Milton College

Last updated
Milton College
Milton College Historic District Milton Wisconsin.jpg
Former name
Milton Academy
Type Private
Active1844–1982
Location
Milton
,
Wisconsin
,
United States
Colors Blue and Brown before 1964 Blue and Gold after 1964 [1]
Nickname Wildcats
Sporting affiliations
 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics

Milton College was a private college located in Milton, Wisconsin. Founded in 1844 as the Milton Academy, it closed in 1982. Its campus is now part of the Milton Historic District.

Contents

History

The college was founded as the Milton Academy (high school) by a group of early Milton settlers, including Milton House owner Joseph Goodrich. It eventually grew to encompass sixteen buildings spread over 24 acres (97,000 m2). Its music department was renowned, and a high percentage of foreign students for the era kept the student body diverse. Although initially many of the students came from Milton, in later years alumni of the college would stay in Milton or return. [2]

Closing

On May 15, 1982, Milton College abruptly closed its doors. At the time, it was Wisconsin's oldest continually operating college. [2] The college's board of trustees had voted 18-2 to close the campus following a notification from the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools that the college's accreditation would be dropped in the fall term; it had previously been on probationary status. The decision from North Central stemmed from the college's continually shaky financial situation, which culminated in a $4 million debt. Milton College had been struggling financially since the Great Depression, 50 years earlier. Without accreditation, the college would not have seen any federal loans or grants, adding to an already difficult situation of decreasing student enrollment. Furthermore, it would have no longer been able to compete with schools in the Wisconsin State University System.

Some 135 students had been planning to come back to campus when the school closed, many with only a few credits left until completion of their studies. Officials negotiated with other campuses to accept Milton students. [3]

Milton College transcripts are stored at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, located 13 miles from Milton.

Campus life

Athletics

The college was a member of the NAIA and participated in the sports of baseball, basketball, and football. The Milwaukee Bucks chose Milton College's gymnasium as its pre-season training camp in 1968-69. Among the players was Lew Alcindor, who changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1971. [4]

Milton Wildcats football

Milton fielded its first football team in 1899 and its last in 1981. No teams were fielded from 1904 to 1915 and from 1943 to 1945. During this time the college produced seven All-Americans and nine conference titles, in 1935, 1956, 1961, 1964, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1980, and 1981. The Wildcats played in 419 games during this time with a record of 194–207–18. [5] The school was a member of the Illini-Badger Football Conference from 1976 to 1982.

Greek life

Fraternities

No fraternities or sororities were on campus after 1977 due to falling attendance. [6]

Media

Campus adaptive reuse

When the school closed, the buildings were turned over to the banks that kept it alive over the years. Most of the buildings have been converted to commercial or residential use.

Notable alumni

NameYearNotabilityReferences
Stephen Bolles United States House of Resentatives from Wisconsin [9]
Hellen M. Brooks educator and representative to Wisconsin State Assembly [10]
Ward Christensen computer pioneer and inventor of XMODEM
Kerry G. Denson U.S. National Guard General [11]
Joseph Dutton U.S. Commissioner to the U.S. Court in Memphis, Tennessee; Catholic Lay Missionary to the leper colony in Molokai [12]
Lucy Mabel Hall-Brown Physician and writer [13]
Adoniram J. Holmes United States House of Resentatives from iowa [14]
Dave Kraayeveld former professional football player with the National Football League [15]
Dave Krieg former professional football player with the National Football League [16]
Gilbert L. Laws United States House of Resentatives from Nebraska [17]
Canute R. Matson Sheriff of Cook County, Illinois at the time of the 1886 Haymarket Square Riot
Kerwin Mathews actor [18]
Christopher J. Rollis newspaper editor and representative to Wisconsin State Assembly [19]
Charles P. Smith Superintendent of Public Instruction of Wisconsin [20]
Francis Marion Smith business magnate known as "The Borax King" [21]
Don S. Wenge U.S. Air Force Major General [22]
Albert Whitford astronomer and director of the Lick Observatory [23]

Notable faculty

NameNotabilityReferences
William Clarke Whitford educator, legislator, and pastor of the Seventh Day Baptist Church from Wisconsin [24]
Lorenzo D. Harvey Superintendent of Public Instruction of Wisconsin [25] [25]
Edward Searing Superintendent of Public Instruction of Wisconsin [26]
Ellsworth Snyder Abstract painter, professional pianist, conductor, and scholar [27]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kareem Abdul-Jabbar</span> American basketball player (born 1947)

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is an American former professional basketball player who played 20 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers. During his career as a center, Abdul-Jabbar was a record six-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP). He was a 19-time NBA All-Star—tied for the most ever—a 15-time All-NBA Team member, and an 11-time NBA All-Defensive Team selection. He was a member of six NBA championship teams as a player and two more as an assistant coach, and was twice voted the NBA Finals MVP. He was named to three NBA anniversary teams. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, he was called the greatest basketball player of all time by Pat Riley, Isiah Thomas, and Julius Erving. Abdul-Jabbar broke the NBA's career scoring record in 1984 and held it until it was broken in 2023 by LeBron James.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roanoke College</span> Private liberal arts college in Salem, Virginia, USA

Roanoke College is a private liberal arts college in Salem, Virginia. It has approximately 2,000 students who represent approximately 40 states and 30 countries. The college offers 35 majors, 57 minors and concentrations, and pre-professional programs. Roanoke awards bachelor's degrees in arts, science, and business administration and is one of 280 colleges with a chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greensboro College</span> College in Greensboro, North Carolina

Greensboro College is a private college in Greensboro, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and was founded in 1838 by Rev. Peter Doub. The college enrolls about 1,000 students from 32 states, the District of Columbia, and 29 countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milton, Wisconsin</span> City in Wisconsin, United States

Milton is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 5,716 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington and Lee University</span> Private liberal arts university in Lexington, Virginia

Washington and Lee University is a private liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia. Established in 1749 as Augusta Academy, it is among the oldest institutions of higher learning in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas Christian University</span> Private research university in Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.

Texas Christian University (TCU) is a private research university in Fort Worth, Texas. It was established in 1873 by brothers Addison and Randolph Clark as the AddRan Male & Female College. It is affiliated with the Christian Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh</span> Public university in Oshkosh, Wisconsin

The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh is a public university in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. It is part of the University of Wisconsin System and offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs to around 14,000 students each year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Baltimore</span> Public university in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.

The University of Baltimore is a public university in Baltimore, Maryland. It is part of the University System of Maryland. UBalt's schools and colleges provide education in business, law, public affairs, and the applied arts and sciences. The university is the location of one of Maryland's two law schools.

The University of Wisconsin–Whitewater is a public university in Whitewater, Wisconsin. It is part of the University of Wisconsin System. Student enrollment in the 2014–2015 academic year was more than 12,000. The university offers 47 undergraduate majors and 13 graduate programs. Approximately 1,400 faculty and staff are employed by the university, and the student body consists of individuals from about 40 states and 30 countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of the Pacific (United States)</span> Private university in Stockton, California, United States

University of the Pacific is a private university originally founded as a Methodist-affiliated university with its main campus in Stockton, California, and graduate campuses in San Francisco and Sacramento. It was the first university in the state of California, the first independent coeducational campus in California, and the first conservatory of music and first medical school on the West Coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Norbert College</span> Private Catholic college in De Pere, Wisconsin, U.S.

St. Norbert College (SNC) is a private Norbertine liberal arts college in De Pere, Wisconsin. Founded in October 1898 by Abbot Bernard Pennings, a Norbertine priest and educator, the school was named after Saint Norbert of Xanten. In 1952, the college became coeducational. As of April 2023, the school's enrollment is 2,009 students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Richmond</span> University in Richmond, Virginia, United States

The University of Richmond is a private liberal arts college in Richmond, Virginia. It is a primarily undergraduate, residential institution with approximately 4,350 undergraduate and graduate students in five schools: the School of Arts and Sciences; the E. Claiborne Robins School of Business; the Jepson School of Leadership Studies; the University of Richmond School of Law; and the School of Professional & Continuing Studies. It is classified among "Baccalaureate Colleges: Arts & Sciences Focus".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lycoming College</span> Private college in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, U.S.

Lycoming College is a private liberal arts college in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1812, Lycoming College is affiliated with the United Methodist Church but operates as an independent institution. Through its history, it has been an academy, seminary, junior college, and four-year college.

University of Wisconsin–Platteville is a public university in Platteville, Wisconsin. Part of the University of Wisconsin System, it offers bachelor's and master's degrees. The university has three colleges that serve over 8,000 students on-campus and an additional 3,000 students through its five distance education programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Young Harris College</span> Private liberal arts college in Young Harris, Georgia, U.S.

Young Harris College is a private Methodist-affiliated liberal arts college in Young Harris, Georgia, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Illinois College</span> Liberal arts college in Jacksonville, Illinois

Illinois College is a private liberal arts college in Jacksonville, Illinois. It is affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the Presbyterian Church (USA). It was the second college founded in Illinois but the first to grant a degree. It was founded in 1829 by the Yale Band, students from Yale College who traveled westward to found new colleges. It briefly served as the state's first medical school, from 1843 to 1848.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilfrid Laurier University</span> Public university in Waterloo, Brantford, and Milton, Ontario, Canada

Wilfrid Laurier University is a public university in Ontario, Canada, with campuses in Waterloo, Brantford and Milton. The newer Brantford and Milton campuses are not considered satellite campuses of the original Waterloo campus; instead the university describes itself as a "multi-campus multi-community university". The university also operates offices in Kitchener, Toronto, and Yellowknife.

Wisconsin State College of Milwaukee was a predecessor institution of the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milton Public Library</span>

The Milton Public Library is located in Milton, Wisconsin. It is one of the seven libraries that make up the Arrowhead Library System, which also includes the libraries of Janesville, Edgerton, Clinton, Evansville, Beloit, and Orfordville. The library occupies the first floor of the Shaw Municipal Building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John McMillan's Log School</span> Log building in Pennsylvania, United States

John McMillan's Log School is a landmark log building in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania that was the site of John McMillan's frontier Latin school during the 1780s. It is a symbol of Canonsburg and Canonsburg's educational tradition. In 1930, The Pittsburgh Press said that the building was "viewed by the pioneers with even more reverence than Pittsburgh now view the towering Cathedral of Learning in Oakland." It is one of the oldest buildings in Western Pennsylvania. It is the "oldest educational building west of the Allegheny Mountains."

References

  1. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). www.miltoncollege.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 December 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. 1 2 3 Carla McCann (June 24, 2007). "Buildings, memories are all that remain of Milton College". Janesville Gazette. Archived from the original on 4 December 2008. Retrieved 2007-06-24.
  3. ↑ "Milton has its Black Friday". The Milton Courier(Milton, WI) 27 May 1982: 1, 20.
  4. ↑ "Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in Milton" Milton Courier (Milton, WI) 10 January 2021
  5. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). www.miltoncollege.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 December 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. ↑ "Milton College to celebrate homecoming". Hometown News LP. Retrieved Jun 4, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Milton College Memories". www.miltoncollege.org. Archived from the original on 15 May 2005. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  8. ↑ "Milton College Memories". www.miltoncollege.org. Archived from the original on 19 December 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  9. ↑ "Bolles, Stephen, (1866 - 1941)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  10. ↑ 'Wisconsin Blue Book 1925,' Biographical Sketch of Hellen M. Brooks, pg. 664
  11. ↑ "Brigadier General Kerry G. Denson". www.nationalguard.mil. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
  12. ↑ Siddall, John William, ed. (1917). Men of Hawaii. Vol. 1. Honolulu: Honolulu Star-Bulletin. p.  95.
  13. ↑ Willard, Frances Elizabeth; Livermore, Mary Ashton Rice (1893). A woman of the century: fourteen hundred-seventy biographical sketches accompanied by portraits of leading American women in all walks of life. Cornell University Library. Buffalo, N.Y.: Moulton. p. 349 – via Internet Archive.
  14. ↑ "Holmes, Adoniram Judson, (1842 - 1902)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  15. ↑ "Dave Kraayeveld". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  16. ↑ "Dave Krieg". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  17. ↑ "Laws, Gilbert Lafayette, (1838 - 1907)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  18. ↑ "Issue 3 Fall" (PDF). Milton College Preservation Society. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  19. ↑ 'Wisconsin Blue Book 1885,' Biographical Sketch of Christopher J. Rollis, pg. 429
  20. ↑ "Term: Smith, Charles P. 1926". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  21. ↑ "Francis "Borax" Marion Smith - The Borax King of Death Valley". Legends of America. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  22. ↑ "Major general don s. Wenger". US Air Force. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  23. ↑ "Albert Whitford, eminent astronomer and former director of Lick Observatory, dies at 96". UC Santa Cruz. April 2, 2002. Archived from the original on September 1, 2014. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  24. ↑ "Term: Whitford, William Clarke 1828 - 1902". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  25. 1 2 The Sabbath Recorder. George B. Utter. 1917. p. 11.
  26. ↑ "Term: Searing, Edward 1835 - 1898". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  27. ↑ "Ellsworth snyder". Jennifer Norback Fine Art, Inc. Retrieved November 21, 2013.


42°46′28″N88°56′33″W / 42.77444°N 88.94250°W / 42.77444; -88.94250

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.