People often say you can’t know your future without knowing your past. And the same can be said for the future of an academic institution continuing to shape future generations. But, as students, faculty, staff and alumni of the University of Toledo, how well do we know its history? This series, entitled #RocketBlastFromThePast, was started by Juice House as a social media series to discover our shared legacy as Toledo Rockets by diving into the digital archives of the Canaday Center and sharing interesting tidbits and fun facts of UToledo’s rich history that encourages a sense of pride in our institution. Now brought to you as a collection, it’s more than a trip down memory lane; it’s an exploration and transportation from the past to the present, with a vision and inspiration guiding us into a bright future and beyond.
Today’s #rocketblastfromthepast 🚀takes us back to 1906 when Arthur E. Rowley and C. Scott Rowley — two Toledo attorneys — started the first law program in Toledo as a night school held at the downtown YMCA. Known as the YMCA Law School, it was the only law school in Northwest Ohio. It wasn’t until 1909, however, that the program officially became affiliated with the University of Toledo through an expansion plan led by William Tucker, the president of the university at the time.
Since the College of Law’s inception, the program has faced many challenges in reaching its current status. One challenge was its initially weak status as a college; the relatively young university had created and expanded multiple colleges, exacerbating financial strain. During his term as university president, Dr. A. Monroe Stowe addressed the university’s financial state and worked to secure accreditation to establish the institution’s legitimacy. As a result, the College of Law became one of several that were consolidated from colleges into departments. However, 22 years later, the law department was reestablished as a college. Shortly after, the college not only gained accreditation but also distinction from the Association of American Law Schools, the first and only of its kind for a Division I law school to receive such recognition.
From its humble beginnings under the Toledo YMCA to its expansion and later empty rooms of the struggling Toledo Medical College, it moved to the main campus in University Hall during the 1930s. With the building of Gillham Hall in 1953 to house the College of Law and the University Library, the law school continued to grow out of each limitation, particularly in space. Finally, the permanent home for the College of Law was built in 1972, which is where it still stands today.
This series is continuing to grow! To stay up to date with new posts in this social media series, follow The JuicePress at @thejuice.press.
