Memorial Hall - Whitman College

Upon Norman Butler's death in 1913, the following letter was printed in the Walla Walla Union Bulletin from Stephen B. L. Penrose, the president of Whitman College from 1894 to 1934:

Editor of the Bulletin:

The late Mr. Norman F. Butler has been recognized as a citizen of high character and public usefulness. There was, however, a side of his character … which … in my judgement sufficient public recognition has never been given ...

When the new Whitman College first began to loom up as a possibility in 1899 and the contract for new buildings was about to be let, Mr. Butler voluntarily made the proposition to the trustees of the college that he would superintend the construction of the new buildings without cost to the institution. The erection of the Memorial Building and Billings Hall was a long and laborious process, involving the expenditure of nearly one hundred thousand dollars, but Mr. Butler superintended the construction with the same scrupulous fidelity and watchful care that he would have given to his own affairs. The excellence of the buildings and the way they have endured is a tribute to Mr. Butler’s oversight as much as to the honesty of the contractors.

So, too, when Reynolds Hall was built in 1902 and again the gymnasium in 1905, Mr. Butler gave his services to the college freely. It was a contribution of great value to the institution, and I am glad to take this occasion to let the public know of his gifts to Whitman College and the practical ways in which he served it. During the last financial campaign he contributed one thousand dollars. I doubt if there are any citizens of Walla Walla who have shown a more real and generous friendship for Whitman College than N. F. Butler.

Stephen B. L. Penrose