The Board of Trustees also "hired vans to transfer all the students and the library books and other school items to Cedarville."12 Approximately 5,000 volumes were shipped to Carnegie Library, while less than a thousand were left at Hough Avenue for the continuing night school division. On Sunday, August 23, the Hough Avenue Baptist Church was destroyed by fire, resulting in a loss in excess of one-half million dollars. Had the library still been in Cleveland, it would have been totally destroyed. As the school year approached, it became increasingly apparent that the vast majority of students were going to make the switch from Cleveland to Cedarville. This was particularly remarkable since 40 married couples were involved, creating a serious housing problem in the village. Many students who planned on enrolling in September came early to help remodel, repair, and redecorate the campus. Many worked long hours six days a week to make it possible for the college to open on time. The task of finding teachers for a liberal arts curriculum was a major challenge. When school opened, however, every faculty position had been filled except one in the Science Department. Shortly after school began, a teacher was found in time for the students to take their science classes on schedule. It was September 16, 1953, when the first students officially entered Cedarville Baptist College. The opening week of school the chapel speaker was Dr. Robert T. Ketcham, the national representative of the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches (G.A.R.B.C.). When Ketcham stood to deliver his first message to the student body, many students had not heard that the Hough Avenue Baptist Church had been destroyed by fire. Ketcham told them the story and reminded them that if the school had not moved there would be no school! He said, "God burned your bridges behind you." He then indicated he had been praying for a liberal arts college for the G.A.R.B.C. for 21 yearsY Later Ketcham told the trustees the same thing. He reminded them there were plenty of Bible schools scattered across the country, and urged them to stress the liberal arts concept, saying: There are a number of good Christian col– leges in this country but they do not train for Baptist leadership as we feel it should be. God has placed in the hands of the trustees of Cedar– ville College the terrific heritage, a great re– sponsibility and a real opportunity.14 He reminded the men that hundreds of Regular Baptist young people were attending Dr. Robert Ketcham spoke at the first FaJl Bible Conference of the Baptist era, kicking off the 1954 academic year. Chapter XII/97
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