Culver Military Academy Culver Educational Foundation 1970- present  

1970 - After a favorable vote by the trustees, Dean Ernest B. Benson announced the intent to establish Culver Academy for Girls beginning in September, 1971. Academic year 1970-71 wo uld be devoted to intensive planning and preparations for the opening. Mary Frances England, then head of the Summer School for Girls, was appointed as director. In this first official announcement, Benson wrote:

"The decision to admit girls followed a study of nearly three years by staff and faculty. As stated in the news release, the board is convinced that 'the addition of an academy for girls on the campus of a boys' school will provide an enrichment of the total program of both schools, a superior education for both sexes, and a greater recognition of the importance of natural relationships between boys and girls.'" (Culver Alumnus, Spring 1970)

In 1971 the name was revised to Culver Academy Girls was founded and the winter school program began. It opened with 77 boarding students housed in West Lodge and North Lodge (a motel unit of the Culver Inn).

1973 - McMillen Athletic Center connected to the Recreation Building in 1973 provided badly needed locker space and showers for cadets, coeds, and faculty. Office space for coaches was included within the building. It was a gift if Dale W. McMillen '32.

1974 - Mar - The Culver Educational Foundation's board of directors has announced the appointment of Col. Ben A. Barone, USAF, as Culver's - ninth superintendent, effective July 1. Col. Barone will succeed Lt. Gen. John W. Carpenter III, USAF (ret.), who announced plans last summer to retire after his fourth year as superintendent effective June 30, 1974. Col. Barone, who is 47, is in the process of retiring early from active duty in the Air Force -after 24 years of commissioned service in order to become Culver's superintendent.

1975 - the name the name was revised to Culver Academy Girls was revised became Culver Girls Academy (C.G.A.).

1976 - John R. Mars became superintendent; Mary Frances England Director of CAG became it's Dean.

1976 - Henderson Ice Arena was formally dedicated on Feb. 14, 1976 to honor of John W. Henderson, Dean of Admissions Emeritus. he was a distinguished administrator from 1919 to 1981. It confirms to National Hockey League standards - 85' by 200' amd a sheet of new ice requires about 11,700 gallons of water (1.2 inches thick).

There appears to be two different maps; sometime in the late 1970's land holdings were:

1977 - Nov. 26 - 27, 'Little Gym' burned to the ground in an early evening arson fire. It virtually exploded in flames as 70 years of floor varnish and roofing tar were ignited by an arsonist. Valiant efforts by local fire departments from as far as Plymouth and Monterey, joined with the cadet fire brigade and saved the swimming pool, the McMillen Athletic Center including cadet and co-ed dressing rooms and, quite likely, the Recreation Building. All that remained was the facade of the building. The contents were a total loss - Team uniforms, athletic equipment, records, and trophies in the Hall of Fame were destroyed. A mentally ill student had set the fire, then joined the cadet fire brigade in attempting to save the structure. He was identified and dismissed.

Sometime in the 1970's or 1980's the big barn that sat on the East side on the edge of the golf course burned.

1980 - the Reuben Fleet Gymnasium dedicated.

1982 - Ralph N. Manuel of Dartmouth became Superintendent.

1983 - Richard Gwyn Davis wrote a Thesis/dissertation/manuscript: Of arms and the boy: a history of Culver Military Academy

1969 - Oct 1969 - Oliver Field was dedicated named in honor of Russ Oliver ’31, long time coach was dedicated

1984 - eighth-graders program was discontinued.

1984-85 - Jane A. Vogel Became dean of Culver Girls Academy

1986 the Academy had 1500 acres and 37 major buildings.

1987 - Sept. Trudy E. Hall became Dean of CGA

1989 - President Ralph Manuel moved his residence to the East Shore, this campus icon [Edwin R. Culver 's chateau-style residence overlooking the lake] was razed to make way for the Huffington Library, immediately west of the Superintendent’s Home also sat a private residence belonging to the David Braden; had been acquired by the Academy in the early 1930s and the guest house, it too, was demolished to make way for the library. May 15-17 the Academy's 1^st museum is dedicated - and is housed in the 2^nd and 3 ^rd floor towers of the Arsenal.

this view of the campus is looking at it from the west to the east - one partial sees the woodcraft camp which is located west of the main campus and St.Rd. 117. visible is the double entrance/exit road off of St. of St. Rd. 10 for the Woodcraft camp.

This Year's Role Model
Teens List A Hodgepodge Of Heroes, But All Agree: The Untarnished Idol Is A Thing Of The Past
By Charles Leerhsen | NEWSWEEK
From the magazine issue dated Jun 1, 1990

There's no way around it: if you want to understand today's teenagers, you have to discover their heroes. Or, as the philosopher Joseph Campbell has pointed out, the people we admire are a reflection of our inner selves. Which isn't to say that pinpointing today's teen heroes is a Herculean task. Years of research have produced a scientific way of obtaining people's opinions about any number of things, heroes included. Yet in preparing this report, I didn't want to go that route. ...

I wanted something less obvious, something more real. So I took a trip. I visited a military academy in Indiana,...

My tour began at the Culver Academies, in Culver , Ind. New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner went here, as did actor Hal Holbrook and George R. Roberts (of the Kohlberg Kravis Roberts investment firm). Culver is two institutions: a boys' military school founded in 1894 and a girls' academy opened in 1971. Both share a reputation for academic excellence, as well as a handsome campus with Gothic buildings and huge, sloping lawns convenient for rolling freshmen into nearby Lake Maxinkuckee. Annual cost: about $18,000.

Culver is "military" only in its discipline and uniforms; the students don't study war no more. Still, when asked for their heroes, the boys came up with Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, Douglas MacArthur, Alexander the Great, Chuck Yeager, Audie Murphy and Sergeant York. Mixed in with those, though, were Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Houdini--and from Stephan Lower, a senior from Westfield, N.J.: Winnie the Pooh. The girls mentioned Lucille Ball, Margaret Thatcher, Superman, Jane Good-all--and Westfield, New Jersey's own Stephan Lower. Michael Jordan was pop ular with both groups, as was James Dean. Although somewhat startled at the mention of an actor now 24 years dead, I didn't think much of it, yet. Indiana was Dean's home state, after all, and these kids had a sense of history and liked to demonstrate it.

1990-1991 - Carolyn J. Kline became Dean of CGA

• January 16 – Construction of the Huffington Library was under way on the Culver Academies campus with pouring of concrete footings expected any day…
• January 23 – It was revealed that the Culver Inn wo uld be demolished sometime in the spring…
• May 22 – Police are looking for an arsonist who set a fire at the Woodcraft Camp at the Culver Academies…
• May 29 – Two Culver Military Academy students were expelled after admitting their involvement in the fire that did $10,000 in damage at the Woodcraft Camp…

During mid-1990s, the ageing Erie boiler was removed from the powerhouse and replaced with two Superior 400 horsepower fire tube natural gas boilers thus updating the power plant.

1993 - Oct 1 The Huffington Library was dedicated on October 1, 1993. It was the gift of Mr. and Mrs. Roy Huffington of Houston and Michael Huffington '65 of Los Angeles. Over 45,000 volumes were moved from the Legion Memorial Building library in a single day in a carefully orchestrated action by students.

1994-95 - Gay E. Hurst became Dean of CGA

And in 1996 the land holdings is shown as follows:

1996 - Installed a cogeneration system. The Waukesha Enginators can be operated intermittently at 575 kw. This additional available power provides increased system flexibility. The new plant will operate 24/7.


1996 - October 9 – The Dicke Administration Center was dedicated in the Legion Memorial Building on the campus of the Culver Academies…

1996-98 CGA celebrated its 25th anniversary

1998-99 - Judy L. Dunsmore became Dean of CGA

1999-2000 - John Buxton became Culver ’s Head of Schools, Judy H. Delp became Dean of CGA

2000 - Culver 's 1800-acre campus has 38 main facilities including four academic buildings, a 50-bed health center, an auditorium, a 150000-volume library, student dormitories, an ice arena and an athletic center.

2000 - the Rec Building of 1922 recieved a major renovation by George M. Steinbrenner '48, in 2000, the portico which was removed in the 1960's was replaced.

Mid 2000's has seen the installation of natural gas reciprocating engines that drive two electric generators.

2002 - Robert's Hall of Science Dicke Hall of Mathematics completed September 2002. Total cost $16,935,000.00, designed by Architecture Design Group and Ballinger Architects of Philadelphia served as the laboratory design consultant. A 64,000 [76,000] square foot facility housing classrooms and offices for both the science and math departments at Culver Academies.

Science teaching spaces for chemistry, biology, and integrated science are designed as combination lab/classroom, allowing the class to move from lecture to lab effortlessly in the same period. The building also contains a circ ular shaped, tiered auditorium for large classes and lectures, and is equipped with state of the art audio-video-data projection equipment. Major hallways are single-loaded and provide excellent views of Lake Maxinkuckee. The height and scale of the new building is compatible with the existing campus buildings. The exterior building materials follow the campus standard of brick, limestone, and slate. This building won the 2003 AIA Indiana Honor Award, and was published in 2003 for Outstanding Project Selection in American School & University Architectural Showcase.

2005 - August 10 - All aircraft at a northern Indiana private school have been grounded while an investigation continues into what caused one of its planes to crash into a lake. A teenager from Tampa and his 21-year-old flight instructor were killed in the crash.

2006 - A Renovation project of $10 million got under way for the complete renovation of the Department of Horsemanship’s Vaughn Equestrian Center. The stable will be replaced with 100 new stalls (barn), and the riding hall and the Black Horse Troop lounge will be renovated also a temporary structure has been placed East of the Riding hall to use for temporary quarters to prevent the interruption of any of the existings programs during the construction period. There will be a new drop off area with parking on the West side of the building and a new entrace date to the North of the building also.

2007 February - John N. Buxton, Culver Academies’ current and 12th head of schools. Issued a press release of the aviation program - before publicly doing it in the newspapers and the Culver Alumni he sent a letter to Culver Summer school alumni and supporters sometime in January annoucing the aviation programs fate - Academies close air program.

27 Aug. 2007 - The fire broke out at 1:10 a.m. on the third floor of the South Barrack. One room was gutted and the rest of the floor was damaged. None of the boys was seriously injured at Culver Academies.

Culver sets new fund goals Prep school attained their $200M goal 2 years early.

2007 - October 9 - found at Ft. Wayne.com/News Sentinel:

By The Associated Press - Culver — Culver Academies surpassed a $200 million fundraising goal two years sooner than expected and is now targeting $300 million in donations.

The private college prep school in northern Indiana has so far received about $222 million from its campaign committee, trustees, alumni, parents, students and other foundations and corporations, said James A. Henderson, retired Cummins Engine Co. CEO and chairman of the Culver Educational Foundation. “Culver is all about teaching leadership and core values,” Henderson said Monday.

“It changes lives in a profound way, and our alumni, parents and friends understand and appreciate this fact.”

The five-year campaign began in October 2004. About 60 percent of the money raised will be earmarked for the school's endowment; the rest will be used for annual operating expenses and renovations to classrooms and other campus facilities.

Culver was founded in 1894 along Lake Maxinkuckee, about 100 miles north of Indianapolis, as a military academy and boarding school for boys and was opened to girls in 1971. Its alumni include New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, race car owner and businessman Roger Penske, Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams, actor Hal Holbrook, and Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh.

2006 - The Ron Rubin School for the Entrepreneur

2007 - Aviation program discontinued; a cadet room in South Barrack caught fire.


A listings of all property holdings of the academy that I have found is listed here.

2008, an addition to the west of Eppley Auditorium, The Steinbrenner Performing Arts Center, enhanced the auditorium.

2019 - Aug. 11 - Qm Building razed - said that A new barrack, donated by the Lauridsen family (Christine, Walter, Auggie) will be built there, expressly to house the Band unit!

Nix Lauridsen ’68, the lead donor for the barrack that bears his name

The band is as old as the school, which was founded in 1894, and had most recently been housed in South Barrack.

The 26,250 square foot Lauridsen Barrack, is a two-story building that has 36 rooms that houses 72 cadets, and also will house the summer Naval Band. The building has a lounge on each floor and air conditioning throughout. It was constructed on the site of a building that formerly housed the mathematics department and the post office.

Lauridsen Barrack anchors what will be the Roberts Residential Quadrangle, which includes the new Roberts Barrack, and will include the newly rebuilt Main, North and East barracks.

2019 - Aug 30 - The former Culver Academies Post Office building, demolished recently

2020 - Fall- Three new buildings are under constriction:

Roberts Barrack which will house 106 cadets andcs located between the North & East Barracks and Fleet Gym

Lauridsen Barrack, which will house 72 cadets and will be constructed on the site of the old Leadership Building/Post Office

Schrage Leadership Center which is being built on the site of the old motel units

2021 - June - Roberts Barracks Slated to be completed

2022 - Feb. - Roberts Residential Quadrangle. - Thanks to the generosity of Culver Military Academy alumnus George Roberts '62 o Culver will begin construction this summer on the Roberts Residential Quadrangle. This project will include new Main, North, and East barracks, as well as a central plaza serving as a point for one of the most iconic areas of campus. These new dormitories will replace the existing Main, North, and East barracks. Each dormitory will house from 80 to 175 students with rooms, lounge areas, information technology support and meeting areas, as well as office and residential areas for live-on-campus faculty and staff assigned to those students.

2022 - May - Culver is proud to the announce the opening of The Schrage Leadership Center.

\ 2022 - Oct 9 - Eagle Stadium aka Oliver Field (Russ Oliver ’31, long time coach Oliver FIeld was dedicated Oct 25, 1969), dedicated

The stadium project included a new brick edifice that includes home and visitor team rooms, a training room, a concession room, renovated restrooms, an expanded press box, hospitality suites and observation decks, a second-floor restroom, and an ADA-compliant elevator.

The new structure was built around the existing bleachers.

as was also Lauridsen Barracks

1883-1893 ~ ~ 1894-1899 ~~ 1899-1919 ~~ 1920-1944 ~~ 1945-1969. ~~ 1970-present