|| Home || Timeline || Museum || Buildings || Faculty & Administration ||

|| Classes || Debates || Student Organizations || Leisure || Contact Us ||

1874

A. W. Mell establishes the Glasgow Normal School in Glasgow, Kentucky.

1882

J. Tom Williams joins Professor Mell and becomes head of the business department of the Glasgow Normal School.

1884

Failing to secure adequate financial support in Glasgow, Mell and Williams move to Bowling Green and establish the Southern Normal School and Business College. The school occupies the former home of the Bowling Green Female College on Summer (later College) Street.

1892

Henry Hardin Cherry and Thomas Crittenden Cherry take over the operations of the Southern Normal School and Business College, renaming it the Bowling Green Business College and Literary Institute.

1894

The Cherry brothers again rename their school the Southern Normal School and Bowling Green Business College.

1898

The Bowling Green Business College moves to the McCormack Building on State Street.

1899

Thomas C. Cherry sells his interest in the schools to Henry Hardin Cherry.
Fire destroys the Southern Normal School's College Street building on November 16.

1901

The Southern Normal School rebuilds and opens the Towers on the College Street site.

1904

The Bowling Green Business College changes its name to the Bowling Green Business University.

1906

The Western Kentucky State Normal School (now Western Kentucky University) is chartered and takes over the operations of the Southern Normal School. Henry Hardin Cherry becomes Western's president.

1907

Henry Hardin Cherry sells the Bowling Green Business University to a partnership of Joseph S. Dickey, J. Lewie Harman and William S. Ashby.

1911

Fire destroys the McCormack Building and damages much of the BU's equipment. The school moves into the Towers, now vacated after the Western Kentucky State Normal School's move to the Hill.

1921

BU President Joseph S. Dickey dies suddenly on January 16 and J. Lewie Harman succeeds him as president.

1922

The Bowling Green College of Commerce is established within the BU and accredited as an "A" Class junior college.

1925

The Bowling Green College of Commerce is expanded to a four-year senior college.

1927

Edith F. Mayfield joins the BU as librarian.

1928

James R. Meany joins the faculty. The Bowling Green College of Commerce obtains an "A" Class senior college rating from the Committee on Accredited Relations of the University of Kentucky.

1933

James C. Holland joins the faculty.

1936

Mrs. Clyde Boulton Cates joins the faculty.

1937

Nina Hammer, formerly secretary to the President, becomes BU Registrar. The Department of Business Administration is organized. William S. Ashby retires.

1945

President J. Lewie Harman, Sr. retires and J. Murray Hill, Sr. becomes president.

1957

Edith Mayfield retires.

1960

J. Lewie Harman, Sr. dies on July 11. The Bowling Green Business University ceases operations as a private partnership on December 31.

1961

A new, non-profit corporation, the Bowling Green College of Commerce, commences operations on January 1; President J. Murray Hill, Sr. dies on January 27 and Dr. Joseph H. Young becomes president of the Bowling Green College of Commerce on September 1.

1963

The Bowling Green College of Commerce merges with Western Kentucky State College (now Western Kentucky University) on June 1.

1964

Western's Board of Regents establishes the Bowling Green College of Commerce within its academic structure. A fire severely damages the Towers on June 20.

1965

The Towers building is razed.

1972

The Bowling Green College of Commerce's name is changed to the Bowling Green College of Business and Public Affairs.

1979

The Bowling Green College of Business and Public Affairs changes its name to the Bowling Green College of Business Administration.

1998

In honor of a gift from BU alumnus Gordon Ford, the Bowling Green College of Business Administration changes its name to the Gordon Ford College of Business.