People
William Harper was the president of what was then called, Elon College, for twenty years. In the years he worked he dealt with the effects of World War 1, the Spanish Influenza, and the fire of 1923 which struck the Administration Building. William Harper helped rebuild Elon after one of its most devastating events, contacting any and everyone who may be able to help. President Harper was one of the driving forces behind the "Greater Elon" plan and is one of the main reasons as to why the campus is, as it is today.
This is a photograph of sophomore, Terrell William from the 1923 Elon yearbook. Terrell William was the first person to come across the Administration Building on January 18th, 1923. He was the first to come across the fire and warn others about what was going on.
Isabella Cannon was one of the few students who lived and persevered through the tragic fire, which destroyed the Administration Building. She was also one of the students whose transcript was destroyed, and had to be replaced by a hand written copy. While at Elon, Dr. Cannon met the man who would later become her husband. He was the registrar for Elon at the time. After Elon she claimed many achievements including becoming the first Woman elected mayor of a U.S. state capital when she was elected mayor of Raleigh. Just like Dr. Cannon, Elon persevered as a school after the fire and made a Greater Elon.
Transcript for newspaper excerpt to the left: Isabella Cannon. At age 86, she's still going strong. Murray Glenn. The Pendulum. Both Isabella Cannon and Elon College changed drastically during the early 1920s. Dr. Cannon attended Elon from 1921-1924. During the four years that she was at Elon she witnessed the main administrative building destroyed by fire and met and married her husband, the Elon College registrar. Cannon remembers life at Elon as being a little different than it is today. She recalls life in west dormitory as being very restricted. Unchaperoned dating was not allowed. Coed social dancing was not allowed. Men and women where not allowed to use the same entrances when entering buildings. Cannon was married during her freshman year to Mr. Claude M. Cannon. The original plan was for them to get married when she graduated from Elon. The marriage plans were hurried when Dr. Cannon's mother got homesick. This prompted her parents to decide to move back to their native country, Scotland. The couple was married one week after Isabella's parents announced that they were leaving the country. The campus underwent significant landscape changes during Cannon's tenure. On January 18, 1923 the main administrative building was destroyed by fire. Students and faculty worked together to fight the blaze. Cannon was one of the students who had her destroyed transcripts replaced by hand written transcripts. During the latter part of 1923, the college began to rebuild. The Duke Science Building, The Mooney Building, The Carlton Library, Whitley Auditorium and the Alamance Administrative building were all under construction during the summer of 1923. The 1924 Elon College yearbook describes the graduating class as a group of people who led the student body to overcome the adversity of trying to learn against the constant chatter of new construction. Cannon fondly tells the story of how she met and married her husband Claude. He was the Elon College registrar; she was a freshman. Since the couple could not eat at the same table in the cafeteria, they traded love notes. Cannon said her husband used to ride the train into Burlington on weekends and bring food back to her. Cannon was the first female member of her class to get married. Cannon is paying very close attention to the Persian Gulf War. She remembers the times she and her husband spent in Baghdad during the early 1950s. Her husband worked as a diplomat in the American Embassy from 1950-1952. She remembers the Iraqi people as being some of the kindest and most hospitable she had ever met. She feels that the Iraqi war demonstrators are not indicative of the general population. She feels that Iraq, like many other Middle Eastern countries are greatly influenced by propaganda. She said, "The Iraqi people are in a difficult position because they are not getting the facts as they should be reported." Cannon said that Iraq was hindered by a severe lack of materials when they lived in Baghdad. When the Cannon's moved to Iraq, they had to take dishes, flour, and refrigerators. She said their refrigerator was not bigger than one that could be found in a college dorm room. In 1977 Cannon made national history when she became the first female elected mayor of a U.S. capital city when she was elected mayor of Raleigh. She is the only woman mayor in Raleigh's 200 year history. She defeated incumbent Jyles J. Coggins. She received 52% of the votes. Her campaign slogan was "The little old lady in sneakers." She said she selected this slogan because she was tired of the stereotyping that many older people revive. She feels like she won the race because she took a negative connotation and turned it into something positive. Friends still tease her about being the little old lady in sneakers. In 1989 Cannon decided to give herself a trip to China as a birthday present. She arrived in Beijing just one day before the student protest began. "Tiananmen Square was jammed with people. You could see parades and banners everywhere," Cannon Said. Cannon said that from her viewpoint, this protest was no more student oriented than Vietnam. She said unions of people from every segment in society took part in the protest. "The hunger strikes were the aspect of the protest that really really tore me up," Cannon said. Cannon recalled seeing people refuse food and water to the point where they had to be hospitalized because of dehydration. The Elon College academic convocation Feb. 18, was not the first time that the college honored Dr. Cannon. In 1978 she was awarded an honorary doctorate from Elon, and in 1983 she was named Distinguished Alumnae of the year. On April 21, 1988, the college dedicated the Isabella Cannon room in the Fine Arts Center. At the age of 86, Cannon annually delivers approximately 100 speeches to to audiences that range from civic groups to elementary school students. "I do not think it has ever occurred to her not to be active. Dr. Cannon is definitely a person who does not look at herself as being old," said J.B. Shelton, a friend of Cannon. Dr. Cannon summed up her attitude toward life during her acceptance speech at the Elon College academic convocation. She told she student body that she would like to catch up with each of the students in the year 2010 to see what type of leaders that they turned out to be. [Caption under top photograph] Isabella Cannon stands with Elon's leadership fellows. [Caption under bottom photograph] Cannon, with President Fred Young, receives plaque.
"Triumphant From Ashes" is a compilation of video interviews, audio interviews, classroom video, and photos telling the story of the Elon College fire of 1923. The video goes on to tell the story of how the college rebuilt and overcame the tragic event. The video ends with Elon facing the Great Depression and choosing a new president. The video includes interviews with Dr. Isabella Cannon, Dr. J. Earl Danieley, and William Terrell. The materials used for this video are housed in the Elon University Archives and Special Collections. It was produced by Evan Smith, Elon class of 2026.