Eckerd College history

In December 1959, the founding faculty would come together at the maritime base to hash out the college’s curriculum.

FPC’s first freshman class of 155 young men and women began their studies at the interim campus in the fall of 1960.

At the groundbreaking ceremony in September 1961, Kadel made a joke of sorts by quoting Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, which called men who built homes on rock wise, and those who built on sand, foolish.

However, when the first African American student applied for admission in 1962, the board of trustees voted against admitting him, although he was clearly qualified.

He must have been right; by the beginning of FPC’s fourth academic year, in the fall of 1963, the permanent campus was ready for classes to begin.

The Thomas Dreier Grand Reading Room honors a St Petersburg resident and philanthropist who made a very public contribution to the College in 1965 after Eckerd faculty participated in the civil rights march in Selma, Alabama.

Wireman Chapel (formerly Griffin Chapel) holds its first service with its purpose—as expressed in the first dedication service on March 9, 1969—to develop the spirit of love, understanding and forgiveness.

When Billy Wireman took over as FPC’s president in 1971, the college was in financial crisis.

Eckerd finally agreed and in July 1972, FPC officially became Eckerd College.

FPC Search, Rescue and Safety Team (providing services to the public since 1977 as Eckerd College Search and Rescue), the only volunteer student rescue group recently recognized by the United States Coast Guard, is established.

First classes were offered in January 1978.

Galbraith Marine Science Laboratory (GMSL) is dedicated, reinforcing the Marine Science major (established in 1982) as one of the finest and most unique in the country.

In 2000, the Board of Trustees discovered that more than half of Eckerd's endowment had been spent without its knowledge or consent.

Groundbreaking ceremony held for the Armacost Library took place on Tuesday, December 10, 2002.

In February 2004, the college announced that it had regained solvency.

Partially in response, in May 2006, Miles Collier, then-chairman of the Board of Trustees, and his wife, Parker Collier, announced a $25 million challenge gift to the college; they subsequently increased this to $40 million.