The 1918 flu pandemic arrives at Iowa State

Iowa State began Army training for World War I when the new program, in its second week, came to a halt. The influenza pandemic that spread throughout the world arrived at Iowa State.

At one time, there were 1,250 cases of influenza on campus and once the college hospital filled with patients, the State Gym, basement of the Presbyterian Church and fraternity houses became wards for the sick. The campus went under quarantine and a pass was required to go downtown. Eight women broke the quarantine at one point and were confined by guard when they returned.

Acting-president Edgar Stanton said all classes were to segregate between men and women because there were so many men sick at the time. The Army took over all medical care.

Between Oct. 8 and Nov. 27, 51 people died on campus during the pandemic.

—Anthony Capps

The war in Europe comes to a close

On May 8, 1945, after Germany surrendered, ISU students displayed a sense of joy but also focused on the struggles continuing with Japan. Despite the apprehensiveness of battles to come, all-college convocation was held in the Great Hall in celebration of President Truman’s announcement that V-E Day was to be observed, and all 8 a.m. classes were held.

On May 9, over 2,000 students and faculty members gathered in the Memorial Union to celebrate the end of the war and V-E Day while listening to Maurice Helser, dean of the junior college, make an address of how V-E Day represented a step towards world peace.

Also that day, a discussion titled, “An Outline for Peace” was held in the Oak Room of the Memorial Union in order to discuss the San Francisco Conference, which covered the international organizations being formed and also the questions that will come up at the peace treaty.

—Allison Clarke and Rachel Trampel

World War II finally ends

August 15, 1945, after President Truman’s announcement that Japan had surrendered, students were experiencing both joy and solemnity. Regardless of the mixed emotions, this also was a time to celebrate. A convocation was held at the Memorial Union, and a holiday, during which all classes were canceled, at the college was proclaimed.

Along with the convocation, an all-college party was sponsored by the Student War Council that lasted well into the night. A final death toll of 212 ISU men who lost their lives in the war was also announced.

—Allison Clarke

1967 GSB president, a shoeless radical

Forty days after being elected as Government of the Student Body President, Don Smith mounted his motorcycle, drove off campus and headed to California, leaving Iowa State in the wake of one of its most controversial student elections.

Smith, who was elected to the position in 1967, was a progressive. As a member of Students for a Democratic Society, he ran for office with a platform including total student freedom outside of class, the legalization of marijuana and the elimination of marriage. The “Sockless Rebel” as he was called for his known distaste for socks, also pushed for the creation of a student bill of rights.

After revealing to The Daily he had used marijuana, Smith drew the attention of local and national news coverage. Iowa lawmakers soon began threatening the university with funding reductions and unrest on campus continued as students began organizing to impeach Smith.

As a result, Smith dropped out of the GSB position and Iowa State less than two months after beginning his term of office. Smith is now one of the nation’s leading experts on wind-powered energy and resides in the state he fled to: California.

—Ryne Dittmer

City Hall attacked, criminal still loose

Ames City Hall was bombed May 22, 1970, injuring nine people — two of them seriously. The explosive used was placed below ground level in a window well on the south side of the two-story building, using three to five sticks of dynamite. Then-Iowa Governor Robert Ray said he was concerned about dynamite missing from a construction site in Des Moines earlier that month. Virtually everything in the vicinity of the blast was trashed. One week later, windows of surrounding buildings were replaced.

The perpetrator or perpetrators of the bombing have never been identified.

The same day, an anonymous caller told a switchboard operator at the Iowa Statehouse he had placed a bomb in the building. Although the building wasn’t evacuated, nervous employees were allowed to go home.

The next day at 9 a.m. a caller told the Nevada Hospital switchboard operator there was a bomb in the building. Then-Hospital administrator Verl Crouse said the caller, who sounded like an adult woman, told the operator to evacuate the building. Crouse said the same message was given to the courthouse twice Saturday morning. Nevada Police, Iowa Highway Patrolmen and sheriff’s deputies performed a search, which turned up nothing.

Then-State Highway Patrol Chief Howard Miller said circumstances resembled the May 13, 1970 bombing of the Des Moines Police Station.

— Alissa Atkinson

Design dean becomes gunman’s target

On the morning of June 25, 1991, a man walked into the Design Building with a gift box that contained a .22 caliber rifle. The target he had in mind was Michael Brooks, dean of the newly-formed College of Design.

The man, Thomas Morton Watts of Syracuse, N.Y., missed and Brooks was able to bring the man to a calmer state. He was later arrested and charged with assault with attempt to commit murder. The police also found another .22 caliber, 350 rounds of ammunition and two gallons of gasoline. Watts intended on burning the building down.

Watts later plead guilty to being armed with intent and was sentenced to five years in prison. However, due to an overwhelming amount of letters in the later months, he was released on probation in New York after serving 10 months.

The reason for this outburst, according to a search warrant, was that Brooks was having an affair with Watts’ wife, although he has refused to say that this provoked Watts’ anger. Brooks taught a class in Syracuse every Wednesday.

—Anthony Capps

The original riot

In 2004 there was a riot, and there was unrest a couple times in the 1990s, but the original riot was in 1988.

Around 1 a.m. on Friday, May 6, 1988, a party at 530 Welch Ave. was broken up by police. People flooded Welch Avenue and eventually a crowd of 1,000 accumulated — a size that couldn’t be controlled by the number of police on duty at the time.

It was Veishea weekend and the people who had been directed to the front lawn of the party that had been broken up gathered in the streets along with other partiers. This caused an uprising during which bottles were thrown and a fire was started. Rioters scrambled to find more things to burn and offered money to Joe Turner, the host of the party that got broken up, to take his couch and other belongings in the front yard so that they could keep the fire going.

Even with such a large crowd and rebellious behavior, only one person was arrested and no injuries were reported. It took 30 police officers to finally bring the Veishea riot to an end.

—Rachel Trampel