Page:A History of the University of Chicago by Thomas Wakefield Goodspeed.djvu/494

432 A HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO thousand, five hundred and eleven dollars from the Athletic Fund the space under the grandstand was transformed, in the words of President Judson, into "a second commodious gymnasium." The cost of the grandstand and wall was two hundred and fifty-six thousand, five hundred and fifty dollars which, excluding the special contributions above mentioned, was provided by the accumulated surplus and the final gift of the Founder. President Judson in his Annual Report for 1913-14 made the following statement : The seating capacity of the Grandstand is such as to provide for about eight thousand spectators. Temporary stands on the east side of the field and at the two ends are used, so that on special occasions accommodation can be had for approximately twenty thousand. The erection of a Grandstand pro- viding capacity for not more than about eight thousand is a matter of distinct University policy The present provision is entirely adequate to care for the students, alumni, and immediate friends of the University properly at such public athletic contests as it may be desirable to have. It is not the function of the University to provide at great cost spectacular entertainment for enormous crowds of people. The grandstand and wall, in addition to giving the liveliest satisfaction to the student body and providing admirable facilities for athletic contests, immensely improved the University's external equipment. The action of the Trustees in June, 1912, contemplated only four pieces of building construction. But in the midst of this movement a fifth building, which had not been a part of the plan, appeared. Howard Taylor Ricketts was a member of the staff of instruc- tion in Pathology and Bacteriology from 1902 until his death in 1910. Appointed at the outset as an Associate, successive pro- motions made him an Assistant Professor. An enthusiastic investi- gator, he became absorbed in researches into the origin and cure of typhus fever. In the beginning of 1909 he succeeded in iso- lating the microbe of that perplexing disease. He visited more than once the Rocky Mountain regions most afflicted by the disease and sought earnestly for results in the discovery of preventive and curative measures. In 1910 his zeal in this investigation carried him to Mexico, where he himself fell a martyr to the disease. In