SECOND ACTS
The artifacts in the Archives tell the story of Old Wabash. Some come loaded with their own details, others are invitations to a mystery. All of them point to the life of someone who once breathed the air of this good place.
Among the most notable items currently on display in an exhibit we call “Wally’s Attic” is a cane with an ivory head, made of wood from Constitution Hall in Philadelphia. It was presented to John Lyle Campbell—Wabash alumnus, scientist, and professor—when he served as secretary to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, the giant world’s fair in Philadelphia that attracted more than 10 million visitors.
Dig a little deeper and we find that, as a result of his participation, Professor Campbell returned to Wabash with miraculous new technology—Edison’s electric light. Campbell demonstrated that technology with a show of lights in the east campus [now the Arboretum] that amazed the population.
Among the most obscure items in “Wally’s Attic” is a hand-hewn boomerang from the early 20th century. It was donated by Professor Arthur Milford, who taught English at Wabash from 1884 to 1913. One of the College’s most famous journalists called Milford “the most human” of all the professors he met. “Pure humanity was Professor Milford’s strong suit,” wrote Edward Price Bell, who reported for the Chicago Daily News and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. “Books he knew as I used to know the eddies and riffles of Raccoon River, but human life he knew better. He knew that unless he found the hearts of his students, he was introducing them to his books largely in vain.”
Was the boomerang a gift to Professor Milford? Did he carve it himself, or pick it up on his travels? We don’t know, the only note attached says “Gift of A.B. Milford.” We do know that in 1909 he and his wife went off on “foreign travel.” He returned to Wabash and retired three years later.
But because someone took the care and time to save and donate them, the cane and the boomerang and the other artifacts now serve different purposes than originally intended. For their second act, they remind us of times long gone and two Wabash professors worth remembering. When we take time to tell their stories, the history of this good place comes alive.
FROM THE ARCHIVES
SECOND ACTS
The artifacts in the Archives tell the story of Old Wabash. Some come loaded with their own details, others are invitations to a mystery. All of them point to the life of someone who once breathed the air of this good place.
Among the most notable items currently on display in an exhibit we call “Wally’s Attic” is a cane with an ivory head, made of wood from Constitution Hall in Philadelphia. It was presented to John Lyle Campbell—Wabash alumnus, scientist, and professor—when he served as secretary to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, the giant world’s fair in Philadelphia that attracted more than 10 million visitors.
Dig a little deeper and we find that, as a result of his participation, Professor Campbell returned to Wabash with miraculous new technology—Edison’s electric light. Campbell demonstrated that technology with a show of lights in the east campus [now the Arboretum] that amazed the population.
Among the most obscure items in “Wally’s Attic” is a hand-hewn boomerang from the early 20th century. It was donated by Professor Arthur Milford, who taught English at Wabash from 1884 to 1913. One of the College’s most famous journalists called Milford “the most human” of all the professors he met. “Pure humanity was Professor Milford’s strong suit,” wrote Edward Price Bell, who reported for the Chicago Daily News and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. “Books he knew as I used to know the eddies and riffles of Raccoon River, but human life he knew better. He knew that unless he found the hearts of his students, he was introducing them to his books largely in vain.”
Was the boomerang a gift to Professor Milford? Did he carve it himself, or pick it up on his travels? We don’t know, the only note attached says “Gift of A.B. Milford.” We do know that in 1909 he and his wife went off on “foreign travel.” He returned to Wabash and retired three years later.
But because someone took the care and time to save and donate them, the cane and the boomerang and the other artifacts now serve different purposes than originally intended. For their second act, they remind us of times long gone and two Wabash professors worth remembering. When we take time to tell their stories, the history of this good place comes alive. - Beth Swift, Archivist
Learn more about Wabash history by following Wally’s Attic on Instagram, or use the search feature on the Wabash Web site to find Dear Old Wabash, a history blog, both projects of the Archives.