PATTERSON HALL
Residential Building
Patterson Hall was built in 1958 and housed 127 cadets. The total cost of the building was $410,000. As in the case of Ransom and Goodyear Halls before it, money for construction was obtained on a loan basis from the federal government.
The building was named after Harry W. Patterson, a 1909 graduate of Norwich University in Civil Engineering and a trustee. Mr. Patterson provided considerable funds to his alma mater, which were spent on faculty housing, electrical engineering equipment, and equipment for Harmon Hall. In addition, he took a special interest in insuring that faculty obtained housing at reasonable rates and also provided funds for faculty to take leaves of absence to pursue graduate work and research.
Today, Patterson Hall is one of three dormitories used solely for civilian student housing.
WHITE MEMORIAL CHAPEL
(Formerly White Hall)
Made possible by a gift from Eugene L. White, a Norwich alumnus and trustee, the building bearing his name was completed in 1941. Originally designed as a multi-purpose building, White Hall served as a mess hall with a dining room, lunch room, kitchen, a college store, and a recreational room.
White
Hall was converted to Norwich's first chapel after Harmon Hall was
opened as a dining center in 1955. This was accomplished at a cost
of $144,000, which was met entirely by donations and gifts. The
raftered ceiling and arched windows of the original building made
the alteration possible without too many redesigns, although space
had to be added for the altar, pipe organ, and choir. Some other
additions included the steeple clock, brass altar service, chimes,
and a silver communion. There are two bronze plaques on the walls
that honor the Norwich war dead. The Norwich Museum is housed on
the lower floor.
Services
regularly held include Catholic Mass on Saturday and Sunday, Protestant
Worship on Sunday, and Islamic Prayers (held on the lower floor)
on Friday.
Eugene White obtained the Bachelor of Science degree in 1914 and the Civil Engineering degree in 1915. He served as a Captain of Infantry during World War I and returned to manage and lead several utilities in New York, New Jersey, and Vermont. Honorary degrees conferred upon him by Norwich included a Master of Science degree in 1937 and a Doctor of Law degree in 1946. He remained a Norwich trustee from 1932 to 1944 and then again from 1949 until his death in 1951.
Residential
Building
The cornerstone for Hawkins Hall was laid during Commencement Week in 1940. This building, housing 134 cadets, was named after General Rush Hawkins, a benefactor of the University. Hawkins was renovated in 1994.
In 1921, General Hawkins had bequeathed part of his estate to Norwich, an amount of almost $350,000. General Hawkins was a Colonel of the 9th New York Infantry during the Civil War. He was also an officer of the Legion of Honor of France. Brown University conferred an honorary Master of Arts degree upon him in 1874 and a Doctor of Laws degree was accorded to him by the University of Vermont in 1900. He served for a time as member of the New York House of Representatives and was known as a book collector and writer. Among his works included "Better Than Men" and "Titles of First Books from the Earliest Presses."
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Source: Guinn, Robert Darius, The History of Norwich University, 1912-1965.