HISTORY BUFF

For those of you who are new to campus or just don’t know the stories—and the characters—behind our storied buildings.

Glenn Kendall Hall

What is now the administration building was erected in 1929 on the site of the Normal School building, which burned down in a spectacular fashion in 1927. The fire destroyed all the student records and the college’s library collection. The Normal School building cornerstone was incorporated into the new structure, designed in the Romanesque style by Chester Cole to match Laxson Auditorium and Trinity Hall. The building originally housed classrooms and offices.

The administration building was renamed in 1979 in honor of President Glenn Kendall, who served the University from 1950 to 1966. Kendall’s term was characterized by a growing Chico State College—from 1,540 students to nearly 6,000, from 78 faculty to 305, and a dozen new buildings—and by the social issues of the time—fluctuating enrollment during the Korean War, free speech issues, civil rights activism, war protests, and the formation of the State Faculty Senate.

The CSU, Chico of today is due in no small part to Kendall’s influence. He oversaw the development of the agriculture, social welfare, engineering, and nursing programs.

Kendall was also devoted to Chico State’s role as a regional college. The first thing he did as a new president was drive all over Northern California, talking with citizens, government officials, community leaders, business owners, and others about what they expected, wanted, and needed from the college. To this end, Kendall also brought back the University Advisory Board.

Kendall died in 2003 in Chico at the age of 101.

—Anna Harris, Public Affairs and Publications