L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 28 L'Italo-Americano W hen visi- t o r s a r r i v e o n t h e Seattle campus of the University of Washington, they are greeted by a stunning Gothic m a s t e r p i e c e t h a t d w a r f s m a n y o f t h e s u r r o u n d i n g b u i l d i n g s - - S u z z a l l o Library. Gaze upwards and notice the library's 18 terra cotta figures, sitting in nich- e s a l o n g t h e f a c a d e . T h e sculptures depict individuals who made significant contri- butions to learning and cul- ture. Three are Italians -- Dante, Leonardo da Vinci, and Galileo. The other sculp- tures include such influential w o r l d f i g u r e s a s S h a k e - s p e a r e , P l a t o , B e n j a m i n Franklin, Sir Isaac Newton, G o e t h e , G u t e n b e r g , Beethoven, and Darwin. Today, the library con- tains more than 2 million print volumes, and its halls are visited each year by some 2 . 5 m i l l i o n p e o p l e . Considered an architectural and historical treasure, it w a s n a m e d i n h o n o r o f Anthony Henry Suzzallo, who served as the 16 th presi- d e n t o f t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f Washington from 1915 to 1926. S u z z a l l o ' s f a m i l y w a s descended from Italian and Slavic roots. His father, Peter Suzzallo, went to sea at an early age. During one of his voyages, he arrived in New York City where he heard fantastic stories about the 1849 California gold rush. Excited by the prospect of making his fortune, Peter signed on to a ship bound for C a l i f o r n i a , r e a c h e d P l a c e r v i l l e a n d b e g a n t o mine for gold. He did well for himself with his gold- mining venture, enabling him to return to his home- t o w n o f R a g u s a o n t h e Dalmatian coast and marry a distant cousin. The couple returned to California and settled in San Jose, where son Henry was born in 1875, the eighth of nine children. Despite his eventual rise to become a much-admired university president, Henry did not distinguish himself during his early years. After high school, he went to work in a San Jose clothing store. The owners took a liking to him, however. Recognizing his potential, they loaned him money to go to college. He spent two years at a state school and then transferred t o S t a n f o r d , w h i c h h a d opened only a few years ear- lier. At Stanford, Suzzallo hit his stride and excelled as a student. He chose to special- ize in a career focused on education, becoming first an elementary school principal and then deputy superinten- dent of San Francisco's pub- lic school system. He went on to get his PhD in 1902 at C o l u m b i a , a n d b e c a m e a professor at Stanford, Yale and Columbia universities. In 1912, he married Edith Moore, the niece of a promi- nent Seattle family. W h i l e t e a c h i n g a t Columbia, Suzzallo heard t h a t t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f Washington was looking for a new president; he indicat- ed he would be interested. The UW board sent a search committee to Columbia to interview him. Columbia's president Nicholas Butler, not wanting to lose the pop- ular professor, nevertheless gave him a stellar recom- m e n d a t i o n : " T h e r e i s n o man in America who seems to me to possess more quali- ties, both in mind and in character, that are of the first r a n k a n d o f t h e h i g h e s t importance than Professor Suzzallo." Suzzallo got the job and was confirmed as UW presi- dent in May 1915. In one of his speeches, he promised to "develop a university that will take its place with the b e s t i n t h e c o u n t r y , a n d which will stand, backed by the community, a vigorous and responsive expression of the community's desire for t h e b e s t i n l i f e t h a t h a s brought me here." Short, stocky and dark- c o m p l e x i o n e d , S u z z a l l o ' s energy and enthusiasm were unbridled. He immediately got busy to learn more about his adopted state, traveling from one end to the other, g i v i n g m o r e t h a n 1 0 0 s p e e c h e s . A t t u n e d t o W a s h i n g t o n ' s e c o n o m i c potential, within his first year he created the schools of fisheries, marine engi- neering, commerce and busi- ness, and architecture. Then he turned his attention to expanding the physical cam- pus, hiring the local firm of Bebb and Gould to come up with a master plan. RITA CIPALLA The architects designed a campus made up of two sec- tions: one devoted to the schools of home economics, commerce, liberal arts and education; the other dedicat- ed to the natural sciences. At the central point was a wide plaza, where a magnificent new library was to be built. S u z z a l l o e n v i s i o n e d t h e library as "the soul of the university." Groundbreaking was in 1 9 2 3 a n d t h e n e w l i b r a r y opened three years later. It i n c l u d e d a g r a n d t h r e e - s t o r y - t a l l s t a i r c a s e a n d a s u m p t u o u s r e a d i n g r o o m with vaulted ceilings that featured vibrantly colored and gilded details. At each end of the reading room was a hand-painted globe, bear- ing the names of explorers i n c l u d i n g M a r c o P o l o , C o l u m b u s , A m e r i g o Vespucci, Ponce de Léon, Sir W a l t e r R a l e i g h a n d Francisco Pizarro, among others. Oak bookcases situated along the walls were topped w i t h h a n d - c a r v e d f r i e z e s representing native plants of Washington state: Douglas f i r , s c r u b o a k , d o g w o o d , mountain ash, rhododen- d r o n , p e a r , s a l m o n b e r r y , wild rose and cherry. A total of 28 leaded-glass windows in the reading room incorpo- rated medallions showcasing Renaissance watermarks as part of their design. I n 1 9 2 7 , a n a r t i c l e i n P a c i f i c B u i l d e r a n d Engineer stated that "This room has been pronounced by experts to be the most beautiful on the continent a n d i s r a n k e d a m o n g t h e most beautiful in the world." Unfortunately, soon after the library opened Suzzallo's meteoric rise began to fade. His backing of an eight-hour w o r k d a y f o r l o g g e r s a n d l u m b e r m e n e n r a g e d W a s h i n g t o n ' s g o v e r n o r , Roland H. Hartley. Before long, Suzzallo was dismissed from the university and took a position with the Carnegie F o u n d a t i o n f o r t h e Advancement of Teaching, becoming its president in 1930. Henry Suzzallo died in Seattle three years later, only 58 years old. The library, the crown jewel of his adminis- tration as president of the University of Washington, was named in his honor fol- lowing his death in 1933. Educator Henry Suzzallo, 16th president of the University of Washington (left) and the ornate reading room at Suzzallo Library (right). (Photos courtesy of University of Washington) Henry Suzzallo and the crown jewel of the UW campus SEATTLE ITALIAN COMMUNITY

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