Wentworth Military Academy and College

Wentworth Military Academy

File:Wewo1.jpg
Motto	Achieve the Honorable
Type	Military junior college and High school
Established	1880
Superintendent	Captain Basil Read
Undergraduates	1500 students
Location	Lexington , MO , USA
Campus	137 acres (0.6 km2)
Mascot	Red Dragons
Website	http://www.wma.edu

Wentworth Military Academy Administration Building

Wentworth Military Academy and College is a private four-year college preparatory high school and military junior college. It is located in Lexington, Missouri, part of the Greater Kansas City Metropolitan Area. Wentworth is the oldest military academy west of the Mississippi River, and the campus is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is one of five military junior colleges in the United States. Among the programs that Wentworth offers is the Army's two-year Early Commissioning Program, an Army Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC). Wentworth also has had 100% acceptance into the Air Force Academy over the past 18 years through its Falcon Foundation (Wentworth Blue Falcons) Scholarship program.

History

Background

Lexington's Civil War Battle of the Hemp Bales was still a recent memory when Stephen G. Wentworth founded Wentworth Military Academy in 1880. By the 1870s, the town had already attained the reputation as the “Athens of the West” for its fine academic institutions. Lexington was home to three outstanding schools for girls. Lexington Baptist Female College was started in 1850 in the old county courthouse that had been abandoned upon the construction of the new Lafayette County Courthouse, built in 1847 and still in use today. In 1869 the Baptist Female College moved its operation to the former home of Pony Express Founder William B. Waddell at the corner of 13th and South Streets. Elizabeth Aull Seminary was opened in the fall of 1860 and operated in a large building on Highland Avenue. Central Female College, later Central College for Women, began in 1868 and, in 1871, took over the old Masonic College on the grounds of the Battlefield. However, Lexington’s educators, business leaders and ministers had made numerous attempts to establish a school for boys and young men. Public schools were not yet widespread and there was a glaring need for a boys' school, but none had been successful. Perhaps the most notable failed effort was the Masonic College of Missouri, which moved to Lexington in 1847 and operated until 1859.

Wentworth Male Academy

On May 12, 1879, Wentworth’s twenty-seven year old son William died. As a memorial, Wentworth focused his attention on finally making a school for boys a reality in Lexington. In the spring of 1880, Mr. Wentworth announced that a new school named Wentworth Male Academy would begin operation in the fall. Mr. Wentworth had a long record of public service to Lexington. A local editorial writer proclaimed that Wentworth was “One of our oldest, most generous and most worthy citizens” and ”no nobler name can this community furnish [the new school].” On May 24, 1880, Mr. Wentworth bought the “New Presbyterian Church” at the southwest corner of 18th and Main Streets, directed that it be fitted up for the next term, and gave the school solid financial backing. Although his financial involvement was limited to the Academy’s early years of operation, his foresight led to the establishment of the first board of trustees and his generosity provided a firm foundation for the school.

Wentworth also announced that twenty-two year old Benjamin Lewis Hobson, the son of the local Presbyterian minister who had run a fledgling private boys’ school in town the previous year, would be given charge of W.M.A. Young Hobson had graduated from Centre College in Danville, Kentucky with a degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1877, and had spent the next two years as teacher and then principal of Spencer Institute in Taylorsville, Kentucky. In the summer of 1879, he had returned to his hometown of Lexington and started Hobson’s Select School for Boys.

Benjamin Hobson knew that he could not operate the new school alone, and he turned to Sandford Sellers, a twenty-six year-old friend and former classmate at Centre College in Kentucky. Sellers eagerly accepted Hobson’s invitation to join him as co-principal at Wentworth Male Academy. When Hobson left to pursue a career in the ministry at the end of the 1880-81 school year, Sellers took full charge of the academy.

Wentworth Military Academy

Sandford Sellers became the force who forged Wentworth’s national reputation, and his hand would ably guide the school for the next 58 years. In the early days, he handled all the institution’s administrative affairs, academic planning, and student recruitment on his own, canvassing surrounding areas on horseback. In 1882, Wentworth became a military school, and Sellers hired Captain David W. Fleet, a graduate of Virginia Military Institute, as the first Commandant. Fleet brought VMI terms such as "rats", "rears", and "Old Boys" to the school, all still familiar to cadets today. The school officially changed its name to Wentworth Military Academy in 1890.

Sellers' skills as educator, administrator, businessman, and promoter saw the institution through its remarkable first half-century, and his vision is still evident today. He led the school through economic panics of the 1890s, when he struggled to keep enrollment above 100, and through the boom times of World War I, when enrollment more than doubled to over 500 cadets. He also oversaw the addition of the junior college in 1923.

By the mid-1920s, Sandford Sellers, handed over much of the day-to-day operations of the school to his sons, Sandford Sellers, Jr., superintendent from 1923 to 1933, and James M. Sellers, Commandant and Assistant Superintendent. But Sandford Sellers stayed very involved until his death in 1938 after a fall in the school gymnasium.

From the Great Depression to post-World War II prosperity

When the Great Depression of the 1930s hit the country, Wentworth, like many institutions across the country, struggled to survive. In 1933, Colonel James M. Sellers assumed the superintendency of the school and was soon joined at the helm by Colonel Lester B. Wikoff, Treasurer and Business Manager. Together, Sellers’ natural leadership and Wikoff’s business acumen would lead the school to new heights. Colonel Sellers and Colonel Wikoff led the school through the lean years of the 1930s and into the prosperity of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. During their term of leadership, Wentworth added a number of buildings to the campus, including the Sellers-Wikoff Scholastic Building, the Memorial Chapel, Sandford Sellers Hall, and the Wikoff Field House. In addition, a unique military aviator training program complete with its own airport was launched to train pilots. A highlight of the Sellers-Wikoff era was President Harry S. Truman's speech to the cadet corps at Wentworth's 75th Anniversary celebration in 1954. In 1960, Sellers retired as Superintendent but remained as President of the school, and Wikoff served as Superintendent from 1960 to 1971. During that time, Wentworth had unparalleled enrollment, averaging over 600 students a year.

Continuity and change in the post-Vietnam era

In 1973, a third generation of the Sellers family assumed leadership of the Academy when Colonel James M. Sellers, Jr., a 1945 Wentworth graduate, was named as Superintendent. In the early 1970s, the school was again faced with crisis. Anti-military backlash from the country’s continued involvement in the Vietnam War, combined with double digit inflation, caused enrollment to plummet. Many military schools across the country simply closed their doors. Wentworth was dealt an additional blow when, in 1975, a fire destroyed two buildings and severely damaged others, causing the loss of over 32,000 square feet (3,000 m²) of space.

Despite these setbacks, Colonel J. M. Sellers, Jr., was able to stabilize enrollment by 1978 and lead the Academy through another period of growth. In 1980, Wentworth celebrated its centennial year, with Vice-President Walter Mondale addressing the corps of cadets at commencement. In the early 1980s, enrollment continued to rise, peaking at over 400 cadets in 1984. In 1990, Colonel Sellers, Sr., who taught Latin until he was 95 years old, died, and Colonel Sellers, Jr., resigned as superintendent, ending a remarkable 110 years of the Sellers family’s continuous involvement in the operation of the Academy.

Modern expansion

Female cadets were admitted for the first time in 1993, and today they make up about twenty-five percent of the corps. In 2002, Major General John H. Little, Wentworth Class of 1961, returned to campus as Superintendent. Under his stewardship, a new state-of-the-art barracks, Tillotson Hall, was constructed, and the growth of the Wentworth Foundation put the school on solid financial footing. Wentworth is now in its 128th year and new Superintendent Captain Basil Read (USN ret.)

Academics

High school

Wentworth is one of few schools in the United States that has a college and high school sharing the same campus and encourages all its high school students to gain college credit before they graduate from high school. In 2007, Wentworth announced that they would offer a three-tiered program designed to serve the needs of its students. The most advanced program, the Accelerated Scholars Program, allows its students to graduate from high school and obtain an Associate's degree from the junior college simultaneously.

College and Senior ROTC program

Wentworth's College provides the opportunity to receive a commission in the U.S. Army, Army Reserve or Army National Guard. Wentworth has a uniqe program known as ECP or Early Commissioning Program. The ECP allows select ROTC students to commision in the US Army National Guard with an associates Degree. The students then continue to a 4 year University where they recieve their B.S. Wentworth’s Senior Army ROTC also offers a four-year programs for becoming an Army Officer. Wentworth has a one-year Service Academy Prep program. Other college graduates do not pursue the military, but choose to continue on to the nation's most competitive four-year colleges and universities as rising juniors.

Air Force Academy Falcon Scholarship Program

Wentworth partners with the Air Force Academy and the Falcon Foundation to offer academically talented students a one-year scholarship at Wentworth that leads to an appointment at the United States Air Force Academy, one of the most selective higher education institutions in the country. Wentworth traditionally accepts fewer than one in seven applicants. Over the past 18 years, Wentworth has had a 100% success rate getting its Falcon Scholars accepted to the USAFA. Wentworth also has sent a number of students on to West Point and the Naval Academy through its Service Academy Prep program.

Regional civilian college programs

In addition to the main campus in Lexington for about 250 resident full-time students comprising the Corps of Cadets, Wentworth serves several hundred local area commuter college students. Wentworth also has three extension centers located around the state of Missouri in Cameron, Hermitage, and Lamar, serving a total of over 1500 commuter full- and part-time students.

Accreditation

Wentworth's high school is accredited by the North Central Association, and Wentworth's college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. In addition, Wentworth is a member of such organizations as the National Association of Community Colleges, The Association of Boarding Schools, the Association of Military Colleges and Schools of the United States, and others.

Student life

Corps of Cadets

The Wentworth Corps of Cadets consists of approximately 250 students, ranging from 9th grade through junior college sophomores. The corps is divided up into five companies, and junior college cadets provide most of the corps' leadership, supervised by Wentworth staff and faculty. For the first semester cadets are introduced to a introductory phase known as Recruit At Training or RAT. RAT is based on a Virginia Military Institute tradition that was put into place by Wentworth's first commandant in the 1880s. The RAT system is designed to help new students to master the habits of discipline, success, time-management, character growth, self-discipline, critical thinking, leadership development, school pride, and ensures each student learns Wentworth's history. At the end of the RAT phase, cadets become Old Boys, making them full-fledged members of the Corps of Cadets.

CQ

All High school students participate in call to quarters (CQ). a two-hour study session held every school night (Sunday – Thursday), from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. If a student is caught up with his or her studies, he or she can use CQs to get ahead or write a letter home or other quiet activity. Those who require more study time can request it. Members of the faculty are assigned as Duty Officers and are available on each floor to assist cadets who need help.

Athletics

Wentworth’s campus features four full-sized outdoor athletic fields and eight tennis courts. The 65,000 square foot Wikoff Athletic Center includes three basketball courts, a Laykold-type indoor track, a racquetball court, a weight room, a wrestling room, a Jacuzzi and an Olympic-size pool.

The high school is a member of the Missouri State High School Activities Association (Division 1-A) and the Mid-State Conference. The high school Wentworth Red Dragons compete in football, basketball, soccer, wrestling, track and field, cross country, volleyball, swimming, golf, and tennis.

The college is affiliated with the Missouri Community College Conference and National Junior College Athletic Association, and competes in track, wrestling, soccer, cross country, tennis and golf.

For many years, the annual football game with rival Kemper Military School and College in Boonville, Missouri was a huge event on Thanksgiving Day, with both corps of cadets boarding trains and either meeting on their home fields, or sometimes meeting on a neutral field in Sedalia or Marshall, Missouri. The Kansas City and St. Louis newspapers referred to the gridiron battle as the “Little Army-Navy Game”, and gave front page coverage to the outcome.

Extracurricular activities

Cadets participate in a range of extracurricular activities normally two days a week. The remaining days are dedicated to ROTC lab exercises or athletics. Activities vary by season and sponsor but usually include aviation, newspaper, yearbook, camera club, quiz bowl, jazz band, chorus, horseback riding, swimming, SCUBA diving, paintball, rock climbing, archery, Rangers, rifle team, scouting, and more.

Honor Guard

Wentworth’s Honor Guard was formed in 1945 and is comprised primarily from the top academic students of the corps. Its primary function is as an elite drill team, performing what is known as the “Silent Drill” - a ten minute sequence of intricate marching maneuvers requiring absolute precision and perfection.

Marching band

During the 1896-1897 school year, Captain E. J. Stark organized the first Wentworth band of fifteen pieces. When Captain Stark left in 1905 to become a noted ragtime composer and arranger, he was succeeded by Captain F.A. Day who led the band for the next 31 years. In 1955, new band director Captain James Bell inaugurated a routine which formed the basis of Wentworth’s famous "Snap Drill", still being performed today. In the 1970s, under the direction of Captain Roger Kendall, now a music professor at UCLA, the band reached new heights, winning national band competitions, and performing and recording Captain Kendall’s original “Centennial Symphony”, produced especially for Wentworth’s centennial year in 1980. Through the years, the band has performed in countless parades including Mardi Gras, the Cherry Blossom parade, presidential inaugural parades, and gubernatorial inaugural parades, as well as appearing at Kansas City Royals games, Kansas City Chiefs games, and numerous band competitions. The band is still Wentworth’s premier public relations vehicle.

Community service

Wentworth college and high school cadets are all encouraged to perform community service, Such service is a graduation requirement for high school cadets. Seniors must complete 20 hours, juniors 18, sophomores 16, and freshman 14 per academic year to fulfill the requirement. This past year, Wentworth cadets supported a variety of charitable causes in Lafayette County and Kansas City and contributed 2,768 hours of service, with some cadets personally contributing in excess of 50 hours.

Notable alumni

• Ike Skelton - United States Congressman, 4th District of Missouri (1977 - present), Ranking Democrat and Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee
• John D. Groendyke - (1964) CEO of Groendyke Transport Inc. the 5th largest tank truck company in the nation.
• Robert Altman - Academy Award winning Director of classic films such as M*A*S*H (1970), McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971), The Long Goodbye (1974), Nashville (1975), The Player (1992), Short Cuts (1993), Kansas City (1996), Dr. T & the Women (2000), Gosford Park (2001), The Company (2003), and A Prairie Home Companion (2006)
• James "Bud" Walton - Co-founder of Wal-Mart
• Marlin Perkins - host of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom
• Charles H. Price II - former United States Ambassador to Belgium (1981-1983) and United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom (1983-1989); appointed by President Ronald Reagan
• Paul Henderson - reporter for The Seattle Times, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting in 1982
• Lewis Hill - co-founder of Pacifica Radio, the first public radio station in the U.S.
• Eddie Chiles - Founder of the Western Company of North America and owner of the Texas Rangers baseball team
• Newell A. George - United States Congressman, 1959-1961
• William C. Schwartz - Physicist, Laser pioneer, and founder of International Laser Systems
• Beals Becker - Major League baseball player
• Med Park - NBA player
• Harry Ice - MVP of 1942 Sugar Bowl, member of University of Missouri's all-century football team
• Lt. General Melvin F. Chubb, Jr. - Former Commander of Hanscom Air Force Base
• Major General Clarence L. Tinker - namesake of Tinker Air Force Base
• General William M. Hoge - oversaw construction of the ALCAN Highway and directed capture of the Remagen Bridge in World War II
• Dr. Ovid R. Sellers - internationally known Old Testament scholar and archaeologist
• George B. Turner - Medal of Honor recipient, World War II
• William E. Adams - Medal of Honor recipient, Vietnam War

Superintendents/Presidents

• Colonel Sandford Sellers, 1880-1906, 1907-1923.
• Colonel William McGuffey Hoge, 1906-1907.
• Colonel Sandford Sellers, Jr., 1923-1933
• Colonel James M. Sellers, 1933-1960.
• Colonel Lester B. Wikoff, 1960-1971.
• Colonel Leon Ungles, 1971-1973.
• Colonel James M. Sellers, Jr., 1973-1990.
• Colonel John Rowland Edwards, 1990-1991.
• Lieutenant General Robert Arter, 1991.
• Brigadier General Gerald Childress, 1991-1994.
• Colonel Jerry E. Brown, 1994-2002.
• Major General John H. Little, 2002-2007.
• Captain Basil Read, 2007-present.

References

• The Story of Wentworth, by Raymond W. Settle, 1950, Spencer Printing Co., Kansas City.
• History of Wentworth Military Academy, by James M. Sellers, Jr., 1984.
• Wentworth Trumpeter, 1893-2007.
• Wentworth Military Academy, 125th Anniversary. Lil Touch Publishing. 2005.

External links

• Wentworth Military Academy and College Website