Pearce Hall 1964
1964 Pearce Hall
Pearce Hall is named for George Pearce. Pearce worked for Eastern from 1912 until 1947. He began as a custodian and retired as superintendent of buildings.
Construction of the novel circular silo building began in 1962 and Pearce Hall was opened as a men's dormitory January 1964.
1962-09-21: Construction of the first stage of the 13 story circular men's dormitory is underway.
1964-01-03: Men's Hall Opening Set This Quarter. Eastern Washington State College's new men's residence hall, a 12-story round tower-type building for 440 men students, will be open when students return to the Cheney campus for winter quarter.
Dr. Daryl Hagie, EWSC dean of students, said 279 students now residing in Hudson and Gary halls, will be housed in the new building starting Thursday.
Newly admitted men students and transfers from other EWSC men's residence, Sutton Hall, bring to 336 the number of students already assigned to the new building, Dr. Hagie said.
The new residence hall is expected to be almost filled by the time winter quarter classes start Monday.
Residents of the hall will be without window drapes for a short time, Dr. Hagie said, and there will be no furniture in the lounge for sveral weeks, but otherwise the building is almost totally finished.
Both Hudson and Gary halls will be closed with the exception of a few married students' apartments in each building. These will continue in use through summer quarter. Present plans are to demolish both halls before the start of classes late in September, 1964. Both buildings are World War II surplus structures.
The new residence hall will be nameless, at least for three months, Dr. Hagie said. The EWSC board of trustees delayed naming the new hall for three months at a meeting earlier this month. At that time, a petition, signed by 1,600 EWSC students asking that the hall be named "John Fitzgerald Kenned Hall," was presented.
Director of the new hall will be Charles G. Logan, Twisp, Washington, an WESC graduate student.
1964-03-20: Pearce Hall Most Likely Name for New Dormitory.
A name for Eastern Washington State College's new 12-story round tower type dormitory for men will be considered by the college board of trustees in a meeting in Spokane this evening.
The board, meeting at the Spokane Club at 7:30, will also consider names for eight other buildings now being planned. All are part of a $7.5 million building program on which architects are now drawing plans.
Included are a new library, a new women's residence hall, a new industrial arts building, and a creative arts complex of five buildings - music, art, drama, speech and hearing therapy clinic, and a radio-television structure.
The new residence hall for men was occupied early in January with the opening of the winter quarter. Action on naming it was postponed in December for three months by the EWSC trustees. At that time, a petition signed by 1,700 EWSC students asked that the hall be named "John Fitzgerald Kennedy Hall" after the late president.
A the Friday meeting, residents of the hall are scheduled to present the results of a vote for a name. It was reported the name most favored was Pearce Hall, referring to the late George H. "Doc" Pearce, who spent 34 years at Eastern from 1912 until his retirement in 1947. He was superintendent of buildings from 1920 until his retirement.
The name least-liked for the new residence was said to be Savage Hall.
Other proposals for action by the board will be promotion in rank of some faculty members and retirement of some others, and action on acceptance of Tawanka Commons, the 1.3 million food service center scheduled to be opened with the start of spring quarter, March 30.
1964-04-24: New Dorm May Finally Get Name
Final action on the naming of the newly completed Eastern Washington State College 12-story round tower men's residence hall and of four other planned buildings is expected to be taken by the college's board of trustees Friday evening.
The board, meeting at the Spokane Club, has under consideration the names Pearce Hall, in honor of the late George H. Pearce, long-time director of buildings and grounds at the college, and Eastern Washington Tower.
Naming of four planned buildings, proposed at last month's meeting, but postponed until Friday is also expected.
John F. Kennedy Memorial Library was the proposed name of the planned new $2.2 million library.
A new industrial arts building, to cost approximately $305,000, may be named with E.L. Dales Hall or James S. Lane Hall. Dales was long-time head of the EWSC industrial arts department; Lane was a member of the department for many years. Both are now retired.
Only one name was proposed for each of two other buildings. The $3.7 million creative arts center, to house the departments of music, art, speech, drama, radio and television, has the tentative name Creative Arts Center.
A new women's 12-story residence hall, on which construction may be started this summer, may be named Cecil Dryden Hall, after Miss Cecil Dryden, retired associate professor of history emeritus and a noted Northwest historian and author.
Architects for each of the new buildings are scheduled to appear before the board for approval of plans.
Pearce Hall is named for George H. Pearce. "Doc" Pearce worked for Eastern from 1912 until 1947. He began as a custodian and retired as superintendent of buildings. His real fame at Eastern was as a friend to students and its number one athletic booster. Pearce earned the affectionate name of Doc, because he taught students the tricks of living and of finding a soul mate, not something part of the formal curriculum, but was called Fussology by students. He was a mentor to many on campus. Doc was so well loved by students that they voted to name the new men's dormitory, completed in 1964, in his honor.