed Prize in Music is today awarded annually to a student with an outstanding performance record.

50 Years Ago

University President Cloyd Heck Marvin retired after 31 years of service at The George Washington University. The longest-serving president to date, Marvin’s achievements included increasing the University’s endowment funds from just over $800,000 to $7 million, tripling the size of the faculty, and overseeing the construction or acquisition of more than 13 buildings to the campus, including Lisner Auditorium, Strong Hall, and the Tompkins Hall of Engineering.

100 Years Ago

A faculty member suggested GW’s yearbook, The Mall, be changed to the Cherry Tree in 1908 when the University moved to Foggy Bottom. The Cherry Tree, as it is still called today, has chronicled the academic and social lives of thousands of Colonials over the years. The 2008-09 staff is creating a special anniversary edition, which will include photos from each decade and a retrospective of the past century.

GW Magazine gratefully acknowledges the assistance of University Archives in the identification of interesting historical information. For more about GW’s history, check out the University Archives Web site by accessing www.gwu.edu/gelman/archives. The site’s Historical Almanac is especially informative.