World War II

World War II dramatically changed Georgetown's campus during the presidencies of Fr. O'Leary from 1935 to 1942 and Fr. Gorman from 1942 to 1949. As the United States braced for war, Georgetown was home to some military reserve training sites in the summers of 1940 and 1941. Father O'Leary declared that Georgetown was "eager to render service to our beloved nation to the very best of our ability." As a result, the campus erected an obstacle course and required exercises on Copley lawn to ensure that the student body was physically fit. Georgetown also created an accelerated class schedule so students could graduate before joining the army.

However, when the minimum age for the draft was lowered to 18, the campus emptied out. Just like when the student population plummeted during the Civil War, Georgetown went from enrolling 1,300 undergraduates in 1941 to enrolling just 140 in 1943. To compensate for its loss of male students, the Graduate School and School of Foreign Service began allowing women into their programs as a "wartime concession." Remaining students were housed in Copley as social events were cancelled, student government shut down, and campus media scaled back. Over 6,000 Hoyas served in World War II and 168 died in action.

Campus effectively became a military compound. The Army, Navy, and Army Air Force all had training programs and facilities on campus. There were more than 1,800 military personnel on campus at the height of the war. After the war, Georgetown's campus came back to life thanks to the G.I. Bill. In 1946, more than half of the 2,600 students at Georgetown were veterans and more than 75% of the School of Foreign Service were attending on the G.I. Bill. This dramatically diversified the demographics and culture of Georgetown's student body. Georgetown continues this legacy today ranked as one of the best colleges in the nation for veterans.

Georgetown received several new buildings as a result of post-war legislation like the Lanham Act of 1945 which authorized the Federal Works Agency to transfer surplus military buildings to colleges that needed them for educating veterans. In addition to two barracks placed near Dahlgren Quad, a barn was constructed behind Dahlgren Chapel and named after Fr. O'Gara, a Georgetown theology professor who served as a chaplain in World War II and died in a plane crash to save another person's life. Today, O'Gara Terrace can be found in the spot where the building formerly stood.

The government also placed two long and narrow wooden structures at the corner of 37th and P - where you are currently standing. As you can see, these two long buildings were bricked over and connected in the back. The university named the building "Poulton Hall" to recognize the completion of the Greater Georgetown Project's quadrangle - although not exactly as Fr. Nevils had envisioned. Today, Poulton Hall is home to the Center for Social Justice and to a theatre group called Mask & Bauble. Founded in 1852, Mask & Bauble is said to be the nation's longest continuously running student theatre group.

GEORGETOWN TODAY

Learn more about the Veterans Office here.

Learn more about ROTC here.