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The History Of Ricker

In 1926, the trustees of Ricker Classical Institute decided to expand the school's scholastic offerings. The facilities of the school were expanded to give a one-year college program. Some, at the time, wondered if the trustees were wise in making this decision, but the years have tended to prove that they were justified in their action. The first year, ten students enrolled in the one-year course. About seven of this first group went on to finish college, most of them going to Colby. The class entering the fall of 1927 had an enrollment of 15; five of whom went on to Colby. Each year the enrollment increased. In the fall of 1933, a second year of college courses was added, and Ricker Junior College became a reality. In 1938, the State Legislature granted Ricker Junior College the right to give associate degrees in arts and in science.

In 1928, the school acquired the Gellision property on Heywood Street for use as a girls' dormitory. This building was named Haskell Hall in honor of E.G. Haskell, who donated a sizable contribution to the school. In 1940, an annex was added to the building to handle the increasing enrollment.

March 30, 1944, was a date that almost spelled doomsday for Ricker. A fire broke out in Wording Hall at 8:30 that evening and completely destroyed the building. The results of this fire were tragic; the school lost not only it's entire classroom facility but also many historical items and records that were irreplaceable. The school, however, carried on classes the following Monday morning in space made available at churches, lodges, and at the airbase. The college and the Institute courses were carried on in this type of temporary quarters for the remainder of the school year. The trustees now faced the biggest task in the school's history, the task of continuing the school.

The years of 1945 and 1946 were critical ones for Ricker. The school had always had to struggle for it's survival, but the post-fire problems were the most serious in the school's history. Classes during this period were held at any place the school could find room: in the old dorm, in two buildings at the airbase, and in the main house of the Mansur property that was purchased by the school in 1945.

Former graduates of the school and the residents of Houlton and Aroostook County, along with various other well-wishers of the school, came through with the needed contributions. The State Legislature granted the school $50,000 toward the cause, and the school soon had the needed capital to rebuild.

On August 29, 1946, the new building was dedicated as the New Wording Hall. This building, which was built at a cost of $167,000, was one of the best-equipped buildings in the State. However, there was one serious handicap, there was no gymnasium in the new building. Houlton and Hodgdon both offered the use of their high school gymnasiums, but there still remained a definite need for the school to have it's own gym.

At this time, Fred Putnam, a Ricker alumnus who had for many years aided the school's interests, was much concerned over the lack of student athletic facilities. He led the board of trustees in applying for a grant from the federal government to build a new gym. In 1947, the school had enrolled the returning veterans and was eligible for a grant of this type under Public Law 697. The trustees' efforts to secure such a grant were successful, and they received the sum of $154,000 for this project. The trustees of the school had to secure an additional $40,000 from other sources in order to be eligible for the federal grant, and this they succeeded in doing. The new Quonset-style gymnasium was completed in April 1944.

The new gymnasium was named 'Putnam Gymnasium' in honor of Fred Putnam who was the one who made it possible. The Mansur property, which had been purchased in 1945, was now made into a library building and was dedicated to Roy C. Hayes, who had served as principal of the school for a period of 20 years.

In 1949, the college took another step forward in educational advancement. After the board of trustees had finished the preliminary groundwork, they petitioned the Maine Legislature to grant the college the privilege of becoming a four-year college with the right to grant a liberal arts degree. The Legislature saw fit to grant this, and the program was placed into effect. The trustees appointed John Laberee as President of the college and Harold Inman as principal of the Institute, this splitting the administrative powers into two levels. The faculty served both the secondary and the college needs.

Jasper Crouse became President of the college in 1950 and held the position until 1954. During his administration, Ricker gained in academic standing despite a varying flux of student enrollment owing to the Korean War, and the school faced the future confident of continuing success. It had well-equipped classrooms, an adequate gym, three dorms, and a growing library. The salary of the school's staff and faculty amounted to an annual payroll of $54,000 - a great increase over the $200 paid out in 1849.

Over the next five year period, the school continued to improve in standards of educational offerings available to it's students. In 1952, David Cotton was appointed principal of the Institute where he serves today. Robert Willet became President of the college in 1954 and left after serving one year. Following this, a board of the faculty was appointed to serve with the business manager to guide the college. The combined board consisted of Charles Heath, David Cotton, and George Rich. This group ran the college and the Institute until Dr. C. Worth Howard was appointed President in 1957.

One encouraging feature in Ricker's history has been that, whenever the school has been in difficulty, there have been the necessary men with the ability to solve whatever problems existed. And a second element of good fortune has been the school's ability to continuously attract a high-quality faculty for such a small school.

In 1958 and 1959, Ricker's administrators could see that, in order to continue to meet the needs of students, the college would have to start a program of expansion. In 1959 and 1960, the matter came to a head and the school had to expand in a more rapid manner than they had planned. The student enrollment of 1960-61 called for more quarters than the school had available. In 1958, the school had purchased the 'Alice Lane Dormitory' ( a World War II dormitory for women) on Park Avenue. The building, which would house about 65 male students, was renamed North Dorm and put into service that fall. But even this added dormitory facility was not adequate for the student influx of 1960. In addition, the school was faced with an immediate need of an enlarged dining hall, new administrative offices, and additional classroom space.

The school administrators answered these new needs by starting a "Ricker Advancement Fund" drive to raise $1,000,000, mostly from alumni of the school. They obtained temporary space for classrooms by renting a hall on the third floor of the Day block and rooms upstairs over the Houlton Pioneer Times. They then proceeded to start remodeling the old dorm into new facilities for administrative offices, seminar rooms, and a larger feeding facility. These new facilities were ready for use during the spring semester of 1961.

Despite the acquisition of Ivey's Lodge on Court Street as an additional men's dormitory, a critical housing situation existed on registration day in the fall of 1960. The Taylor house in Kelleran Street had been purchased by the school, but it was not ready for occupancy until several weeks after college opened. The immediate housing pinch was eased, however, by the townspeople opening their homes to students - some for the whole school year and some on a temporary basis until the Taylor house was readied.

With the passage of the Sinclair bill by the State Legislature, the trustees of Ricker were faced with still another problem. It was felt that, if a school district were formed in the Houlton area, the Institute would have to draw it's student body from elsewhere. The trustees announced their solution to this problem in March 1961 - Ricker Classical Institute would change it's objective and become a college prep school modeled after those in the southern part of the state. The orderly transition to a prep school was scheduled to begin with the fall registration in 1961, and it was estimated that about three years would see the project accomplished. This will bring to a close the Institute's traditional service as mainly a 'high school' facility for the immediate rural areas.

Ricker has had many benefactors who have aided the school in times of need, but it has never been the recipient of really large contributions. Thus, while constantly growing since 1948, the school has never been in the position of having available a substantial endowment fund. This lack, however, has not stopped the school from attaining it's goal to provide better quality education at a lower cost to the students than is available at most institutions of similar size.