THE EDUCATIONAL TEAM OF PRESIDENT MORRISON AND W. H. ISELY BROUGHT THE FOLLOWING TRIBUTE IN THE PARNASSUS OF 1908, "IN SOME RESPECTS NATHAN J. MORRISON AND WILLIAM H. ISELY RESPECTIVELY MAY BE THOUGHT OF AS THE WASHINGTON AND LINCOLN OF FAIRMOUNT." IT CONTINUED, REFERRING TO DEAN ISELY AS BEING "LIKE THE MARTYRED PRESIDENT, AGAIN, HE FELL WHEN EVERYTHING SEEMED TO DEPEND ON HIM"
ONLY 42 WHEN HE PASSED AWAY ON AUGUST 14, 1907, FOUR MONTHS AFTER PRESIDENT MORRISON'S DEATH, WILLIAM ISELY'S LIFE WAS FULL IN TERMS OF ACCOMPLISHMENT ALTHCUGH BRIEF IN YEARS.
A MISSOURIAN AT BIRTH, W. H. HAD PERMANENT ROOTS IN BROWN COUNTY, KANSAS. FOLLOWING GRADUATION FROM OTTAWA UNIVERSITY, HE FURTHERED HIS STUDIES AT HARVARD AND GRADUATED WITH AN M. A. MAJORING IN HISTORY AND ECONOMICS.
IN 1894 HE BEGAN HIS LIFETIME CAREER AT FAIRMOUNT INSTITUTE AS A HISTORY AND POLITICAL SCIENCE TEACHER AND GRADUATED TO ACTING PRINCIPAL WITHIN A MONTH AFTER HIS ARRIVAL. HE WAS IN A LARGE MEASURE RESPONSIBLE FOR PRESERVING THE INSTITUTE WHICH BECAME FAIRMOUNT COLLEGE.
THE STORY IS TOLD THAT IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING HIS ARRIVAL IN WICHITA WITH HIS WIFE AND YOUNGSTER, MERRILL, HE HEARD THAT FAIRMOUNT INSTITUTE, WHERE HE HAD ACCEPTED A POSITION, WAS TO BE CLOSED. WITH MERRILL IN HIS ARMS, HE PLEADED WITH THE TRUSTEES TO PRESERVE FAIRMOUNT.
HEEDING HIS PLEA, THE TRUSTEES COMPLIED WITH HIS REQUEST. THE FOLLOWING YEAR, PRESIDENT MORRISON ARRIVED AND THE TWOSOME BECAME THE STRENGTH OF FAIRMOUNT INSTITUTE RENAMED FAIRMOUNT COLLEGE. THE TEAM WORKED WELL. WHILE PRESIDENT MORRISON SEARCHED FOR MONEY IN THE EAST TO KEEP THE COLLEGE SOLVENT AND THE DREAMED-OF LIBRARY A REALISTIC GOAL, DEAN ISELY WAS THE STABILIZING FORCE AND THE ACADEMIC LEADER AT THE COLLEGE.
THE ALMOST DAILY CORRESPONDENCE FROM PRESIDENT MORRISON TO DEAN ISELY TELLS THE STORY OF THE TRUST AND ESTEEM IN WHICH THE FIRST PRESIDENT OF FAIRMOUNT HELD THE YOUNGER MAN. FROM SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, PRESIDENT MORRISON WROTE, "I AM SORRY I AM OBLIGED TO LEAVE SO MANY OF MY DUTIES TO BE ADDED TO YOUR OWN."
SIX DAYS LATER, HE WROTE, "I AM MAKING THE EFFORT OF MY LIFE ... IT IS MAKE OR BREAK FOR THE COLLEGE THIS YEAR."
A LETTER LATE IN THE SCHOOL YEAR OF 1899 FROM DEAN ISELY TO DR. MORRISON RELUCTANTLY MENTIONED THE ACUTE FINANCIAL HARDSHIP THE FACULTY SUFFERED BECAUSE OF LACK OF FUNDS. HE NEVER SUGGESTED GIVING UP OR COMPLAINED OF HIS PERSONAL SACRIFICE. A RETURN LETTER SAID, "TELL ALL TO HOLD ON TILL THE CLOSE OF THE YEAR ... THE COLLEGE IS NOT GOING TO STOP MORE THAN THE MOON IS. THE TEACHERS WILL HAVE MONEY AT THE CLOSE OF THE YEAR, NOT ALL DUE THEM PROBABLY, BUT ENOUGH TO RELIEVE THE DISTRESS."
A LOVE OF BOOKS WAS SHARED BY THE TWO EDUCATORS, TOO. THE FIRST BOOKS FOR THE LIBRARY-TO-BE OF THE FLEDGLING INSTITUTION WERE PLACED ON SHELVES OF THE CLASSROOM OF PROFESSOR ISELY AND WITHIN A FEW WEEKS SOME 700 BOOKS WERE AVAILABLE FOR USE BY FACULTY AND STUDENTS.
A RICH HERITAGE BELONGS TO THE ISELY FAMILY - ONE FILLED WITH PRIDE IN FAIRMOUNT, WICHITA UNIVERSITY AND WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY. A TOTAL OF 17 ISELYS HAVE COMPLETED THEIR UNIVERSITY SCHOOLING HERE AND MANY OTHER RELATIVES SUCH AS THE WELLMANS ARE ALUMNI TOO. AMONG THE DISTINGUISHED FAMILY ARE EDUCATORS, AUTHORS, MISSIONARIES, CLERGYMEN, BUSINESSMEN AND SCIENTISTS CLAIMING WSU AS THEIR ALMA MATER.
THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION HAS HONORED THE LATE BLISS ISELY, AUTHOR, IN 1958 WITH A RECOGNITION AWARD AND THE LATE MARY ALICE ISELY, FAIRMOUNT AND WICHITA UNIVERSITY LIBRARIAN FOR 33 YEARS, WITH A RECOGNITION AWARD IN 1962. ALICE WAS THE TWIN SISTER OF DEAN ISELY. A NEPHEW, THE LATE PAUL WELLMAN, AUTHOR, WAS NAMED ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT WINNER IN 1958.
WE FEEL FORTUNATE TO HAVE WITH US TODAY MRS. MERRILL ISELY, DAUGHTER-IN-LAW OF THE LATE DEAN ISELY AND WIDOW OF THE REVEREND MERRILL ISELY, EMINENT MISSIONARY AND THE CHILD IN ARMS, WHO HELPED PRESERVE FAIRMOUNT INSTITUTE. IT WAS MERRILL ISELY WHO SOUGHT AN APPROPRIATE MEMORIAL FOR HIS FATHER AND I REGRET THAT HE DID NOT LIVE TO JOIN IN THIS DEDICATION.
WERE IT NOT FOR DEAN ISELY AND FOR HIS COLLEAGUE,PRESIDENT MORRISON, WHO CAME IN THE FOLLOWING YEAR, WE MIGHT NOT NOW BE ENJOYING THIS BEAUTIFUL CAMPUS WITH ITS ENDURING AND ENCOMPASSING EDUCATIONAL ADVANTAGES AND FACILITIES.
WE RESPECTFULLY HONOR DEAN W. H. ISELY BY DEDICATING ISELY LANE IN MEMORY OF THE PIONEER EDUCATOR WHO BELIEVED IN FAIRMOUNT INSTITUTE'S RIGHT OF EXISTENCE SO STRONGLY THAT HE PLEADED FOR IT TO BE ALLOWED TO LIVE. FOR THAT AND FOR HIS INSPIRING LEADERSHIP, WE ARE THANKFUL.
DR. CLARK D. AHLBERG, PRESIDENT, WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY
APRIL 28, 1973
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