Legacy of PMC

The school moved to Chester in 1865 and occupied the facilities of the Crozer Normal School. In 1867, Colonel Hyatt sought a more permanent location for the school. After a thorough search an area of approximately 20 acres, with an unobstructed view of the Delaware River, was chosen.

John Crump, a well-known Philadelphia architect, was selected to design the building. His work, including the Union League, is often considered to be a prime example of the Philadelphia style during the later portion of the 19th century. The Chester Evening News described the building as being “of brick and granite, and in size about on hundred and fifty feet by sixty-seven feet, and five stories in height. It was not only built in the most substantial manner but it … was elaborate and an ornament to the city.” The dedication of the building occurred at the Commencement ceremony, June 24, 1868.

Shortly after 5:00 p.m. on February 1882, a fire in the fifth floor science lab was discovered. Despite the best efforts of everyone, the fire consumed the building. Cadets were sent home, but returned a few weeks later and resumed their studies at the Ridley Park Hotel.

Plans to rebuild were made immediately. John Crump was again engaged to design and rebuild the new building. In the 1882 Course Catalogue the new building was described:

It has been enlarged, greatly improved in architectural appearance, and has received the full benefit of many internal changes suggested by an experience of upwards of thirty years in school work. The ample stairways, that gave such security to the old structure, have been supplemented by suitable fire escapes, and heavy firewalls introduced, rendering it almost absolutely safe from disastrous conflagration. The Laboratory, situated at a safe and convenient distance from the main building, will contain a superior equipment of modern appliances for experiment and research in the departments of applied chemistry.

Seven months after the fire, cadets took up residence in the new building. The main entrance soon became known as the “Main Building.” It was not until the 1900’s that it became affectionately known as Old Main.

A team of Philadelphia architects spent 2 months examining Old Main in 1978. They took paint scrapings, tested the condition of the roof and ornamental trim, studied the stability of the dome and front balustrade and investigated the strength of the stone foundation. After this careful review of the findings, the National Park Service announced that Old Main and the Chemistry Building had been added to the National Register of History Places.

Since 1868, Old Main has been a witness to the distinguished history of PMC. Today, Old Main continues its silent watch.

In 1948, a group of six cadets organized a special drill team. At the time, its purpose was to develop a drill unit to perform on special 0ccasions at PMC. Under the leadership of Bert Mazzeo, a member of a world famous trick drill team in Europe after World War II, the unit was reorganized and taught the cadets a trick drill routine.

The cadets were granted a charter as Company Q, 5th Regiment in the National Society of Pershing Rifles on November 25, 1952. This organization was founded in 1894 by General John J. Pershing at the University of Nebraska, and promotes competition among units throughout the country. In 1967, PMC became the 15th Regimental Headquarters and was known as Company Q-15.

This was the beginning of a long, successful and admired history within its regiment and the nation. Each year Company Q-5 would travel and compete in Basic Drill, Trick Drill, Advanced Drill and Individual competitions. In an eight-year span beginning in 1955, Q-5 competed in more than twenty-three major tournaments and was awarded some forty-eight trophies, including the title National Champions. In 1969, Company Q-15 won the Pershing Rifles trophy for the 7th time. The trophy was then retired to PMC’s trophy case.

After the 1873 Commencement Exercises, the 24 graduates met and expressed their desire to form an association so that “the friendships of former years might be preserved, the more agreeable memories cherished and a spirit of union and good fellowship fostered.” Captain R. Kelso Carter, ’67, became president and Colonel Charles E. Hyatt, ’72, secretary.

According to the constitution of the Association, every graduate automatically became a member. Any person, who had been a student of the College for one year, having left in good standing, may upon written application, endorsed by two graduates, become an associate member. In addition, individuals who have given of their time and lent their best efforts to the success of the Association were welcomed as associate members.

In April 1891, the Pennsylvania Military Academy Alumni Association was incorporated. In 1892, the name was changed to Pennsylvania Military College Alumni Association. In 1961, the purpose of the Association was restated as “to further acquaintance and good fellowship among PMC Alumni and students, and to otherwise promote the best interests of the College.

Later that year, the Association adopted its own seal, a globe with a diploma imprinted upon it. Upon the diploma is inscribed the words “Fidelitas, Fratenitas, et Humanities.”

Each September thousands of students enter colleges and universities throughout the United States. They are all eager and enthusiastic to acquire the knowledge and experience necessary to be successful. A few of these students undertake a much more difficult task. They are the ones who are willing to sacrifice an undisciplined life-style in order to prepare themselves for success and become a part of a highly selective group, The Corps of Cadets of PMC, which had continued to live since 1821.

The fourth-classmen, officially known as “Rooks,” arrived at PMC with little or no understanding of what they were starting. Their training began almost immediately. At first bugle calls were meaningless, “Rook” drills seemed endless and orders were shouted but barely understandable. Each morning there were personal inspections. On weekends, the training continued with inspections, guard duty and parades. For most of the fall “Rooks” walked around the campus in a daze, as did all those “Rooks” before them.

The most important day in the life of a “Rook” was when the “Old Men” of the Corps recognized the Cadet as a member. This occurred when the “Rook” understood the honor of wearing the uniform and the traditions of the school. More importantly the training they received instilled in each Cadet the principles of cooperation, gentlemanly honor, how to take orders before they could lead and give orders and moral obligation.

In 1965, Cadet Bill Symolon, Noel Koch and Pat Brennan organized a charity drive to care for Vietnam orphans in the province of Binh Dinh. At a time when there was national disagreement about Vietnam, these students saw their efforts as “An opportunity to provide substantive evidence to the Vietnamese people that we are’ concerned with their welfare … that we see them as something more than pawns in an international chess game. ”

The original goal was to raise $5,000 through a variety of campus fund-raisers. The support for Operation Tender Tigers grew quickly. Besides organizing an auction featuring many PMC’s notables, buttons were sold; a folk festival and dances were organized and community groups also stepped forward. Garnet Valley High School in Glen Mills sent 75 dollars. The effort was also recognized and commended by Pennsylvania Governor William Scranton. Soon support for Operation Tender Tiger was on the campuses of Delaware, West Chester and Villanova.

Operation Tender Tiger came to a successful end in May 1966. The student organizing committee presented a check for $5,500 to the Catholic Relief Services. Vu Vn Thai, ambassador of Vietnam, was the guest of honor at the presentation. The money raised was intended for the construction of an orphanage in the city of Qui Nhon. Plans called for the Orphanage of The Tender Tiger to accommodate 450 war orphans in two dormitories. In addition, there was to be a five-classroom school, a dining hall and two administrative buildings.

A long-standing tradition at PMC was the ceremony of burying textbooks before cadets left the college. Many of these “tombstones” were located at the rear the Hyatt Observatory while others were scattered throughout the campus. The graduating class would build a coffin and gather textbooks, old uniforms, underclass records and a yearbook. Then an interment ceremony was conducted and marked by a tombstone, engraved with the graduation year of the class. Although it is not known which class originated the ceremony, the Class of 1949 revived the tradition of administrating the “last rites” to their years at PMC.

In 1939, members of the class eagerly buried their books and marked it with a memorial stone. Pictured are William Boettiger wielding the spade while John Rhodes lays ’em to rest. Graduating veterans also contributed to this tradition by interring empty beer bottles

Today, many of these “tombstones” surround the Alumni Auditorium building and a few are on display in the PMC Museum. To mark the disbandment of the Corps, the Class of 1972 placed a stone that stated “The Last Class.”

At the end of the 1929 Commencement ceremonies, Red Tomahawk, dressed in the full regalia of a Sioux chieftain, bestowed on General Charles Hyatt the title “Warrior Thunder Hawk.” He then presented Hyatt with a magnificent war bonnet with three hundred eagle feathers. As Red Tomahawk explained “… this Eagle war bonnet, not as an emblem of war, but as an emblem of peace.”

This honor was a gift from the Sioux tribe. It was later learned that General Hyatt was among only a small group of notables to receive this honor. The other honoraries were Former President Calvin Coolidge, President Herbert Hoover, Romania’s Queen Marie, Marshal Ferdinand Foch, and General Charles Summerall.

Although Red Tomahawk spent his lifetime creating a positive image of his culture, he was best known because of his involvement with the ending of Sitting Bull’s life in 1890.

Theodore Hyatt
1857 – 1887

Theodore Hyatt made a commanding appearance. He was tall and physically striking. Born in Westchester County, New York, his formative years were spent on a farm. As a youth he attended the local district school. With the help of the local Presbyterian minister, Hyatt was tutored and entered Union College as a sophomore in 1846. In 1847 he transferred to Princeton University where he graduated in 1849.

After graduation, Hyatt accepted the invitation of Reverend S.R. Wynkoop to teach at the parochial school of the local Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, Delaware. Hyatt purchased the boarding school of Samuel Alsop, which had for years been guided by John Bullock. In 1857 the school was chartered as the Delaware Military Academy by the State.

Starting in 1885, Hyatt suffered greatly from stones, which had formed inside his organs. Although he continued to attend to his duties, he had to rest in bed for a part of each day. In December 1887 his only recourse was an operation. Despite his strong constitution, his heart was unable to recover from the shock of the operation. Surrounded by family Colonel Hyatt, “the scholar and teacher, the generous citizen, the faithful, earnest Christian, passed quietly and calmly through the shadow of death into life, from arduous labor to glorious reward.”

Charles Eliot Hyatt
1888 – 1930

Charles Hyatt was born in Wilmington, Delaware, in 1851. He was eleven years old when the Delaware Military Academy moved to West Chester. In 1872 he graduated from PMA with a degree in Civil Engineering. Following graduation, Hyatt became an instructor in mathematics, elocution and tactics at PMA. In 1873 he was appointed adjutant, and in 1876 treasurer and professor of rhetoric. In 1881 he became vice-president.

Following the death of his father, the Board of Trustees elected Hyatt as President and Commandant. Although the traditions of General Hyatt continued, Charles Hyatt brought a different style of leadership. His colleagues commented that He … has incorporated many of the best of the progressive elements in college life. The colonel is keenly and earnestly interested in the welfare of every student in the college, and shows it by his devotion to the office of president.

As news of his passing reached the PMC community, the expressions of sympathy arrived from every state in the Union.

Frank Kelso Hyatt
1930 – 1952

Hyatt had been born at PMC, reportedly in Old Main, in 1886. He enrolled at PMC in 1902, but transferred to Swarthmore College in the winter of 1903-04. There he graduated with the degree of B.S. in Civil Engineering in 1907. He returned to PMC as a mathematics instructor and soon became vice-president and treasurer of the school in 1917. In this capacity, he became responsible for the business affairs of the PMC.

1910 began Hyatt’s long association with the Pennsylvania National Guard. He organized a troop and was made Captain. During World War I, he organized a Citizen’s Military Corps and helped train hundreds of men on the parade grounds of PMC. In 1943 Hyatt encouraged the Army to send PMC men to complete their college education while they remained in the army.

As a youth, Hyatt had a natural ability as a horseman. Under the guidance of U.S. cavalry officers stationed at the college, he became one of the country’s most outstanding horsemen. He became an active polo enthusiast and in the Philadelphia and New York area and was an executive officer of the U.S. Indoor Polo Association. Under his tutelage, the PMC polo teams were successful and nationally recognized.

When his father, Charles E. Hyatt unexpectedly died from a heart attack in 1930, the Board of Trustees elected Frank K. Hyatt as President and Commandant of PMC.

Edward E. MacMorland
1953 – 1959

Since 1862 PMC had been owned and operated by a member of the Hyatt family. With his health failing, Colonel Frank Kelso Hyatt retired as President of PMC and became the first President Emeritus of Pennsylvania Military College. The Board of Trustees established a selection committee that after nearly a year’s search, selected Major General Edward E. MacMorland as the new President.

MacMorland’s experience as a professional soldier and administrator made him well qualified to be President. Born in 1892, he graduated from the University of Missouri in 1913 earning a Master of Arts degree. His 37-year career in the military began in 1916 with an appointment to the coast artillery corps. His career saw him in the service of his country around the world. In 1952, he was made Chief of the General Purchasing Division of the newly organized U.S. Army in Europe.

He wore the Purple Heart for wounds received in Northern Russia in World War I, the British Distinguished Service Order, the Legion of Merit with an oak leaf cluster and the Army Commendation Ribbon. For his assistance to the British in World War lI, he was awarded the Order of the British Empire. (Commander).

In his inaugural address to the Corps of Cadets and a thousand spectators in 1954, MacMorland stressed that “Pennsylvania Military College is unique” and the development of leaders is our primary mission.”

Clarence R. Moll
1959 – 1972

Clarence Moll was born in Chalfont, Pennsylvania, in 1913. He received a bachelor of science in education from Temple University in 1934, followed by a master’s degree in education three years later. He earned his Ph.D. in higher education from New York University in 1955.

From 1935 to 1942, Moll taught physics, chemistry, and science at several high schools in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. In 1943, Moll left a teaching position with the Navy to join Pennsylvania Military College as an associate professor of physics and engineering. In 1946 Moll assumed the duties of Headmaster of the Pennsylvania Military Prep School and a year later became the Dean of Admissions and Student Personnel. In 1956, Moll became a vice president of PMC.

In 1959 he was selected to succeed Major General Edward E. MacMorland as president of Pennsylvania Military College. Moll’s tenure would result in the disbandment of the Corps of Cadets.

Almost immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 and the declaration of war, America changed. Everything was viewed through the prism of the war effort. This was also true at PMC. In January 1942, PMC announced an accelerated academic program so students could graduate in three years. The plan called for three academic sessions, two of which corresponded to the regular school calendar, and a third session held for 11 weeks during the summer. This allowed cadets to attend classes all year. “Thus, the present junior class will be graduated in February 1943; the present sophomore class in August, 1943; and the present freshman class in June, 1944.”

Developments in the war changed rapidly, and in 1943 the junior and senior classes were called to active duty. Although the juniors had not completed their work under the accelerated program, PMC granted the juniors their diplomas at the Commencement exercises marked with the words, “War Diploma.”

A few of these graduates, like Lew Hutton ‘43 who studied civil engineering, returned after their service and completed their work.

The war years presented PMC with both challenges and opportunities. In 1943, the junior and senior classes were called to active duty. Most of the juniors were near completion of their studies in an accelerated program and graduated with special “War Diplomas.”

In June, 325 soldiers arrived at PMC for Army Specialized Training. The AST program was started in 1943 in order to educate qualified soldiers to fill the Army’s need for high-quality technicians and specialists. PMC, along with dozens of other colleges and universities, was selected by the War Department to participate in the AST program. These soldiers were offered a standard college curriculum leading to the degree of Bachelor of Science in engineering and chemistry. While at PMC these soldiers were on active duty, wore their military uniforms and were under military discipline.

In 1944, Colonel Frank Hyatt reported that the Corps consisted of 100 cadets, about two-thirds of which were preparatory students. The 1944 Commencement exercises were cancelled that year so that PMC could prepare for the arrival of a group of 225 Reserve students. By that time, the cadets had been trained as instructors. The next graduation was held in August 1945, and 1946 witnessed a mid-year graduation for cadets George E. Pranis and Norman J. Stein along with 47 ASTP students. After passage of the G.I. Bill in 1946, PMC began to enroll veterans as day and boarding student