On this date in 1930, the body of Vernon Squires, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, laid in state at the University of North Dakota.
The Grand Forks Herald reported, “Throngs passed by Dean Squires' bier in the new Liberal Arts building early this afternoon as he made his final sojourn in the educational edifice whose construction he fathered. They then took their places in the University Armory...”
The pallbearers included prominent men from town and gown. Governor George Schafer led over a dozen honorary pallbearers consisting of prominent professors and alumni. President Thomas Kane of UND and President Edward Robertson of the affiliated Wesley College officiated at the ceremony, assisted by Reverend Gamble of the First Baptist Church.
Two days earlier, President Kane said, “Dean Squires was a man of very highest character and of absolute sincerity, whose genuine interest in his students was never questioned... The dean was inclined to be a little severe, but this was simply because of his interest in having his students do the right thing.”
During the funeral, Kane remarked, “We cannot pay lasting tribute to Dean Squires today... His ideals and his loyalty to the University are his tribute – we could neither add nor detract if we would.”
All the more fitting considering the dean's own infighting against the president's agenda. President Robertson of Wesley College later wrote, “It has been suggested that the ordeal ... with the Board may have hastened the death of Dean Squires. Possibly it did. Every act of his in those days hastened him to his death.”
During the funeral, Robertson eulogized Dean Squires as “an example of one who had recognized in a fine way the divine claim of devoting life to public service. He recognized the stewardship of ability without being egotistical, the stewardship of occupation by his choice of the place of his life's work as his temple of worship.”
The Grand Forks Herald reported, “Following the rites in the Armory, the funeral procession proceeded down University avenue to Columbia road and then to Memorial Park cemetery, where interment was made with private services.”
The Liberal Arts Building where Dean Vernon Squires laid in state later became known as Merrifield Hall. Although Merrifield Hall underwent a thorough renovation in 2023, the shell of the original building still exists.
Dakota Datebook by Andrew Alexis Varvel
References:
- “STATE LEADERS JOIN HUNDREDS IN FINAL TRIBUTE TO SQUIRES”; Grand Forks Herald (evening edition); 18 August 1930; page 1, column 2; page 5, column 3.
- “STATE HONORS SQUIRES IN U FUNERAL RITES”; Grand Forks Herald; 19 August 1930; page 1, column 3; page 2, column 1.
- “STATE LEADERS JOIN HUNDREDS IN FINAL TRIBUTE TO SQUIRES”; Grand Forks Herald (evening edition); 18 August 1930; page 1, column 2; page 5, column 3.
- “Kane Pays High Tribute to Work Of Dean Squires”, Grand Forks Herald, 17 August 1930, page 3, column 2.
- “STATE HONORS SQUIRES IN U FUNERAL RITES: The Choir Sings.”; Grand Forks Herald; 19 August 1930; page 1, column 3; page 2, column 1.
- President Edward P. Robertson, “The Story of the Affiliation of Wesley College with the University of North Dakota” (Robertson Typescript), 16 February 1935, pages 67-69. Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections, Chester Fritz Library, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks.
- “STATE HONORS SQUIRES IN U FUNERAL RITES: State Officials Attend.”; Grand Forks Herald; 19 August 1930; page 1, column 3; page 2, column 1.
- https://blogs.und.edu/und-today/2023/03/sneak-peek-merrifield-halls-new-and-ada-compliant-grand-entrance/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyTBCTYO48w
