Milnor Roberts, Dean of the University of Washington School of Mines, letter to University of Washington President Henry Suzzallo regarding university athletics during Roberts' tenure as the chairman of the Athletic Committee, July 15, 1916

• Main Author: Roberts, Milnor, 1877-1965
• Other Authors: University of Washington Libraries. Special Collections Division.
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: unknown
• Subjects: Roberts; Milnor; 1877-1965 > Correspondence; Suzzallo; Henry; 1875-1933 > Correspondence; University of Washington > Records and correspondence; University of Washington. Athletic Dept; Pacific; Union Bay; Yukon; Alaska
• Online Access: http://cdm16786.contentdm.oclc.org:80/cdm/ref/collection/pioneerlife/id/7682

Roberts notes that he initially suggested the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition be held on campus, that he designed and had built the central Canoe House and the girls' athletic field, and that he worked to standardize university athletic symbols and uniforms. Professor Milnor Roberts was born in New York City in 1877, the son of civil engineer William Milnor Roberts, who was Chief Engineer for the Northern Pacific Railway until he was hired by the Brazilian government. Roberts, upon his graduation in 1899 from Stanford University, began graduate study at Stanford working as a teaching assistant. In 1901 he came to the University of Washington as Professor of Mining Engineering. He was made Dean of the College of Mines in 1903, a position he held until his retirement in 1947, after which he became Dean Emeritus. His association with the University continued until his death in 1965. He was a highly regarded private consultant in the field of mining and metallurgy in addition to his university work. In 1854, Territorial Governor Isaac Ingalls Stevens suggested that a university for Washington Territory be established. The school officially opened on November 4, 1861 with 30 students. In 1862, the Washington Territorial Legislature incorporated the school and appointed a Board of Regents. Throughout its early years, the university consisted not only of college curricula but also preparatory school curricula. The school faced constant changes in administration, enrollment and financial support in its first twenty years, often closing due to lack of students or funds. By the 1890s, the school had grown by leaps and bounds and had outgrown the size of its original campus. A graduate of the school and later professor, Edmond Meany, served as head of a committee to choose a new site for the university off of Union Bay, further north and east of its current site. In 1895, the school formally moved to this new campus. In 1902 the school consisted of approximately 600 students, and by 1913 the number had increased to roughly 3,340 students. From 1915 to 1926, Henry Suzzallo served as the University's president and the school underwent massive changes in new building construction.