Dwight B. Waldo

Who was Dwight B. Waldo?

Dr. Dwight Bryant Waldo was the first President of Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Waldo was born in Arcade, N.Y. but spent his childhood in Plainwell, Michigan. Waldo was elected principal of WMU on April 1, 1904. He served as president from 1904 through 1936. When Western Michigan first opened, it was known as the Western State Normal School and later as the Western State Teachers College. One of Waldo's first moves, creating a rural school department, cemented WMU as a teaching college. It was the first such department in the nation and prepared teachers to effectively educate students in rural parts of America. Waldo also firmly believed in diversity on campus, and during his tenure many females and minorities were given the opportunity to attend the college.

In the beginning Western Michigan served as a two-year normal school, but under Waldo's guidance it was soon structured into a four-year teachers college. He also served as one of the first instructors at WMU. Waldo is credited with keeping WMU open when many government officials wanted to shut it down during the Great Depression. The school's football stadium, Waldo Stadium, and library, Waldo Library, are named in his honor. In 1912, Kalamazoo College awarded Waldo a Doctor of Laws as an honorary degree for his accomplishments at WMU. In 1932 Michigan State University awarded Waldo an honorary Doctor of Letters.