On the morning of Nov. 6, 1977, the dam holding back the lake above the falls broke, and forty acres of water surged over the falls, through the park, and down the valley through the campus, leaving 39 dead and 60 injured, all connected in some way with Toccoa Falls College. In the tragedy's aftermath, thousands of people from around the world rose to aid the college and surrounding community, and more than three million dollars in public and private gifts and grants, along with thousands of hours of volunteer labor, made recovery possible, though it was still not complete. Toccoa Falls College had begun in 1907 in Golden Valley, North Carolina, and in 1911 its president and founder, Dr. Richard A. Forrest, moved the school to its present campus after purchasing Haddock Inn and 100 acres of property including the 186 foot high Toccoa Falls. In 1975, the board of trustees changed the name from Toccoa Falls Institute to Toccoa Falls College. The college remained dedicated to glorifying God through training Christian young people to serve the Lord Jesus Christ and his church, had maintained that goal for more than seventy years, and had close fellowship with many evangelical churches and mission societies. Its graduates served in more than fifty countries and most of the United States, and the college continued with recovery supported by private individuals, the United States government, the State of Georgia, Stephens County, the City of Toccoa, churches, volunteer agencies, schools, industries, and businesses.