HARDWAY
ADMINISTRATION BUILDING
Historic Site
The Fairmont State Normal School moved from its Fairmont Avenue location to this, its new building, January 1917. FSNS construction had begun in 1915 with the cornerstone being laid October 11, 1915. The architect was Philadelphia’s influential Paul Armon Davis, III. As other buildings were constructed, this building became known as the Administration Building.
April 25, 1989, it was dedicated to Dr. Wendell G. Hardway, President (1973-1988). March 28, 1994, the Hardway Administration Building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior.
It qualified through its significant architecture and the fact that it was the site of three events of national historic importance. These events were the founding of Alpha Psi Omega (1925), the national collegiate drama honorary fraternity, Delta Psi Omega (1929), the junior college drama honorary fraternity, and the National Thespian Society (1929), the high school drama honorary society, all under the leadership of Dr. Paul F. Opp, FSNS Professor of English, Speech, and Drama. Dr. Joseph Rosier was FSNS president.
J. Walter Barnes
1922-23 student George H. Turley was elected the club’s first president. The students requested the employment of a dramatics teacher with Lawrence A. Wallman, student newspaper editor, the most vocal.
George H. Turley
Lawrence A. Wallman
Mt. Union College, M.A. Columbia University, had been employed as an English teacher and advisor to the Dramatics Club. The Dramatics Club, renamed the Masquers, elected Wallman president.
Paul F. Opp (1923-1964)
1924-25 the Masquers, wanting to reward the theatre work of students and to promote theatre education, applied for a charter to National Collegiate Players and Alpha Theta Phi, national collegiate drama honoraries. They were denied. Teacher training schools did not qualify.
Under the leadership of Opp, the Masquers created Alpha Psi Omega, their own national honorary. National faculty officers were established: E. Turner Stump, Marshall College (University), President; Russell Spiers, Colgate University, Vice-President; and Paul F. Opp, Secretary and editor of The Playbill. On August 12, 1925, at FSNS the Alpha Cast (Chapter) was chartered. Marshall College, next chartered, became the Beta Cast.
Opp served as Business Manager and editor of the DPO Playbill.
Earl Blank
Harry T. Leeper
Ernest Bavely
Opp, earning his doctorate, returned to Fairmont, re-establishing the APO and DPO national offices at FSNS. He continued as the Executive Secretary and editor of The Playbill until 1966.
1968 the Thespians became the International Thespian Society.
1989 the Educational Theatre Association, a “parent organization” to the International Thespian Society, was formed.
1990 Educational Theatre Association created the Junior Thespians for middle schools which now has over 222 Troupes. The High School Thespian, re-named Dramatics (1944) is accompanied by two additional publications: Educational Theatre and Teaching Theatre Journal. The headquarters are 2343 Auburn Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45219. (www.edta.org)
Auditorium (circa 1923) - Fairmont State Normal School Administration Building
2002 Alpha Psi Omega lists 640 Casts in every state in the USA, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, Canada and Egypt. Delta Psi Omega lists 350 Casts throughout the USA and its territories. The Playbill, serving both organizations, is considered the oldest continuous theatre publication. APO and DPO headquarters are at Wabash College, Crawfordsville, IN. (www.AlphaPsiOmega.org) James Fisher is the National Business Manager and The Playbill editor. The now International Thespian Society has over 3,200 Troupes with an aggregate membership of over 2 million.
Design: Robert Heffner, Jr.