Centennial Celebration

With the declaration of war, the law school was depleted to half its former size. In 1943, there were only 18 students enrolled and many law schools were closing. There was only one full-time professor, Antrim M. Hambleton, the acting dean. In 1944 only ten students were enrolled, three of them were women.

The end of the war in 1945 saw a new era for Washburn Law. Many students who had been unable to finish law school were able to take the bar and practice law. There was a great influx of new students with the passage of the GI Bill of Rights and classes became crowded. Most students were married with children and lived on campus in student housing. Enrollment mushroomed to 300 and the overcrowded Boswell became known as the "law barn." In 1951, legal aid was provided in conjunction with the Topeka Bar Association, Washburn Bar Association and faculty to give senior students an opportunity to receive practical experience. By 1950, Washburn Law had graduated more than 1,000 students.