Military Drill Begins, 1858. Legend holds that Theodore Hyatt entered the gymnasium to find his pupils drilling with broomsticks. Hyatt soon introduces military training to “develop the muscles, expand the chest, and impart an erect gentlemanly...
Henry Thomason was the Valedictorian of his P.M.A. class of 1879. He was trained as a doctor and served in the US Military. In 1898, he enlisted in the Spanish American War as Major and Surgeon in the Michigan Volunteer Infantry. He served as an...
A View of Chester River by Louise Deshong Woodbridge, 1875. Woodbridge, an artist and pioneering photographer, marries soon after completing this painting and lives with her husband in a large brick home at 14th and Potter Streets. Widener...
Cavalry Begins, 1888. Charles Hyatt erects a riding hall on campus for cavalry instruction. The cadets are soon recognized as outstanding cavalrymen and are in demand for numerous public exhibitions. The 1923 PMC News caption under this photograph...
Alumni; World War, 1939-1945; World War, 1939-1945 -- Campaigns -- France -- Normandy
This autobiography chronicles 72 years of Carl A. Shaubel's life. He discusses his childhood in Philadelphia, college day at Pennsylvania Military College, marriage to Ruth Malcomson (Miss America 1924), military service and post war work in the...
PMA Mandolin and Guitar Club, c. 1890. Music plays an important role at the school, from the earliest days of the drum and bugle corps through the triumph of the PMC Marching Band when it wins first place as the best ROTC marching band at the New...
Charles Eliot Hyatt was born in 1851, and graduated from Pennsylvania Military Academy in 1872 with a degree in civil engineering. He taught mathematics at PMA from 1872-1880, and served as vice-president of the school from 1880-1888. On February...
Birth of the Hoagie, DiCostanza’s Grocery, 1925. Chester lore says that a hungry gambler requests a sandwich made of “everything you have in the case” and Mom DiCostanza obliges by creating the first hoagie.
Reenactment of the Broom Drill, 1914. PMC alumni annually reenact the event that, according to school lore, prompted Theodore Hyatt to begin military training in 1858.
Vacation Bible School, c. 1928. Pastor Abraham Lathem starts the nation’s first Vacation Bible School at the Third Presbyterian Church at 9th and Potter Streets. At its peak, approximately 700 people participate. PMC President Frank Hyatt rents a...
President Hoover at the B&O Railroad Station, 1929. President Hoover reviews the cadets as he and Mrs. Hoover are en route to the final World Series Game in Philadelphia. Although the train stops for a complete minute, the event becomes known...
World War, 1939-1945 -- Education and the war; Pennsylvania Military College; Army Specialized Training Program (U.S.)
On pages 199; 209-211, DelVecchio describes the ASTP and ASTRP Programs. DelVecchio, V. (1997). Beneath the Dome - The Story of Pennsylvania Military College. Santa Barbara, CA.
George Bjotvedt graduated from PMC in 1951, and began his tour of duty in Korea in 1952. When he reached Korea, he and his peers were randomly assigned to infantry divisions. Bjotvedt served with the 65th Puerto Rican Regiment, gaining a smattering...
