Thompson Library & Statue
William Oxley Thompson referees Cane Rush, 1921
Image 15 of 16
The library was named after William Oxley Thompson in 1951 when the stacks tower opened. Thompson was OSU’s longest-serving president (1899-1925) and was beloved by the students. Twenty years before the library was re-named for him, the classes of 1923, 1925, 1926, and 1928 raised money to build a “life-size” statue of OSU’s longest-serving president because of their admiration for him. The statue was was erected in 1931.