From the first-ever day of classes 166 years ago to Ange Milner’s final day as the University’s librarian, historian Tom Emery explores this month in Illinois State University history.
October 5
On this date in 1857, the first classes in Illinois State University history were held. Six men and 19 women showed up by the end of the day.
The first student was Enoch Gastman, a gangly, red-haired, 23-year-old from nearby Hudson, who has become synonymous with the early history of Illinois State.
Gastman personified the mission of the University with great humility and became a statewide leader in secondary education. He was part of the first graduating class of Illinois State on June 29, 1860, and began a position in the Decatur School District that September 10.
Thus began a 47-year career in the Decatur schools, including a 45-year tenure as superintendent. Gastman’s death in 1907 was front-page news in Decatur, where a school was named in his honor.
Until 1860, Illinois State classes were held at Major’s Hall, a three-story structure at the southeast corner of East and Front streets in Bloomington. Constructed in 1852, the building was demolished in 1959.
Before Major’s Hall became the temporary home of Illinois State, Abraham Lincoln delivered three speeches in the building, including his famous “Lost Speech” on May 29, 1856, that captivated the audience and was one of his strongest statements against slavery.
Also, on this date in 1965, the Illinois Board of Higher Education authorized academic programs for Illinois State that did not require teacher certification. This is considered a watershed moment in the rich history of the University, which had existed solely for teacher training. The new academic programs became effective in September 1966.
October 13
On this date in 1936, Donald McHenry, Illinois State Class of 1957, was born. McHenry was the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations under the Carter administration from 1979-81.
It was a crowning achievement in a stellar career in international diplomacy for McHenry, who joined the U.S. Department of State in 1963 and remained for eight years.
From there, he specialized in foreign policy for a series of private institutions from 1971-76 before serving as a member of the transition staff after the election of President Jimmy Carter in 1976. In March 1977, McHenry was named U.S. Deputy Representative to the United Nations Security Council.
He has since served on various corporate boards, including Coca-Cola and AT&T, and has been active in an array of well-respected foreign relations groups, including the Partnership for a Secure America and the Global Leadership Foundation.
On March 23, 2002, McHenry and former U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright appeared at a Global Town Meeting in Braden Auditorium, discussing international affairs for over two hours in a memorable appearance.
McHenry later donated $3 million to the University to fund a visiting professor of diplomacy and international affairs.
Following an extensive search, United States Ambassador (retired) Geeta Pasi was appointed the inaugural Donald F. McHenry Visiting Professor in Diplomacy and International Affairs at Illinois State University for 2023-24 and 2024-25.
In 2022, McHenry returned to campus to present the Adlai E. Stevenson Memorial Lecture.
October 15
On this date in 1927, Angeline Milner, the first Illinois State University librarian, retired from her position. She remains a beloved figure in the history of the University.
Born on April 9, 1856, in Bloomington, Milner began her long career at Illinois State in 1890, when she was hired to catalog the various libraries of the University. The previous year, President Edwin Hewett had been authorized to merge the libraries of Illinois State into one entity and hire a full-time librarian.
By the time Milner retired due to illness, she had skillfully handled the 40,000 volumes of the library, as well as an equal number of periodicals and pamphlets, writing the call numbers herself on every volume.
A prolific writer who was a founding member of the Illinois Library Association, Milner demanded that library patrons remain quiet, though she was known for having a sharp wit. She was also keen to student and faculty needs, and always went to great lengths to help hard-working young men and women in their studies.
Milner lived for many years in Normal at 222 N. University Ave., where she died on January 13, 1928. In 1940, Milner Library, now known as Williams Hall, was dedicated. The library moved to its present quarters in 1976 and is a striking tribute to the woman known affectionately as “Aunt Ange.”
October 28
On this date in 1938, the Vidette, the student newspaper of Illinois State, reported on some stowaways in Old Main: a cat and her three kittens.
The feline family had taken up residence in the basement of Old Main and captivated the student body. The Vidette reported that, “to the usual crescendo of droning voices, banging of books, and the ever-present glib chatter…was added a new sound: Meow! Meow!”
The Vidette continued that the cats “caused about as much excitement as a free day” among the students, who “in an excited manner” gathered around the store room where the cats were living.
“In case you’re interested,” wrote the Vidette, “the mother and her three infants receive visitors from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.”
The felines may have been an omen. Twenty years later, when Old Main faced the wrecking ball in the summer of 1958, demolition was delayed for several days by another family of cats. In that instance, a mother cat named Molasses and her three kittens were living under a porch on the north side of Old Main.
Two girls from University High, junior Margy Moore and her sister Lynn, a seventh grader at Thomas Metcalf School, finally managed to lure the cat family from under the porch. The girls’ father was Harold Moore, an assistant professor of biological science at Illinois State.
The rescued cats were eventually given to Illinois State student Sarah Jane Bristow, who transported the brood to her sister’s home in Cass County.
Tom Emery is a freelance writer and historical researcher who, in collaboration with Carl Kasten ’66, co-authored the 2020 book Abraham Lincoln and the Heritage of Illinois State University.
