Northwest Nazarene University Timeline

Classes began September 13, 1913 in the Mennonite church on the corner of 13th Avenue and 8th Street in Nampa, Idaho. It was called the Idaho Holiness School, later to be named Northwest Nazarene College.

The groundbreaking for the first building on what was to become the NNU campus took place in 1915.

H. Orton Wiley became the first president of NNC in 1916. John C. Riley characterized him as “a scholar, a writer, a preacher, a teacher, and an administrator with a touch that both fitted his time and gave the college its character.”

Harvard graduate Olive M. Winchester joined NNC’s Department of Hebrew and Bible Literature in 1917. She was referred to as “one of the foremost critical and exegetical scholars in the holiness movement.”

Thomas Mangum, M.D., and his wife, Emily, took charge of the Medical Missionary Department in 1918. Their course offerings included first aid, nursing, hygiene and surgery.

NNC founder Eugene Emerson was elected mayor of Nampa in 1923. His slogan was “post-election service is better than pre-election promises.”

26-year-old Russell V. DeLong accepted a faculty position at NNC in 1926 to teach philosophy and theology. By the end of the year he became Acting President after President J.G. Morrison resigned to accept a position as Executive Missionary Secretary for the General Church of the Nazarene.

Hattie E. Goodrich, head of the commercial department, led the nation in the Remington speed and accuracy test in 1930. She typed 73 words per minute for 15 minutes without error and was awarded a portable typewriter.

The administration building was restructured in the summer of 1931. A second story and auditorium were added. Some of the work was done by students, including the manufacturing of over 100,000 bricks.

R. Eugene Gilmore was inaugurated as NNC’s 4th president in 1932.

United States senator William E. Borah spoke to an audience in the new NNC auditorium on October 25, 1932. He spoke on economic issues, including his plan to cancel allied war debts in exchange for reduced armaments.

Russel V. Delong returned as NNU’s 5th president in 1935.

The Northwest Association of Secondary and Higher Schools voted full accreditation to NNC as a four-year institution on April 7, 1937.

On the day that the United States declared war on Japan, President DeLong expressed confidence in the leadership of President Roosevelt and reminded the student body that staying in college would prepare them for leadership after the war.

L.T. Corlett was inaugurated as NNC’s 6th president in 1942.

The Civil Aeronautics Authority established a Ground School at NNC in 1942 and offered studies in aviation for noncombat pilots.

Thelma B. Culver became Academic Dean in 1946. She was the first woman to earn a Doctorate in Education from the University of Colorado.

President Corlett taught a course for seniors in 1948 designed to help them make the transition after graduation from college into everyday life.

History professor Francis Sutherland resigned to return to China as requested by the Nazarene Missionary Board in 1949. However, he was forced to postpone the assignment when the Communist movement took over China.

Alumnus Byron Lee, army chaplain, died by enemy fire in the Korean War in 1950. Professor Sutherland wrote: “we cannot know the full story of the comfort and help his presence there may have brought to the boys facing the agonizing situation of the battle line.” The NNC athletic complex was later dedicated in his memory.

John E. Riley became NNC’s 7th president in 1952.

The National Science Foundation granted NNC $37,000 to develop the mass spectrometer in 1961.

Idaho Governor Robert E. Smylie spoke at convocation in 1963. He was quoted as saying “Idaho needs you and your college. Your vision and spirituality help lead us through the labyrinth of problems which often defy logic.”

Kenneth H. Pearsall was inaugurated as NNC’s 8th president in 1973.

150 educators from southwest Idaho surprised Dean Emerita Thelma B. Culver by honoring her for her contribution to education in 1974.

Oxford Hall was renamed Sutherland Hall in 1978 in remembrance of Francis Sutherland.

Senator Frank Church addressed the student body at convocation in 1979. The students applauded his statement that he did not favor extending the draft for military service.

NNC’s social work program received full accreditation by the Council on Social Work in 1979 through the effort of Professor Ben Sherrill, head of the department. NNC was the first liberal arts college in the Northwest to have an accredited program.

Many students who chose to enroll in 1981 cited Bruce Webb, Director of Admissions, as the “deciding factor.” That year he sent out almost 5,000 handwritten letters and postcards.