In the midst of the kickoff to Iowa State’s 150th anniversary, approximately 75 people took time to gather in the Gerdin business building Saturday afternoon to honor Charles Handy and William Thompson, two of the men whose contributions helped to lay the foundations for the College of Business, as it is today.

“Today, we get a chance to recognize two of the most important figures in the college’s history,” said College of Business Dean Labh Hira. “These men saw the potential in young people and helped them grow into professionals.”

Handy, emeritus professor of accounting, was the first dean of the College of Business. Thompson, emeritus professor of transportation and logistics, was the former head of the department of industrial administration. Both men attended Saturday’s events.

Handy and Thompson took turns speaking to the reunion’s attendees, which included several of their former students and colleagues. Both men spent time reflecting on the changes that have taken place in the decades since they arrived at Iowa State.

Thompson recalled coming to Iowa State and working in what was then called the division of industrial administration. When Handy and Thompson began their work at Iowa State, there were only about ten students enrolled in the program.

“What we didn’t expect was the flow of students that would come into the college after the end of World War II,” Thompson said. “These were serious students. There was no fooling around with these boys.”

Both men also recalled working out of the Industrial Arts building, which housed the fledgling college. Their classes took place on the floor above the industrial arts department, which resulted in noise and unpleasant smells from the machinery on the first floor.

They also dealt with floors that buckled in the summer heat and doors that swelled up and couldn’t be closed.

“We were the first college with an open-door policy,” Thompson joked.

Several of the attendees at the reunion got a chance to share their memories of Handy and Thompson.

Ron Ackerman, program coordinator for the business graduate program and ISU alumnus, shared a story about Handy sending plants to his wife when each of their two children were born. Ackerman then presented Handy with a pot containing parts of each plant which had grown together.

John DeVries, 1959 graduate in industrial administration, also spoke.

“They were instrumental in the lives of so many of us,” DeVries said. “Handy and Thompson have passed their vision down from dean to dean, and they are still fulfilling it.”