100 Years of Commitment, Gainesville, FL -
[Cached Version]
Published on: 12/16/2005
Last Visited: 12/16/2005
THIRTY-FOUR YEAR old Andrew Sledd had a dream.A product of Harvard and Yale and the first President of the University of Florida, he would hire the best faculty he could find for the newly established UF.The year was 1904 and Sledd sought exemplary citizens, who loved their professions, to inspire students with knowledge, insight, and wisdom.During his four year term as UF President, Sledd assembled a faculty of educators, linguists, historians, chemists, zoologists, botanists, mathematicians, horticulturalists, and animal scientists , men with national and international academic achievements and degrees.
The Athanaeum Society, named after the Greek Goddess of Wisdom, Athena, had its first official meeting on November 7, 1905 - Sledd,s 35th birthday.100 years later, The Athenaeum Society is the oldest faculty organization at the University of Florida and has continued without interruption through wars, depressions, and changing social mores.
A component of Andrew Sledd,s dream was a ,social and literary, club tasking his faculty to make scholarly ,talks, and interact with other faculty thus gaining an appreciation of each other.