Museum and Biz College Dedication

CAPTION: Dr. Jack Neal, curator of the Grand River Historical Society Museum, prepares a special display at the museum about Chillicothe Business College. The museum was open following the dedication ceremony of a historical marker for the college on Friday, September 30. Members of the public, especially former CBC students, attended.

"We see you through" was Chillicothe Business College's motto. And, they did. So much so that its president provided a written guarantee to fully refund the tuition of anyone completing the school's course of study and failing to find employment. Tuition was $25.70 a semester. Room was $5 per month. Boarding was $5 per week. That was 1927.

Chillicothe Business College was established by Allen Moore Sr. as the Chillicothe Normal in 1890. According to a story in the Constitution-Tribune news files, between the school's opening as Chillicothe Normal, and 1952, more than 130,000 students had attended, including about 2,675 air force clerk-typist trainees during World War II and in 1951-52.

The school's legacy will be remembered this Friday, when a monument is dedicated at the southeast corner of the site where the college was established. The ceremony is a public event and graduates of CBC are encouraged to attend. Former president Allen Moore III, also a grandson of the school's founder, plans to be present and make a few comments. Moore currently resides in Arizona. Following the dedication, the Grand River Historical Society Museum will be open for viewing the CBC memorabilia.

"The school was known for providing the best education to anybody who wanted it at a good price," said Dr. Jack Neal, curator of Grand River Historical Society Museum which is adjacent to the old CBC campus. A portion of the museum is devoted to preserving the history of Chillicothe Business College and includes dozens of photographs and old year books as well as educational and training items from the school and extra-curricular memorabilia.

The exhibit is always a draw for visitors. Neal recalled a recent visit by a woman from Kentucky and her three grown daughters who were on what they called a serendipity trip. Their travels included a stop at the museum where they even located a photograph of the mother riding upon the Kentucky Club's float as its queen. "They were quite impressed," Neal observed.

CAPTION: An orange and black arrow, one of many used in a unique method of outdoor advertising, dominates the Chillicothe Business College exhibit at the Grand River Historical Society Museum. The museum opened a special display about the college in September, 2005, following the dedication ceremony of a historical marker for the college at the corner of Monroe and Springhill streets.