Name that Building: Warriner Hall


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With help from the Clarke Historical Library, Name that Building is a weekly feature that explores the namesake of various buildings around CMU's campus.

Named after Eugene Clarence Warriner, Central Michigan University’s president from 1918 - 1939, Warriner Hall currently serves as the school’s administration building, though it has been used for a variety of purposes since opening its doors in 1928.

Perhaps intentionally, the building with some of the most alluring architectural features on campus was dedicated to one of the most respected leaders of CMU.

Warriner’s story starts in Dixon County, Ill., where he was born in 1866, long before CMU was known as CMU.

After graduating high school, Warriner remained in his hometown for a short while to teach elementary school. In 1891, he earned a bachelor of arts degree with honors at the University of Michigan. From there, he pursued graduate degrees at Clarke, Harvard and Columbia universities.

Warriner eventually found his way back to Michigan for work, becoming principal of Battle Creek and East Saginaw high schools. In 1899, he began an 18-year stint as superintendent of the Saginaw school system.

In 1913, five years before becoming CMU’s president, Warriner was licensed as a Methodist Episcopal minister. He used his passion for tolerance and advocacy for temperance to support the pre-war peace movements.

Sometime between studying the school systems of Germany and pursuing work in the states, Warriner became a summer instructor at Central State Normal College. The school would soon be known as Central Michigan University, and its president at the time, Charles T. Grawn, would soon resign.

The State Board of Education elected Warriner to take Grawn’s place as the president of CMU in 1918. His 21-year tenure carried students and administration through the struggles of World War I, the great flu epidemic of 1918, the Great Depression and two tragic fires.

Warriner retired in 1939 after two decades as the head of the university. He suffered ill health for the next few years before passing away on July 20, 1945.

Warriner Hall was dedicated to the former president in 1925 and has functioned as everything from a classroom building and library to a women’s common and cafeteria.

 

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