History

The W. M. and Lucy Bratton Memorial Bell Tower is named for W.M. (Walter Marvin) Bratton (1878-1956) and Lucy Blackwood Bratton (1891-1963). W.M. Bratton served as 14^th president of Reinhardt College from 1927 until 1944. Lucy B. Bratton headed the music department and directed the glee club.

W.M. Bratton

In the early 1990s, the classes of 1934-1938 collaborated on a fundraising campaign to honor the Brattons. Glenn (RU-1936) and Marjorie (RU-1937) Hubbard co-chaired a committee whose members wrote letters and called friends to raise money for the cause. More than $200,000 was raised to build the bell tower and establish the William M. Bratton Scholarship Endowment. The Bratton Bell Tower is a part of a memorial dedicated to Dr. and Mrs. Bratton, which was dedicated on August 15, 1985. The college bell that originally hung near Mary Stuart Whitam Administration Building 1912-1950 (now replaced by the Martha S. & James R. Burgess, Jr. Administration Building) and replicas of the columns given to the college by the class of 1934 along with the Bell Tower comprise the memorial.

The W. M. and Lucy Bratton Memorial Bell Tower was manufactured by the vanBergen Bell Company, an 18th-century Dutch bell foundry that began in 1795 in the Netherlands and later came to the U.S. (The company is a part of the Verdin Company of South Carolina). A similar bell tower was erected in honor of legendary country music singer, Patsy Cline, at her gravesite in the Shenandoah Memorial Park in Winchester, Virginia.

Bratton Memorial Bell Tower

Occasionally, the Bratton Memorial Bell Tower has been referred to as a carillon; it is not. A carillon is a pitched percussion instrument and has at least 23 bells. At Reinhardt, the Bratton Memorial Bell Tower rings daily to mark the hour, during the annual memorial service honoring community members who have passed away in the prior year, and for emergency notifications.

A native of Tennessee, W.M. Bratton earned a degree at Peabody College and did post-graduate work at Columbia University. Sources differ on his date of birth – various records say 1876, 1882, or 1884; however, his death certificate lists the 1878 date. His first name also causes confusion. All Reinhardt documentation during his presidency – catalogs, correspondence, newspapers – refer to him only as W.M. Bratton. In his 1969 book History of Reinhardt College, Bowling C. Yates refers to him as William Marvin Bratton. However, the 1898 Peabody College catalog, his marriage announcement, and his death certificate all name him as Walter Marvin Bratton. He was married to the former Lucy Blackwood and they had three daughters.

During Bratton’s seventeen-year tenure as Reinhardt’s president, the college took steps towards improvement and modernization. New physical facilities built during these years included a gymnasium, two dormitories – Cherokee Hall and Paul W. Jones Hall, new barns, and a canning plant. Georgia Power extended electricity to Waleska and the campus in 1929 and a new water system was installed in 1936. In 1942, the highway from Canton was paved to the Waleska city limits. Also, the state of Georgia recognized Reinhardt as a junior college and was approved as a teacher training institution.

Chester Thurman Tarpley (1892-1984) was a local farmer and a carpenter. In 1914, he married Louise L. Ledford (1891-1955). They had four children: Carl, Fred, Merle, and Cora Belle. Chester helped build some of the buildings on Reinhardt’s campus, and by doing so earned a Reinhardt education for his children. Eight members of Chester’s and Louise’s direct descendants attended Reinhardt. All went on to touch countless lives as nurses, teachers, and in other giving professions.

Mozelle and Fred Tarpley

Chester and Louise Tarpley’s son Fred and his wife, Mozelle Bates Tarpley, both graduated from Reinhardt in 1940. Fred and Mozelle moved to Dalton in 1946 and were long-time members of the First United Methodist Church. Fred Harold Tarpley (1921-2003) worked for 40 years in the banking industry. Mozelle Tarpley (1921-2013) was a teacher for many years in Murray County and Dalton Public Schools. Both cherished their time at Reinhardt and knew the importance of education.

Fred and Mozelle Tarpley’s significant generosity provided many wonderful opportunities for Reinhardt’s students and faculty over the years. In their honor, two spaces have been named. The Fred H. and Mozelle Bates Tarpley Education Center, dedicated on May 22, 2001, houses faculty offices, study spaces, and numerous classrooms. A breezeway that serves as a lounge for students and faculty alike connects the Tarpley Education Center to the George M. Lawson Academic Center. When Mozelle passed away, she left a significant bequest to Reinhardt. The University named the University Theatre’s vestibule in her honor in 2018.

Fred’s sister, Cora Belle Tarpley Holcombe (RU-1951, 1929-2000), is also honored on Reinhardt’s campus. In 2023, a bell was donated by Reinhardt University nurse Gwen Chambers (RU-1984) and her sisters, Dr. Sharon Pappas and Gina Mitchell (RU-1978), in honor of their mother, and Fred’s sister. As a local educator, Cora Belle Tarpley Holcombe served Ball Ground, Clayton, and R.M. Moore Elementary Schools for over three decades. According to Chambers, “She modeled Reinhardt’s mission to ‘educate the whole person with challenge and care.’”

Fred H. and Mozelle Bates Tarpley Education Center

The bell represents the members of the Tarpley family who have dedicated their lives to improving the well-being of children and their families. Located at the entrance of the Tarpley Education Center, the bell rang for the first time at a dedication ceremony on November 10, 2023. Students ring the bell at the beginning and end of their educational journey at Reinhardt.

2023- A strategic plan titled Widening the Fields of Endeavor: Advancing the Vision defines a clear direction for the future of Reinhardt University.

2022- On Friday, February 25, Mark A. Roberts, Ph.D., was inaugurated as the 21^st president of Reinhardt University.

2019 – Through the new Master of Science in Sport Administration and Leadership, Reinhardt became the first private institution in Georgia to enroll students in a 100 percent online sport-based master’s degree program. The nursing program earned accreditation through the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). Received a nearly $1 million Noyce grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for providing enhanced science and math education to students seeking to be high school teachers. Dr. Ken Wheeler and six of his students won best article in “Georgia Historical Quarterly” and received the 2019 John C. Insco Award. Dr. Donna Coffey Little won a Humanities Research for the Public Good Grant from the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC).

2018 – Established the Cauble School of Nursing in Health Sciences, with a gift from Dr. John Cauble and Sally Forrest. Established the Center for Innovative Teaching and Engaged Learning (CITEL) with a $1.25 million grant from the Goizueta Foundation. Recorded the highest fall enrollment in Reinhardt history of 1,566. Inaugural class inducted into the Cauble School of Nursing in Health Sciences. Fraternity and sorority life added to student involvement. Dedicated the Townsend Bridge which was donated by Dr. Austin Flint. Reinhardt Chamber Singers invited to sing at the Vatican in Italy. Cobb Hall is demolished to create green space on campus. Construction is completed on Eagles View residence hall, Gordy Dining Center expansion and Black Box University Theatre. Reynolds Wayside Chapel added to the campus, donated by Reinhardt architect Garland Reynolds. Dedicated Simms Garden, in honor of Steve and Nancy Simms of the Gordy family. Reinhardt certified through National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (SARA) to educate online students nationwide. Ranked 25th in U.S. News and World Report, an increase of 20 spots since 2016. Men’s Lacrosse won third National Championship. Added men’s volleyball to start in 2019-20. Conferred the first 12 MFA degrees in Creative Writing. Approved the addition of a Master of Science in Sport Administration and Leadership. SACSCOC reaffirms Reinhardt University’s accreditation.

2017 – Dr. Mark A. Roberts installed as Reinhardt’s 1^st provost. Highest enrollment in history of 1,508 in fall 2017. Received $1 million gift from Austin and Bea Flint in support of a new endowed scholarship for music students. Falany Performing Arts Center concert hall named “Flint Hall”. Hill Freeman Library renovated with $1 million in support from the Cherokee County Commission. Received funding from a USDA loan for a $24 million construction project including a 300-seat black box theater, Eagle View residence hall, and expansion of the Gordy Dining Center. Launched the BSN housed at the Appalachian campus of Chattahoochee Technical College in Jasper, GA. Launched A Day for Reinhardt in Pickens County to provide scholarships for students in Pickens County. Launched Reinhardt Women’s Leadership Program. Completed a SACSCOC substantive compliance certification for reaffirmation of accreditation including a quality enhancement plan named Where in the World RU Going with a focus on high impact practices.

2016 – Dr. Kina S. Mallard is inaugurated as Reinhardt’s 20th president. Highest enrollment in history of 1,484 in fall 2016, representing a nearly 30% growth since 2011. University breaks ground on Theatre Building. Men’s and women’s bowling and men’s wrestling added. Blue Gym renovated into a wrestling facility for practice and matches. New programs include a successful Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, which began in the summer of 2016 with a low-residency component. The online Bachelor of Business Administration also was launched successfully.

2014 – Men’s and women’s track and field are added. New athletic indoor practice facility built adjacent to the Field House. A new stage arts annex is also being discussed.

2013 – Master of Public Administration launches. Adds marching band. Football begins intercollegiate competition and finishes 6-4 and on top of the Mid-South Conference West Division. Dedicates new Science Center, and Blue and Gold Halls open as part of the Hubbard Hall Residential Complex. School of Music changes to School of Performing Arts, the only one of its kind in Georgia, and the theatre program moves to the renamed school.

2012 – Hubbard Residence Hall, turf field, field house and Ken White Music Center open fall 2012. MBA offered at new off campus site in downtown Woodstock, Ga. Online degree completion programs in criminal justice and healthcare administration added. Football players begin practice. Construction begins on new Science Center. Monument sign at corner of Highways 108 and 140 replaced. Plans finalized for two new residence halls to be part of the Hubbard Hall complex.

2011 – Approves the addition of football to begin practice in 2012 and competition in 2013.  Adopts plans to build a field house, turf football field and residence hall. Adds baccalaureate program in political science.

2010 – Becomes Reinhardt University on June 1. Adds women’s lacrosse. Master of Education in Elementary Education and Master of Education in Special Education approved to start in 2012. Adds baccalaureate program in theatre studies. Lights were added to the Ken White Athletic Fields.

2009 – Holds first Convocation of Artists and Scholars. Adds associate degrees in criminal justice and a Public Safety Institute. Intercollegiate athletic teams switch to the Appalachian Athletic Conference and add men’s lacrosse. Launches math secondary education program.  Offers selected programs in Cartersville.  Adds Master of Arts in Teaching in Early Education.

2008 – Celebrates 125th anniversary and concludes an $18.7 million capital campaign. SACS reaffirms Reinhardt’s undergraduate accreditation and, later in the year, accredits Reinhardt as a level III-graduate institution. Adds new programs in World Languages and Cultures, criminal justice, and professional communication leadership.

2007 – SACS approved first graduate program – Master of Business Administration. Hasty Student Life Center completed.  Women’s golf added. First endowed faculty chair, the William W. Fincher, Jr. Chair of the Visual Arts, was funded. Baccalaureate programs in math and digital art and graphic design, and concentration in special education, added.

2006 – Ground broken for Hasty Student Life Center. New baccalaureate programs in biology, English and music education approved. Capital Campaign goal raised to $17 million. Recruiting begins for women’s golf team. Record number of new students welcomed to campus.

2005 – Added public relations and advertising; marketing; media, culture and society; and public safety leadership, thus bringing the number of degree programs to 33. The $15 million Capital Campaign announced.

2004 – Apartment-style residence halls open at capacity.  Baseball and fast-pitch softball added.

2003 – Added women’s volleyball. Dedicated the renovated and expanded James & Sis Brown Athletic Center and the Jim & Syble Boring Sports Complex and the expanded and renamed Hill Freeman Library and Spruill Learning Center.

2002 – The Floyd A. and Fay W. Falany Performing Arts Center, which included the relocated McCamish Media Arts Center, opens. Added baccalaureate programs in English, history, music, religion, as well as a management concentration.Dr. J. Thomas Isherwood was inaugurated as Reinhardt’s 19th President.

2001 – Student programming expands to include outdoor program. Dedicated the Fred H. and Mozelle Bates Tarpley Education Center, the George M. McClure Water Treatment Plant and the renovated Varsity Room.Dr. Charles E. Glassick was appointed as Reinhardt’s interim president.

2000 – Added sociology, sports information and communications. North Fulton Center moves to Alpharetta, Ga. Women’s soccer added. Cartersville Center closed.

1999 – Added baccalaureate programs in art and psychology, as well as accounting and information systems concentrations. Began athletic competition against other four-year schools and added tennis and cross country.  Opened the F. James and Florrie G. Funk Heritage Center. Launched institutional and athletic logos.Dr. William A. Nevious was inaugurated as Reinhardt’s 18th president.

1998 – College switches to semesters. Baccalaureate program in education begins. $20 million Capital Campaign concludes and raises $30.5 million. William W. Fincher Jr. and Eunice L. Fincher Visual Arts Center built.

1997 – Baccalaureate programs in biology, communication and liberal studies added. Dobbs Science Building renovated. Cartersville Center opened.

1996 – Norman W. Paschall Plaza completed. Chatsworth Center closes. Dr. Newt Gingrich, who began co-teaching a Reinhardt history course in 1994, is named U.S. Speaker of the House.

1995 – North Fulton Center moves to Roswell Mall.

1994 – First two bachelor’s degrees awarded in business, and Reinhardt is accredited as a baccalaureate institution.

1993 – George M. Lawson Academic Center and McCamish Broadcast Center open.

1992 – Baccalaureate program in business administration began. Innovative campus-wide computer/video/phone network installed.

1991 – Evelyn Gordy Hospitality House moved from Atlanta to Campus. Intercollegiate soccer added.

1989 – Herbert I. and Lilla W. Gordy Hall completed. (Was named in 1994.)

1988 – Joseph Baxter Recreation Center built. First A Day for Reinhardt raises scholarship funds for local students.

1987 – Hagan Chapel (Waleska United Methodist Church) built. North Fulton Center opened in Roswell.

1986 – Bratton Carillon Tower built.

1985 – W. Frank and Evelyn J. Gordy Center opens.

1984 – Dr. Floyd A. Falany was inaugurated as Reinhardt’s 17th president.

1983 – Women’s basketball and softball added. Centennial Celebration held.

1982 – Brown Athletic Center built. Intercollegiate men’s basketball reinstated. The Eagle was selected as the College’s official mascot

1980 – Lake Mullenix built.

1977 – Hal B. Wansley President’s Home built.

1975 – Chatsworth Center opens.

1973 – Dr. Allen O. Jernigan was inaugurated as Reinhardt’s 16th president.

1969 – Hill Freeman Library, Cobb Hall and Roberts Hall built.

1957 – Student government association founded.

1956 – High school grades transfer to Cherokee High School.  Honors Day Program was inaugurated.

1951 – Burgess Administration Building completed.

1949 – U.S. Vice President Alben Barkley comes to “Soil Conservation Day.” In one day, 1,000 U.S. veterans and volunteers made almost $100,000 in improvements.

1944 – Dr. James Rowland Burgess, Jr.  was inaugurated as Reinhardt’s 15th President.

1942 – Road paved from Canton to just east of Waleska.

In the early 1900s, additional farmland was purchased by the College to bring its total acreage to approximately 500. The farm furnished employment for students working their way through school and produced a large portion of the food needed in the dining hall. A herd of dairy cattle was obtained in 1929 and, in 1940, a canning plant was installed on campus to preserve summer’s surplus of fruits and vegetables for winter.

1939 – Paul Jones Hall built.

1929 – Electricity from Georgia Power comes to Reinhardt. Stock and dairy barns built. Students often work on the College farm to pay their way.

1927 – Reinhardt is accredited as a junior college.Professor William M. Bratton was inaugurated as Reinhardt’s 14th President.

1926 – Samuel C. Dobbs Science Center built.

1925 – Public school system assumes responsibility for the grammar school, but the classes continue to meet on the Reinhardt campus until 1948.

1924 – The first issue of The Hiltonian, the student newspaper, was published in May.

1922 – Professor Ramsey Colquitt Sharp was inaugurated as Reinhardt’s 13th President.

1917 – Professor E.P. Clark was inaugurated as Reinhardt’s 11th President.

1918 – The Rev. Thomas M. Sullivan was inaugurated as Reinhardt’s 12th President.

1916 – Campus power plant built.

1914 – Enrollment has grown to 340 pupils; 51 were in college classes.

1912 – Water system installed.

1911 – Reinhardt becomes a college.

1906 – First car driven on Campus.

1904 – Telephone installed in Waleska at President’s Home.

1903 – First business class offered.

1901 – First loan fund, “the Field Loan Fund” was established to help “worthy boys and girls get an education regardless of their conditions and surroundings.”

Professor Ramsey Colquitt Sharp was inaugurated as Reinhardt’s 10th President.

1897 – Dr. Richard W. Rogers was inaugurated as Reinhardt’s ninth President.

1896 – The Reverend J.S. Embry was inaugurated as Reinhardt’s eighth President.

1895 – Professor E.A. Cole was inaugurated as Reinhardt’s seventh President.

1893 – Military companies were established.  Sham battles between the companies were staged in the spring, and female students played the parts of nurses, who would rush into the scene of battle to nobly administer treatment. One afternoon of each commencement was dedicated to these battles.  By 1897, military training was compulsory for boys.  Each military unit also had a baseball team, which was the chief sport at the school at the time.

1891 – Legislature of Georgia grants a charter which changes Reinhardt’s name to Reinhardt Normal College.  The property was valued at $5,000.

The Rev. C.E. Patillo was inaugurated as Reinhardt’s sixth President.

1890 – The Henry W. Grady Debating Club for boys and the Delphian Literary Society for girls were established by then Reinhardt President the Rev. C.E. Patillo.  In 1892, it divided into two societies, the Pierces and the Haygoods, after two famous Methodist bishops.  In the same year, two debating societies for girls were organized: the Phi Alphas and Phi Deltas.

The Rev. R.F. Eakes was inaugurated as Reinhardt’s fifth President.

1889 – Reinhardt buildings and grounds are deeded to the North Georgia Conference of the Methodist Church. The first Board of Trustees was appointed at Reinhardt in 1889. It consisted of A.M. Reinhardt, John J. A.Sharp, J. M. G. Heard, Joseph M. Sharp, Elias Alexander Fincher and the Rev. Wilbur Fisk Glenn.

1888 – The first class graduated in 1888 with four members: Fredonia Blanton (niece of A.M. Reinhardt), William Alonzo Covington and John J. A. Sharp’s niece and nephew Joseph A. and Lucy Sharp. These graduates turned out to be an extremely distinguished class: Blanton spent more than 40 years as a teacher at Reinhardt, Covington became a judge, Joseph Sharp became president of Young Harris College, and Lucy Sharp married Dr. R. M. Moore, a doctor and civic leader for whom the local elementary school is named. Early commencements were community events, lasting several days and including pageants and military drills.

The Rev. Hubert Smith was inaugurated as Reinhardt’s fourth President.

1887 – Enrollment totals almost 100 students.  Total monthly expenses for a boarding student was about $7. The College’s curriculum, designed to train teachers and preachers, focused on language, mathematics, science, history and religion.

The Rev. C.M. Ledbetter was inaugurated as Reinhardt’s third President.

1886 – The Rev. O.C. Simmons was inaugurated as Reinhardt’s second President.

1885 – First administration building built.  In the spring of that year a tornado blew down much of the timber around Waleska, and this lumber was used to build the new structure.

1884 – Reinhardt Academy opens in a cabinet shop owned by Mr. M.P. Hollen near the present campus in January, and classes meet there for a year. The school is named for Reinhardt’s father. The first pupils range from elementary to college ages.  Between 40 and 50 pupils enrolled in the first school.

1883 – Captain A. M. Reinhardt and his brother-in-law, Mr. John J.A. Sharp, ask the conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church South in Dalton, Georgia, to provide a teacher and preacher for the children of Cherokee County.  Reinhardt agreed to be personally responsible for the teacher’s salary.

The Rev. James T. Linn was inaugurated as Reinhardt’s first President.