Page 62 - UB Church and Shen Univ
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Volume 6 Relation of U.B/EUB Virginia Conferences to Shenandoah University Dec. 26, 2013
Associates, to complete our plans, secure bids, and to start construction as soon as possible. We were
making excellent progress now! At least, Keith Williams and Associates thought they would eventually
get their fees. All the parties began to have faith!
7. Construction of a New Campus for Shenandoah College, 1957-60
To Start Construction. We resolved to move fast to start construction on our facilities. We
instructed Keith Williams and Associates to employ additional office and technical personnel and to
expedite final plans for the College building (Gregory) and the Shenandoah Conservatory of Music
Building (Armstrong). Keith Williams, Hubert Stratton, Robert Henry, and the other architectural
personnel put the entire planning operation into high gear. Moreover, we assured them of at least half of
their fees upon completion of the plans.
We also authorized Keith to do preliminary plans for the first campus dormitory, kitchen, and
dining room, so that we could start trying to find some way to finance their construction during the
current year. Several possibilities were discussed: borrowing privately or government funding on a
self-liquidating basis over a period of 20 to 30 years from dormitory rental income.
Previously, we had discussed financing the dormitories with Zigler and Company of Indianapolis
and the U.S. Government Home and Housing Finance Agency (HHFA) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
[This alternative was pursued after 1960.]
Unfortunately, in Spring 1957, Bishop and Mrs. D. T. Gregory were killed in an automobile
accident in Ohio. On April 5, 1957, Dr. Paul Shannon was elected Bishop of our area. He attended
several meetings and helped to expedite the Shenandoah project. But several weeks later (May 23,
1957), about the time he became familiar with our problems, Bishop Shannon suddenly died of a severe
heart attack. These were great losses to our programs for Shenandoah, as these bishops represented us at
the highest level of the EUB Church. Crisis after crisis. Incidentally, Bishop Shannon’s wife was the
former Katherine Higgins of the Shenandoah College’s famed “Higgins Sisters Quintet” that sang and
performed throughout the tri-state area in the 1930s, raising money and recruiting students for
Shenandoah. Later, they toured most of the western states. These singing and performing tours were
under the direction of Professor James Ruebush of Shenandoah Conservatory of Music. The Higgins
Sisters were from a large Greensboro, N.C., family of 11 children. The five sisters and one brother were
recruited by Professor James Ruebush for Shenandoah on one of his singing tours in Greensboro. On
the spur of the moment, Professor Ruebush said to his audience, “All I have heard since arriving in
Greensboro is, ‘Have you heard the Higgins Sisters?’ I have not, so now I invite them to come to the
stage and sing.” They were a big hit and Professor Ruebush was so impressed that he did not leave
Greensboro until he had recruited them for Shenandoah. They were a talented and popular group and
were a tremendous asset to Shenandoah and the EUB Church. Katherine Higgins Shannon Howard lives
in Winchester, and we are proud to have her as a citizen of our fair city.
The untimely deaths of these two fine Bishops were serious losses. It looked like our
Shenandoah College Project’s luck was running out. However, the reversal of the Council of General
Administration’s decision in Dayton, Ohio, was clear proof that the gods and fates were on our side. We
prayed and continued to faithfully pursue our goal.
After the death of Bishop Paul Shannon, the EUB Church elected Dr. J. Gordon Howard as our
new Bishop. Some of us were a little apprehensive. However, we were worrying needlessly, as Bishop
J. Gordon Howard became one of Shenandoah’s best supporters and friends. He turned the first spade
Wilkins on History of S.C., 1952-1960 52
Associates, to complete our plans, secure bids, and to start construction as soon as possible. We were
making excellent progress now! At least, Keith Williams and Associates thought they would eventually
get their fees. All the parties began to have faith!
7. Construction of a New Campus for Shenandoah College, 1957-60
To Start Construction. We resolved to move fast to start construction on our facilities. We
instructed Keith Williams and Associates to employ additional office and technical personnel and to
expedite final plans for the College building (Gregory) and the Shenandoah Conservatory of Music
Building (Armstrong). Keith Williams, Hubert Stratton, Robert Henry, and the other architectural
personnel put the entire planning operation into high gear. Moreover, we assured them of at least half of
their fees upon completion of the plans.
We also authorized Keith to do preliminary plans for the first campus dormitory, kitchen, and
dining room, so that we could start trying to find some way to finance their construction during the
current year. Several possibilities were discussed: borrowing privately or government funding on a
self-liquidating basis over a period of 20 to 30 years from dormitory rental income.
Previously, we had discussed financing the dormitories with Zigler and Company of Indianapolis
and the U.S. Government Home and Housing Finance Agency (HHFA) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
[This alternative was pursued after 1960.]
Unfortunately, in Spring 1957, Bishop and Mrs. D. T. Gregory were killed in an automobile
accident in Ohio. On April 5, 1957, Dr. Paul Shannon was elected Bishop of our area. He attended
several meetings and helped to expedite the Shenandoah project. But several weeks later (May 23,
1957), about the time he became familiar with our problems, Bishop Shannon suddenly died of a severe
heart attack. These were great losses to our programs for Shenandoah, as these bishops represented us at
the highest level of the EUB Church. Crisis after crisis. Incidentally, Bishop Shannon’s wife was the
former Katherine Higgins of the Shenandoah College’s famed “Higgins Sisters Quintet” that sang and
performed throughout the tri-state area in the 1930s, raising money and recruiting students for
Shenandoah. Later, they toured most of the western states. These singing and performing tours were
under the direction of Professor James Ruebush of Shenandoah Conservatory of Music. The Higgins
Sisters were from a large Greensboro, N.C., family of 11 children. The five sisters and one brother were
recruited by Professor James Ruebush for Shenandoah on one of his singing tours in Greensboro. On
the spur of the moment, Professor Ruebush said to his audience, “All I have heard since arriving in
Greensboro is, ‘Have you heard the Higgins Sisters?’ I have not, so now I invite them to come to the
stage and sing.” They were a big hit and Professor Ruebush was so impressed that he did not leave
Greensboro until he had recruited them for Shenandoah. They were a talented and popular group and
were a tremendous asset to Shenandoah and the EUB Church. Katherine Higgins Shannon Howard lives
in Winchester, and we are proud to have her as a citizen of our fair city.
The untimely deaths of these two fine Bishops were serious losses. It looked like our
Shenandoah College Project’s luck was running out. However, the reversal of the Council of General
Administration’s decision in Dayton, Ohio, was clear proof that the gods and fates were on our side. We
prayed and continued to faithfully pursue our goal.
After the death of Bishop Paul Shannon, the EUB Church elected Dr. J. Gordon Howard as our
new Bishop. Some of us were a little apprehensive. However, we were worrying needlessly, as Bishop
J. Gordon Howard became one of Shenandoah’s best supporters and friends. He turned the first spade
Wilkins on History of S.C., 1952-1960 52
