Charles Lee Smith 1905-1906
- Lecturer, educator, author (1865-1951); Ph.D., LL.D. degrees; married to Sallie Lindsay (1889)
- Elected president with an annual salary of $2,500 and inaugurated with much ceremony and broad representation of state and national educational institutions
- Assumed leadership at a time when William Heard Kilpatrick would state: "There is now at Mercer University an ideality, a spiritual force which takes such strong hold of the students as to make them feel forever indebted to the college for the best single thing in their lives....Our work, then, is to preserve this inheritance."
- Led the university through a year of prosperity, with an increase of the endowment and the construction of new buildings, yet failed to receive proper support from the trustees in carrying out his policies
Mercerian, "From the Sanctum — The Carnegie Library," April 1906:
"President Smith received a letter from Mr. Carnegie on April the fifth, saying that he would make a gift of twenty thousand dollars for a library building at Mercer, provided that twenty thousand dollars more be raised by the friends of the institution as an endowment fund for the support of the library. This generous gift is the result of a lengthy correspondence between Dr. Smith and Mr. Carnegie, and all join in congratulating the President upon such success."
Catalog, "General Information — Climate," 1905-1906:
"Macon has an almost ideal climate. Unpleasantly cold weather is exceptional, and snow and ice are rare. Many people find it a most desirable winter resort. Certainly, few cities offer more attractions to those accustomed to the rigorous regions of the north. During term time the change from the mountain regions to the milder climate of middle Georgia is not only agreeable but conducive to health. The city has an altitude of 380 feet above sea level."
"Students wishing to pursue their studies in a mild climate, under sunny skies, will find Mercer University an inviting school."
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