This video is part of a series of videos that document J. Earl Danieley lecturing during the class he teaches each winter term at Elon University called “Elon: Past, Present, and Future.” Included in all the videos in the collection, he discusses a number of topics that relate to the history of Elon University. Specifically, in this video he discusses major topics that include: Julia Mae Oxford (Dean of Women in West Dormitory) during the January 1942 fire saved West Dormitory because she closed the fire doors; Leon Edgar Smith decided during World War II that the country needed trained pilots from Elon College and increased the student enrollment to 625 in 1939; in 1945, Danieley took Civilian Pilot Training ground work courses; January 1943, Elon College had more than 600 alumni men in World War II, resulting in 31 casualties with 30 men and one woman; after World War II, the average male student age was in their mid-twenties and married, there was a need to accommodate these families at Elon College with different housing arrangements and rules; Danieley discusses the Smith fundraising campaigns throughout his 25 years as president; in 1946, Smith resumed the 1942 intercollegiate athletic programs; by 1949, the campus had raised enough money to begin major construction projects: the Alumni Gym was dedicated in December 1950 to all of the alumni who lost their lives during the two world wars; and in 1955, they laid the cornerstones for Carolina Hall, Virginia Hall, and McEwen Dining Hall; in 1954, Smith was about to be 70 years old and the Elon College Board of Trustees asked him to stay on a little bit longer to finish up some projects he was working on; his retirement came after serving as Elon’s president for 25 years and 8 months on June 1957; Danieley adds, “Let there be no doubt that Leon Edgar Smith saved this institution;” Danieley talks about Leon Edgar Smith’s family and their relationship with their two children (Leon and Rebecca (Becky)) who attended Elon College. Some notable names include: J. Earl Danieley, Leon Edgar Smith, Becky Smith, James (Jim) Mallory, Clyde W. Gordon, Sr., Graham L. (Doc) Mathis, George M. Tucker, Jesse H. Dollar, William J. Andes, William A. Harper, Walter Judd, Wendell M. Patton, L.J. (Hap) Perry, Shirley S. (Red) Wilson, Jerry R. Tolley, Ella Brunk Smith, and Rebecca Smith.