History of Wayman Crow Residential College

Dardick House/Nemerov House

Wayman Crow Residential College was established in 2004.  It was determined that the Residential College would be named after Wayman Crow, one of the founders of Washington University and a remarkable man whose service had  profound impact on the community of St. Louis.

Wayman Crow

(1808-1885)

The Crow family became prominent in the history of St. Louis, Missouri, when the Honorable Wayman Crow brought his family here from Kentucky in 1835. Civic leader, state senator, and business tycoon, Waymon Crow was he co-founder of the first art museum west of the Mississippi River known as St. Louis School and Museum of Fine Arts. Crow Residential College was named after Wayman Crow (1808-1885), who served as a trustee of Washington University and was one of the University's most generous benefactors from 1853 until his death in 1885. Crow was lso entirely responsible for securing the charter which brought Washington University into existence in 1853. The institution's original name was Eliot Seminary, a tribute to Wayman Crow's close friend, St. Louis educator William Greenleaf Eliot. A modest man, Eliot thought the name too local and restrictive, so in deference to his wishes, the name was officially changed to "Washington Institute in St. Louis" in 1854. The institution's name was changed to Washington University in St. Louis" in 1857.

Source: http://library.wustl.edu/units/spec/exhibits/crow/about-crow.html

History of Nemerov House

Nemerov House was constructed during the spring and summer of 1999 and was officially dedicated in the fall of 1999. Nemerov House was paired with Eliot Hall until its implosion on Saturday, June 21, 2003.

Howard Nemerov

(1920 - 1991)

Nemerov House was named after "Howard Nemerov (1920 - 1991), a native of New York City, was a widely published poet who won numerous prizes, awards, grants, and fellowships. He graduated from Harvard in 1941 and immediately enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force. Nemerov flew for the Canadian forces in Europe until 1944, when he joined the U.S. Army Air Force and flew combat missions until 1945. In 1946, Nemerov became an associate editor of Furioso and began teaching at Hamilton College. He served on Furioso until 1951 and taught at several other schools -- Bennington College the University of Minnesota, Brandeis University and Hollins College -- until 1963, when he received a one year appointment as Poetry Consultant to the Library of Congress. In 1969 Nemerov joined the English faculty at Washington University where he was a highly visible and popular teacher, who held the Edward Mallinckrodt Distinguished Professor of English Chair. Although he is best known as a poet, Nemerov also wrote novels, short stories, essays, and criticism. His first book, The Image and the Law , was published in 1947 and he produced over 20 books after that. Nemerov received nearly every award or prize available to poets including the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1977 for Collected Poems , and the Bollingen Prize for Poetry in 1981. He was inducted into the Academy of American Poets in 1971 and was elected a member of the American Institute of Arts and Letters in 1977.

Source: http://www.library.wustl.edu/units/spec/manuscripts/mlc/nemerov/

History of Dardick House

Dardick House officially opened in the fall of 2004 and was originally named Forsyth House. It was officially dedicated as Dardick House in Fall of 2006. Dardick House has been paired with Nemerov House since its construction.

Nathan Dardick

Nathan Dardick received an A.B. degree summa cum laude in psychology from Washington University in 1971. As a dorm resident, dorm president, and resident advisor, he spent a great deal of time on the site of the building which now carries his name. After graduating from the University of Chicago Law School, he created his own law firm specializing in corporate, banking and securities law and commercial litigation. At the age of 46, he retired from the practice of law to operate his own hedge fund and pursue other investment opportunities. Mr. Dardick is an active member of the Washington University community. He currently serves on the Chicago Regional Cabinet and the Executive Committee of the Parents Council. He and his wife of 33 years, Joann Finne Dardick, reside in the Chicago area and are committed volunteers in their community. They have four children, and their youngest, Justin, graduated from the College of Arts and Sciences on May 19, 2006.