On Sept. 25, 2023, Drury University students, faculty, staff, and alumni gathered in front of Burnham Hall. A podium, emblazoned with Drury’s crest, stood upon the manicured lawns under the shade of a black walnut tree. Some alumni took seats in folding chairs while others mingled with past and current faculty, shaking hands or sharing hugs. President John Beuerlein, wearing a white stole with Drury’s 150th anniversary logo, stepped up to the podium, preparing to reenact the moment Drury’s story began. 

Drury’s 150th anniversary isn’t only about looking towards the future: it’s about recognizing beginnings and understanding how growth builds upon the past. In 1873, Drury opened its doors to provide a place of strong liberal arts academics and intellectual growth in southwest Missouri. To welcome the school’s inaugural class on its first day, Rev. Nathan J. Morrison, Drury’s first president, borrowed a dinner bell to ring where Burnham Hall now stands. At the time, Drury’s campus was still under construction – grounds unkempt, buildings unfinished. But Drury’s story was just beginning, and everyone involved would grow together.  

Remaining true to tradition, Dr. Beuerlein borrowed a bell from Ruth Sorenson, wife of Dr. Allin Sorenson, the university’s Dean of the School of Comunication, Fine and Performing Arts. Attendees listened – shoes cushioned by lush grass surrounded by neatly planted flowers and shrubs – as the rings of the bell spread across the 90-acres of campus. The bell, a tribute to Drury’s history, also ushers in the next 150 years of growth and development of the campus itself and the students who pursue their interests and ideas. 

Following the bell ringing, Dr. Beuerlein led a tree planting ceremony. The tree, a bur oak, symbolizes Drury’s future in its strength and eventual size as its community innovates for the future.  

Attendees then gathered in Stone Chapel for the Founder’s Day Convocation. There, they heard an original composition by Dr. Carlyle Sharpe, “To Freedom and Truth Be Restored.” The program explains that the piece, commissioned for the 150th anniversary celebration, creates a blend of melodic and rhythmic variations on elements of Drury’s alma mater. Keeping with the theme of Drury’s celebration, old and new are brought together. 

The event also premiered poetry from Missouri’s 7th Poet Laureate David Harrison, a Drury graduate. Harrison wrote the poem after Gov. Mike Parson commissioned him and fellow Poet Laureates to write about Missouri. Harrison’s poem began and ended with this response from the young and old alike who call Missouri home: “I live here. / My friends live here. / I love Missouri. / It’s my home.” 

Dr. Beuerlein finished the program with a speech recognizing Drury’s commitment to growth, even when hardship occurs. He spoke of Drury’s congregationalist founders who wanted to create a school that educated everyone, regardless of their differences, who believed in healing the nation’s social divide: “Education for all was their remedy,” he said. “Make no mistake that healing work is not yet done.”  

Before Dr. Andrew Campbell closed the ceremony by leading the alma mater, Dr. Beuerlein concluded his words by calling the Drury community to action, encouraging hope and faith in Drury’s history.  

“Tell those who would tell you that the world no longer needs a relevant liberal arts education,” he said, “tell them that a liberal pursuit of the truth, embracing all points of view, is alive and well and thriving at Drury University.” 

This university has come a long way from its establishment. Drury University still upholds many of the values in which it was founded upon and continues to offer students the highest quality liberal arts education it can provide. Last year, Drury inducted one of the biggest first-year classes it has seen. Every dorm room was full of new students excited to start their education journey here on campus. 

Moving forward from the past into the present, Drury has a lot in store for their 150^th year. The school has also made a lot of changes to its physical campus along with their programs in the past five years. Last semester, the newest addition to campus was opened to students, this was the C.H. O’Reilly Enterprise Center and Breech School of Business and Judy Thompson Executive Conference Center, or as students have dubbed it the “chub.”  

Not only is this building the tallest on campus, but it also houses a new restaurant for students, an Einstein Bros Bagels. The building is three stories tall and is the new central building for math and business majors. This building was also the first new educational building added to Drury’s campus in 20 years.  

Drury has also recently added a physician assistant program to its roster. This program is 27 months and will be inducting 40 students in fall of 2024, taking place in Cox North Hospital. This program is for a master’s degree, totaling nine graduate programs the university offers. 

Along with the new building and new program, the university has added a nine-foot panther statue to aid in the beautification of the campus, as well as a new walkway for students. This art piece was commissioned specifically for the 150^th anniversary celebration and was made possible from a donation by alumni Tom Cray. 

Students of Drury, past and present, are looking forward to the campus’s advancement in the coming years. In the Spring of 2024, a dedication and opening match will be held for our newest addition to the campus, the Panther Pad. It will be a recreation complex with a pickleball court and a revival for our tennis and basketball courts.  

Thanks to the O’Reilly family’s generous donations, Drury University will have a new place where students can congregate to play their favorite sports and make memories to last a lifetime. 

“Pickleball is a sport for everyone. Playing it once will offer a glimpse into a new array of lifestyle benefits that you might otherwise have thought were lost or unapproachable,” said Austin O’Reilly in an interview. “The words that come to mind when I think of the sport: fun, exercise, sweaty, friends, community, addicting, therapeutic, challenging, playful, yet competitive.” 

It has been a great 150 years here at Drury University. Here is to another 150 years of integrity, honor, and growth: “Grand Be Thy Destiny.” 

Article by Madison Stahl, Sophie Meek, and Maddy Bohman

Featured photo by Maddy Bohman