Issue date: 4/28/09 Section: News

Artist Sandee Ibbotson unveils her portrait of Franklin Andrews during the Andrews Hall tea party Monday afternoon in the Andrews Hall lobby. (Erin Matheny/The Daily Eastern News)

Mark Hudson, director of University Housing and Dining Services, received an e-mail in 2001 that a family member of Franklin Andrews was wondering where his portrait was located in Andrews Hall.

Because of the e-mail, he has been fortunate enough to research the various residence halls' namesakes, including Andrews Hall, Hudson said.

"It got us thinking about the history of our department," he said. "One thing that I have been honored to do is to research our history and try to know the namesakes of our buildings. In the last 12 months, we have had 6 portraits of the namesakes of our residence hall buildings."

Thanks to the e-mail from Cindy Bard, the granddaughter of Franklin Andrews, Andrews Hall sponsored an unveiling ceremony for his portrait Monday night, along with a tea party.

Andrews was hired, by then president Livingston C. Lord, to join the English faculty.

Andrews taught the first journalism class in 1929 and was given the position to advise the Teacher College News, the predecessor to The Daily Eastern News.

Andrews also advised the first college magazine, The Warbler yearbook and sponsored a weekly news hour over the radio station WSZ, the forerunner to WEIU.

During his residence at student media, Andrews won many accolades for the various publications.

As adviser for The Warbler, the publication won four All-American awards in the National Scholastic Press Contest, and the newspaper was known as the top paper in Illinois for 13 consecutive years.

On Aug. 31, 1944, at the age of 44, Andrews died after an appendectomy.

Bard, also an alumna of Eastern and past resident of Andrews Hall, said one of the saddest moments in her life is that she did not get to know her grandfather.

"While I was growing up I just heard what a marvelous, marvelous man he was," she said.

Bard said she was fascinated about the story how her grandfather and his wife decided to travel the world after they had gotten married during the Depression era.

"They got married, and then went around the world, and I just thought this was phenomenal especially at the time that they did it," she said.

Also, in attendance at the unveiling ceremony was Sandee Ibbotson, painter of the Franklin Andrews portrait.

Ibbotson said it took about four months to paint the portrait of Andrews.

"It was on and off because when you do portraits you have to do some research," she said "I enjoyed reading about him. He was a very interesting man."

Sherry Staley, an Eastern alumna and past Andrews Hall resident, came along with Bard, her long-time friend and roommate in Andrews in 1967.

Staley said this event helps the hall become a little more personal.

"This gives them a chance to see some living history and understand what made this university so wonderful," she said. "The university wouldn't be like it is now without people like Mr. Andrews."

Hillary Rains, Andrews Hall Council president, said every single one of the residence halls on campus are named after important people and should be recognized.

"The example they set and the role models they were, especially Mr. Andrews, who was an inspiration to a lot of people," she said. "It sets us up to make our own accomplishments."

Bard said while she lived in Andrews, she felt proud to live in a residence hall named after her grandfather.

"It really was a special experience for me," she said. I was very proud."

Bard said as she has gotten older, she learned more about her grandfather.

"I learned more and more of what he accomplished and contributed to the university," she said. "I am sorry that the rest of the family was not here, but I think in my heart they joined us today."


Jessica Leggin can be reached at 581-7942 or at jmleggin@eiu.edu.

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