This fall marks the 100th anniversary of an Academic Row anchor: the Peter S. Trumbower Science Building. By the 1920s, Muhlenberg’s campus was bursting at the seams. Among the most pressing needs was a modern building in which to foster the ever-growing role of the natural sciences in the curriculum; as such, it was granted priority in the million-dollar Greater Muhlenberg fundraising campaign that began in 1923.
The cornerstone-laying ceremony for the Science Building was held on November 15, 1924. A time capsule was secured within the cornerstone containing copies of The Muhlenberg Weekly, a copy of The Lutheran, lists with names of the workmen and the science faculty members, the program for the ceremony, local newspapers and more.
The College had also needed an auditorium, and on June 7, 1926, the first Commencement ever held on the Chew Street campus took place in the auditorium of the incomplete Science Building. In the coming decades, the auditorium served not only as a stage for Muhlenberg’s early and varied theatre clubs, but also as the occasional home of the Civic Little Theatre of Allentown.
The Science Building was formally dedicated on October 8, 1926. Peter S. Trumbower, Class of 1899, was a local industrialist who served on the Board of Trustees’ Executive Committee for many years. In his will, Trumbower bequeathed half of his estate to Muhlenberg; that amount totaled $1.1 million, the largest gift the College had ever received when it came through in 1966. In 1971, the Board of Trustees moved to rename the newly renovated Science Building; the dedication of the Peter S. Trumbower Science Building was held on October 22, 1971.
Our affordability crisis has societal impacts that affect even the housing secure. To enact solutions, we need bold and decisive action at every level of government.
Assistant Professor of Dance Heidi Cruz-Austin shares the story of how she began dancing, her professional experience and how she began teaching in a college setting.
