Amherst College - Olio Yearbook (Amherst, MA)

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Answering to the voice of her new master, Professor Edwin B. Pettit, Mistress Kirby lifted her veil and spread her skirts three times this year, to MAN AND SUPERMAN, OTHELLO, and THE GOLDEN CUCKOO. College Hall not only played host to the eminent Messrs. Robb, Arons, and Cole, in connection with problems in American Studies, but it was the scene of several student plays, including the annual drama of freshman fraternity appointments. Offer- ing a mundane contrast to the fine series of art exhibits held within her galleries, Mead welcomed the annual Career Conference which again injected a note of practical reality into the College's incubator atmosphere. Though changing leadership as expected, the ACAA initiated an unforeseen purge of illegal drivers, while the HMC cautiously resisted all temptation to take more lib- erties with Sweet Little Friday Night. Despite the quiet roars of SPHINX and the gentlemanly efforts of Student Council, the dearth of purple beanies was rivalled only by the scarcity of neckties in Valentine Hall, which, incidentally, continued to serve a fare. The results of the tiff among the LJAC, SPHINX, Student Council, and the Lord Jeff Bookstore were somewhat obscure, the only certainty being that Council came into possession of S400 and a sizeable task. In a less complicated but more dramatic turn of events, Phi Betta Kappa officially denounced social fraternities. Soon after the honorary society's March election, however, the burning issue was quelled, much to everyone's com- plete indifference. Taking time out from its selection of new members, the Rotherwas Society succeeded in presenting a speaker or two, while LJAC, Chi Psi, and Amherst College lecturers provided eager student minds with frequent intellectual stimulation. In addition to his Rotherwas responsibilities, Professor Earl Latham accepted the post of general counsel 'for the new legal society founded and named in honor

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of the famous beard-pulling Amherst graduate, Harlan Fiske Stone, Coon, Ball, W. R. C. and T. F. T. by their dili- gence and covert editorializing, kept the STUDENT high in popularity on the campus, second only to Smith '58 in total sales. Blotters ran a close third. To an unprecedented extent the Letters to the Editor column became a public forum in which all facets of Amherst life from campus canines to the illegal rushing pamphlet were heartily de- bated. The CA again convened weekly, the DQ and the Zumbyes blended, and SCARAB tapped, admitting a worthy few to its esoteric midst. Williams Weekend and the Queen's Gambit ostensibly set the social pace, but fraternity gatherings and pig parties stole the show. An occasional Friday night turned out to be iust that, and the increased number of bonfire-rallies re- flected anything but a growing school spirit. That the spirit of generosity, however, was not completely drowned in extra halfs was demonstrated by Amherst's fine charitable re- action to Vic's fifteen-dollar loss. Midweek daters shifted from Rahar's to The Hatfield Club to the Williams House to the pit , finally finding one place that was not closed. Jefferson 8-8211 became increasingly popular as more and more undergraduates sought a wife, but the Phootrace continued to commence under the Smith College gates amidst kilted colines. A catastrophic blow was dealt to between-class socializers as two prominent campus figures, Kay and Gracie, transferred to more mature climes, leaving Walker Hall looking more drab than usual. The campus community mourned the death of gentle- manly scholars, and listened with respect as President Cole brought to light their accomplishments at Amherst and their innumerable contributions as Amherst citizens. Robert Frost continued to effervesce youthfulness, and his sincere interest in life convinced even the most dubious that spring had come, and that summer would follow.