By Linda Relyea
In the early 1900s, Colorado legislator William (Billy) Adams, who would later become governor, recognized the need for a teachers college in the remote area of the San Luis Valley. For years, he worked to introduce a bill that would establish the institution. In 1921 the cornerstone was laid for Adams State Normal School, a teachers college. Over the years, Adams State University grew from one building, currently Ira Richardson Hall, to a large campus offering undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs.
