From an article by Jim Blount, Hamilton Journal-News:
"Unquestionably, the most enduring legacy of Wallace Roudebush is the beautiful campus of Miami University," said Chris Maraschiello in his biography of the dedicated man who had much to do with establishing the institution's positive image.
"Wallace P. Roudebush: Spirit of the Institution" was published last year by the Miami University Alumni Association. The book is based on a 1991 master thesis by Maraschiello, now a social studies teacher at Wilson Jr. High School in Hamilton.
Roudebush's 45-year Miami career spanned the Great Depression, two world wars and introduction of the GI Bill, a federal program for World War II veterans which had a tremendous impact on the university. He served four presidents: Raymond M. Hughes, 1911-1927; Alfred H. Upham, 1928-1945; Ernest H. Hahne, 1946-1952; and John D. Millett, 1953-1956.
Roudebush was born April 15, 1890, at Owensville in Clermont County. In 1904 his parents moved to a farm on Brown Road outside Oxford, about a mile from campus. After a year of high school in Oxford, he entered Miami's preparatory department, or academy, in September 1905.
He was graduated from the university in 1911 with plans to sell insurance until appointed secretary to President Hughes. At $75 a month, his first tasks were buying furniture and equipment for dormitories and directing student activities.
Meanwhile, in 1912, he married Dorothy Thompson. In 1925 the family, including two sons and a daughter, moved into a Miami landmark, the former William Holmes McGuffey house on Spring Street.
Maraschiello said "since the time Roudebush first assumed responsibility for buildings and grounds, considerable effort has been made and continues to be made to maintain Miami's attractive, well-kept buildings of modified Georgian architecture and spacious grounds of lawns, trees, shrubs and flowers."
Starting in the 1930s, Roudebush teamed with Charles F. Cellarius, a Cincinnati architect, who shared a love of Georgian architecture.
Preserving the Miami look wasn't accomplished by maintaining the status quo. Roudebush directed a steady increase in campus land and buildings.
"The subsequent growth and development of Miami University would not have been possible without the expansion of its land holdings," a plan which the author said reflected the foresight of Hughes and Roudebush.
But Roudebush -- who saw enrollment jump from 700 in 1911 to more than 5,000 by 1956 -- was more than a visionary. Maraschiello said it was his "careful management of finances that helped make each addition to the campus possible."
His management and financial skills weren't as visible as his influence on campus appearance. "Through the years," Maraschiello said, "his interest in financial aid and employment for students would never waver, and he would be instrumental in both building a program of scholarships and work-study, as well as keeping tuition as low as possible."
Roudebush was a leader in 1939 in creating the Inter-University Council (IUC), which Maraschiello said "contributed greatly to better understanding and cooperation among the state institutions of Ohio." He was its secretary from 1941 to 1955.
His Miami and IUC duties placed him in constant contact with state legislators, who called him "Mr. Honest" because of his integrity.
Maraschiello said "with no interstate highways, it was a three-hour drive to Columbus for meetings" of the IUC or with state legislators. "Yet Roudebush made the trip at least three days a week," often starting at 4 a.m.
He still had time for other matters. For example, Roudebush teamed with Morris Taylor of Hamilton and Professor Robert Hefner of Oxford in promoting establishment of Hueston Woods State Park.
A new university administration building was near completion when Roudebush died April 14, 1956, in Mercy Hospital in Hamilton. The new structure became Wallace P. Roudebush Hall, despite his request that "no building be named after me."
"Unquestionably, the most enduring legacy of Wallace Roudebush is the beautiful campus of Miami University," said Chris Maraschiello in his biography of the dedicated man who had much to do with establishing the institution's positive image.
"Wallace P. Roudebush: Spirit of the Institution" was published last year by the Miami University Alumni Association. The book is based on a 1991 master thesis by Maraschiello, now a social studies teacher at Wilson Jr. High School in Hamilton.
Roudebush's 45-year Miami career spanned the Great Depression, two world wars and introduction of the GI Bill, a federal program for World War II veterans which had a tremendous impact on the university. He served four presidents: Raymond M. Hughes, 1911-1927; Alfred H. Upham, 1928-1945; Ernest H. Hahne, 1946-1952; and John D. Millett, 1953-1956.
Roudebush was born April 15, 1890, at Owensville in Clermont County. In 1904 his parents moved to a farm on Brown Road outside Oxford, about a mile from campus. After a year of high school in Oxford, he entered Miami's preparatory department, or academy, in September 1905.
He was graduated from the university in 1911 with plans to sell insurance until appointed secretary to President Hughes. At $75 a month, his first tasks were buying furniture and equipment for dormitories and directing student activities.
Meanwhile, in 1912, he married Dorothy Thompson. In 1925 the family, including two sons and a daughter, moved into a Miami landmark, the former William Holmes McGuffey house on Spring Street.
Maraschiello said "since the time Roudebush first assumed responsibility for buildings and grounds, considerable effort has been made and continues to be made to maintain Miami's attractive, well-kept buildings of modified Georgian architecture and spacious grounds of lawns, trees, shrubs and flowers."
Starting in the 1930s, Roudebush teamed with Charles F. Cellarius, a Cincinnati architect, who shared a love of Georgian architecture.
Preserving the Miami look wasn't accomplished by maintaining the status quo. Roudebush directed a steady increase in campus land and buildings.
"The subsequent growth and development of Miami University would not have been possible without the expansion of its land holdings," a plan which the author said reflected the foresight of Hughes and Roudebush.
But Roudebush -- who saw enrollment jump from 700 in 1911 to more than 5,000 by 1956 -- was more than a visionary. Maraschiello said it was his "careful management of finances that helped make each addition to the campus possible."
His management and financial skills weren't as visible as his influence on campus appearance. "Through the years," Maraschiello said, "his interest in financial aid and employment for students would never waver, and he would be instrumental in both building a program of scholarships and work-study, as well as keeping tuition as low as possible."
Roudebush was a leader in 1939 in creating the Inter-University Council (IUC), which Maraschiello said "contributed greatly to better understanding and cooperation among the state institutions of Ohio." He was its secretary from 1941 to 1955.
His Miami and IUC duties placed him in constant contact with state legislators, who called him "Mr. Honest" because of his integrity.
Maraschiello said "with no interstate highways, it was a three-hour drive to Columbus for meetings" of the IUC or with state legislators. "Yet Roudebush made the trip at least three days a week," often starting at 4 a.m.
He still had time for other matters. For example, Roudebush teamed with Morris Taylor of Hamilton and Professor Robert Hefner of Oxford in promoting establishment of Hueston Woods State Park.
A new university administration building was near completion when Roudebush died April 14, 1956, in Mercy Hospital in Hamilton. The new structure became Wallace P. Roudebush Hall, despite his request that "no building be named after me."
From an article by Jim Blount, Hamilton Journal-News:
"Unquestionably, the most enduring legacy of Wallace Roudebush is the beautiful campus of Miami University," said Chris Maraschiello in his biography of the dedicated man who had much to do with establishing the institution's positive image.
"Wallace P. Roudebush: Spirit of the Institution" was published last year by the Miami University Alumni Association. The book is based on a 1991 master thesis by Maraschiello, now a social studies teacher at Wilson Jr. High School in Hamilton.
Roudebush's 45-year Miami career spanned the Great Depression, two world wars and introduction of the GI Bill, a federal program for World War II veterans which had a tremendous impact on the university. He served four presidents: Raymond M. Hughes, 1911-1927; Alfred H. Upham, 1928-1945; Ernest H. Hahne, 1946-1952; and John D. Millett, 1953-1956.
Roudebush was born April 15, 1890, at Owensville in Clermont County. In 1904 his parents moved to a farm on Brown Road outside Oxford, about a mile from campus. After a year of high school in Oxford, he entered Miami's preparatory department, or academy, in September 1905.
He was graduated from the university in 1911 with plans to sell insurance until appointed secretary to President Hughes. At $75 a month, his first tasks were buying furniture and equipment for dormitories and directing student activities.
Meanwhile, in 1912, he married Dorothy Thompson. In 1925 the family, including two sons and a daughter, moved into a Miami landmark, the former William Holmes McGuffey house on Spring Street.
Maraschiello said "since the time Roudebush first assumed responsibility for buildings and grounds, considerable effort has been made and continues to be made to maintain Miami's attractive, well-kept buildings of modified Georgian architecture and spacious grounds of lawns, trees, shrubs and flowers."
Starting in the 1930s, Roudebush teamed with Charles F. Cellarius, a Cincinnati architect, who shared a love of Georgian architecture.
Preserving the Miami look wasn't accomplished by maintaining the status quo. Roudebush directed a steady increase in campus land and buildings.
"The subsequent growth and development of Miami University would not have been possible without the expansion of its land holdings," a plan which the author said reflected the foresight of Hughes and Roudebush.
But Roudebush -- who saw enrollment jump from 700 in 1911 to more than 5,000 by 1956 -- was more than a visionary. Maraschiello said it was his "careful management of finances that helped make each addition to the campus possible."
His management and financial skills weren't as visible as his influence on campus appearance. "Through the years," Maraschiello said, "his interest in financial aid and employment for students would never waver, and he would be instrumental in both building a program of scholarships and work-study, as well as keeping tuition as low as possible."
Roudebush was a leader in 1939 in creating the Inter-University Council (IUC), which Maraschiello said "contributed greatly to better understanding and cooperation among the state institutions of Ohio." He was its secretary from 1941 to 1955.
His Miami and IUC duties placed him in constant contact with state legislators, who called him "Mr. Honest" because of his integrity.
Maraschiello said "with no interstate highways, it was a three-hour drive to Columbus for meetings" of the IUC or with state legislators. "Yet Roudebush made the trip at least three days a week," often starting at 4 a.m.
He still had time for other matters. For example, Roudebush teamed with Morris Taylor of Hamilton and Professor Robert Hefner of Oxford in promoting establishment of Hueston Woods State Park.
A new university administration building was near completion when Roudebush died April 14, 1956, in Mercy Hospital in Hamilton. The new structure became Wallace P. Roudebush Hall, despite his request that "no building be named after me."
"Unquestionably, the most enduring legacy of Wallace Roudebush is the beautiful campus of Miami University," said Chris Maraschiello in his biography of the dedicated man who had much to do with establishing the institution's positive image.
"Wallace P. Roudebush: Spirit of the Institution" was published last year by the Miami University Alumni Association. The book is based on a 1991 master thesis by Maraschiello, now a social studies teacher at Wilson Jr. High School in Hamilton.
Roudebush's 45-year Miami career spanned the Great Depression, two world wars and introduction of the GI Bill, a federal program for World War II veterans which had a tremendous impact on the university. He served four presidents: Raymond M. Hughes, 1911-1927; Alfred H. Upham, 1928-1945; Ernest H. Hahne, 1946-1952; and John D. Millett, 1953-1956.
Roudebush was born April 15, 1890, at Owensville in Clermont County. In 1904 his parents moved to a farm on Brown Road outside Oxford, about a mile from campus. After a year of high school in Oxford, he entered Miami's preparatory department, or academy, in September 1905.
He was graduated from the university in 1911 with plans to sell insurance until appointed secretary to President Hughes. At $75 a month, his first tasks were buying furniture and equipment for dormitories and directing student activities.
Meanwhile, in 1912, he married Dorothy Thompson. In 1925 the family, including two sons and a daughter, moved into a Miami landmark, the former William Holmes McGuffey house on Spring Street.
Maraschiello said "since the time Roudebush first assumed responsibility for buildings and grounds, considerable effort has been made and continues to be made to maintain Miami's attractive, well-kept buildings of modified Georgian architecture and spacious grounds of lawns, trees, shrubs and flowers."
Starting in the 1930s, Roudebush teamed with Charles F. Cellarius, a Cincinnati architect, who shared a love of Georgian architecture.
Preserving the Miami look wasn't accomplished by maintaining the status quo. Roudebush directed a steady increase in campus land and buildings.
"The subsequent growth and development of Miami University would not have been possible without the expansion of its land holdings," a plan which the author said reflected the foresight of Hughes and Roudebush.
But Roudebush -- who saw enrollment jump from 700 in 1911 to more than 5,000 by 1956 -- was more than a visionary. Maraschiello said it was his "careful management of finances that helped make each addition to the campus possible."
His management and financial skills weren't as visible as his influence on campus appearance. "Through the years," Maraschiello said, "his interest in financial aid and employment for students would never waver, and he would be instrumental in both building a program of scholarships and work-study, as well as keeping tuition as low as possible."
Roudebush was a leader in 1939 in creating the Inter-University Council (IUC), which Maraschiello said "contributed greatly to better understanding and cooperation among the state institutions of Ohio." He was its secretary from 1941 to 1955.
His Miami and IUC duties placed him in constant contact with state legislators, who called him "Mr. Honest" because of his integrity.
Maraschiello said "with no interstate highways, it was a three-hour drive to Columbus for meetings" of the IUC or with state legislators. "Yet Roudebush made the trip at least three days a week," often starting at 4 a.m.
He still had time for other matters. For example, Roudebush teamed with Morris Taylor of Hamilton and Professor Robert Hefner of Oxford in promoting establishment of Hueston Woods State Park.
A new university administration building was near completion when Roudebush died April 14, 1956, in Mercy Hospital in Hamilton. The new structure became Wallace P. Roudebush Hall, despite his request that "no building be named after me."
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