Waite A. Shoemaker

Waite Shoemaker

Shoemaker Hall, 1915

Architectual model of Shoemaker Hall addition, 1961

View of Shoemaker Hall across the Mississippi River, 1995

Biography

Waite Shoemaker was born in Willoughby, OH, in 1860. He moved to Minnesota with his family in 1863. He first attended St. Cloud State when he was twelve years old at the Model School, where he graduated from the 8th grade in 1880. He worked as a teacher in exchange for his tuition costs. Shoemaker spent time farming and teaching in country schools before graduating from St. Cloud State in 1881. He was then appointed to St. Cloud State's faculty and worked as a mathematics instructor for the next few years. In 1897, he was granted a leave of absence to attend Columbia University, where he earned a doctoral degree before again working as St. Cloud State faculty. He served as the superintendent of St. Cloud Public Schools from 1900-1902 and then appointed as St. Cloud State's seventh president in 1902. Shoemaker was granted a leave of absence due to illness in late 1914 but never returned to St. Cloud State. Shoemaker died in St. Cloud on March 16, 1916, and is buried in the Maine Prairie Cemetery outside of Kimball, MN.

Shoemaker Hall (1915)

Shoemaker Hall opened in the fall of 1915 as a residence hall for women and is the third oldest standing campus building. Though no official action was done by the state normal board, the dormitory has always been known as Shoemaker Hall. During the time the building was being constructed and then opened, Shoemaker was on a leave of absence as president for an illness. Unfortunately, Shoemaker never returned to St. Cloud State. The building was dedicated on June 5, 1916. And in that program, the dormitory is referred to as Shoemaker Hall.

Shoemaker Hall was not immune to the physical growth of campus due to the arrival of the Baby Boomers in the late 1950s. By the fall of 1960, a large addition to Shoemaker Hall to house 400 more students opened, making it the largest campus dormitory at the time. The addition also included a two story central section containing a 275 seat dining room which connected the addition to the old part of Shoemaker Hall, which was remodeled and redecorated at the same time.

For more information, see the individual profile for Shoemaker Hall on the University Archives’ website.