The Academy room, located on the second floor of the Shadek-Fackenthal Library, has recently been renovated. The room is named in honor of Franklin and Marshall Academy, a boys preparatory school affiliated with the College that operated from 1871-1943. The Academy room was originally dedicated in 1983 after renovations were completed to the old Fackenthal Library. At that time, Academy alumni donated funds for the renovation of the room in honor of the school whose original buildings on campus were razed in 1975 and 1977. The current renovation was planned by a committee consisting of Academy alumni, college employees, and an interior designer. The new look of the room is intended to more closely suggest the look and warm feel of the living area of the old Academy building (also known as Hartman Hall). Additional memorabilia displays will be added to complement the room.
On October 8th, Academy alumni met in the room to dedicate a new portrait of Academy alumnus Theodore H. Rupp, a 1931 graduate who has been instrumental in organizing reunions, documenting the Academy's history, and collecting memorabilia for the College Archives. Rupp's portrait hangs on the north wall. Now displayed prominently on the west wall are the reframed portraits of the Academy's long-time headmaster Edwin M. Hartman and his wife Helen Stahr Hartman. A new addition on the south wall is the original Hartman Hall-inscribed doorway lintel saved from the 1975 demolition by Academy alumnus Robert S. Wohlsen.
In addition to hosting Academy reunions, the Academy room is used for Friends of the Library events, and is a popular place for students to study.
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