EXHIBITS
The Built Environment: 130 Years of Growth, Development, and Change on the USU Campus: Aggies at Arms: Impact of World War I and World War II
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Aggies at Arms: Impact of World War I and World War II
President E. G. Peterson and his young family had hardly moved into the President’s Home when the U.S. became embroiled in WWI. As part of its land-grant mission, USU maintains a long tradition of military training, beginning in 1892 with the arrival of Lt. Henry D. Styer. At President Peterson’s request in 1916, the War Department commissioned the college’s Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC). The military tradition became more significant as the college provided essential military education during WWI. Over 600 American “doughboys” received mechanical training and more than 1,000 students served during the Great War.
With the influx of soldiers and trainees, the campus struggled to provide adequate housing. Congress authorized construction of temporary, wooden barracks, but Peterson convinced the governor and legislature to allocate additional funds to build them from brick. Peterson’s foresight resulted in a near doubling of the physical campus by 1920.
Ray B. West (1918–)
Originally intended to billet WWI military trainees and named posthumously for the first dean of engineering, Ray B. West Sr., RBW has been home to engineering, education, and presently, the English Department.
Plant Science (Geology) Building (1918–)
As with RBW, the Plant Science Building (today known as the Geology Building) never actually served its intended purpose as a barracks. After the war ended in November 1918, construction continued and the building opened for classes in 1920.
Animal Science Building (1917–)
Authorized by the State Legislature in 1917, and technically not part of the defense appropriation, the building first served as a convalescent hospital during the 1919 Influenza Pandemic. Opening for classes in 1920, the college creamery relocated to its basement, from where Professor Gustav Wilster began perfecting the recipe for Aggie Ice Cream.
