Author Archives: Jeff Rankin

About Jeff Rankin

Jeff Rankin is editor and historian at Monmouth College. A researcher, writer and lecturer about the history of the institution and the surrounding area, he edited and co-authored the college's sesquicentennial history, "A Thousand Hearts' Devotion."

Monmouth’s distinguished and colorful honorary degree legacy

When Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Jon Meacham is conferred an honorary doctor of humane letters degree at Monmouth College’s 159th Commencement Exercises on Sunday, he will join a long line of distinguished–and sometimes surprising–campus guests to be so honored. Meacham follows … Continue reading

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The Manor: Home to Plowmakers, Frat Boys and Presidents

Recently, I told the history of the former home of a prominent Monmouth family that has been renovated by Monmouth College and today serves as its admissions building. In this blog, I move across the street to another brick house … Continue reading

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The House on the Hill

Standing high on the corner of Broadway and Sixth Street for more than a century, the Tudor revival house that today serves as headquarters for Monmouth College admissions has a history that is both colorful and tragic. Constructed as a … Continue reading

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Monmouth Goes to War – Part III

(Conclusion of a three-part series) For 30 months Monmouth College had shared its facilities with the Navy and during that time more than 4,000 men received training. As the war began to draw to a conclusion in the spring of 1945, … Continue reading

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Monmouth Goes to War – Part II

(Second in a three-part series about Monmouth College’s involvement in World War II.) December 7, 1941, dawned cold and blustery with the smell of snow in the air. As was often their habit, several brothers from Tau Kappa Epsilon left … Continue reading

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Monmouth Goes to War – Part I

At the suggestion of historian and veteran blogger Stacy Cordery, I have decided to turn a 2005 presentation I gave marking the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II into a blog. Specifically, the presentation focused on Monmouth … Continue reading

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Life as a 19th-Century College President’s Daughter

Elizabeth Wallace Taggart, Class of 1880, was a member of a fascinating family. One of her brothers was the chief engineer in charge of constructing the Panama Canal. Another brother awarded the first military contract for an airplane to the … Continue reading

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Marion Morrison: MC’s John Wayne Connection

If David Wallace can be considered the architect of Monmouth College, then Marion Morrison would have to be his general contractor. Born in Ohio in 1821, Morrison met Wallace when they were fellow students at Miami University. Twelve years later, … Continue reading

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Treasures in our ‘Attic’

Serving as an unofficial campus historian for Monmouth College presents both challenges and rewards. When inquiries about ancestors who may have attended MC come in by phone or email, for example, they are often forwarded to me. That can present … Continue reading

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Nothing Less Than Perfection: Remembering Eileen Loya

When Eileen Sandberg Loya ’40 died peacefully in her sleep on Feb. 5, five months shy of her 100th birthday, she took with her an encyclopedic memory of Monmouth College’s institutional history, gleaned from having faithfully and expertly served as … Continue reading

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