of the campus. One of the most notable gifts came from a young MGM film star, Judy Garland, who at just fifteen years old, sold autographs in front of the Loew's State Theater for $5-$10 per copy on February 18, 1938. Judy brought the gifts to a Bridge and Fashion Show and gave them to Father Dillon's Aquinas Hall Fund.
By 1939, Aquinas Hall dormitory had been built to accommodate more students enrolling in general studies, but with the impact of World War II upon enrollment, President John J. Dillon, O.P. (1936–1944) lobbied Rhode Island's congressional delegation to pressure the War Department to assign Providence College an Army Specialized Training Program unit. Unit #1188 arrived on campus in the summer of 1943, allowing the college to continue operation. A class of approximately 380 soldiers-in-training studied engineering at Providence College for a year before going overseas.
=== Post-World War II expansion ===
Robert J. Slavin, O.P. served as president from 1947 to 1961. During his tenure in 1955, …
