University. Fowler was in Tacoma for a Methodist conference when he spoke of his vision of a Christian institution of learning in the area. The conference released a report:
We commit ourselves ... heartily to the building up within the bounds of the conference of an institution of learning which shall by its ample facilities ... command the respect and patronage of Methodist people within the bounds of the territory ... and so by united and prayerful efforts advance to the establishment of a school of learning which shall be a praise in all the land.
Two cities vied for the location of the school: Port Townsend and Tacoma. The committee eventually decided on Tacoma. A charter was drawn up and filed in Olympia on March 17, 1888. This date marks the legal beginning of the school. At this time, the school's legal title was The Puget Sound University. In September 1890, Puget Sound opened its doors, taking in 88 students.
The beginnings of the school were marked by moral conviction: students were warned against …
