Brown University - Liber Brunensis Yearbook (Providence, RI)

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ef-A1923 Liber Brunensiswo History of the Class of 1928 HE four years that have passed by since first the class of '28 graced our elm-shaded campus have been replete with the most pleasurable of experiences. From the time that we marched up the Hill-four hundred and twenty-five strong-the largest class in the history of the University, to the time that we marched down the Hill on Commencement Day, we have drunk to fill of the bountiful cup of knowledge and graduate better men from our happy association with Brown. In September, 1924, we were proclaimed by the astute board of psychological examiners a class of notable intellectual distinction, and by the board of physical examiners the biggest and best class ever to entertlthe dUnivfs3sity. With thsfedreccilmmendatilons to . . give us streng an con ence, we procee e wit varying egrees 28 Captures 27 Flag of success to instill the fear of God and '28 into the timid hearts of the lowly Sophomores. In the class fight we were submerged only because the cold of the night had paralyzed us as we were waiting for the foe to appear. After huddling in small groups on the wastes of the then barren Lincoln Field, from ten to quarter of four in the morning, we were comparatively easy prey for the overwhelming numbers that beset us from all sides. Five hours later, however, thoroughly invigorated by our early morning stroll along the highways of picturesque Rhode Island, we completely outfought the weary Sophs valiantly striving to defend their flag in the rush, and captured the banner in the unprecedently short time of two minutes and fourteen seconds, much to the chagrin of the embattled second-year men. This scintillating triumph but presaged the greater glory that was to be ours. The call for football candidates was issued a few days after we were ofiicially enrolled as students, and an even fifty men responded. The team that was organized from this promising squad played through a difficult schedule that included games with Andover, Dartmouth Freshmen, Harvard Seconds, and Wor- cester Academy wlth a loss of only one game-that with the powerful Worcester Academ eleven. It is a record of.which'we may justly be proud. The brilliant playing of Captain Gurney, '1yowle, Getz, and Sweeney in the line, and Randall, Edes, Jones, and Consodine in the back field featured the season. From this nucleus of Freshman players were to come varsity men of great merit in the three years to follow. Our other athletic teams fared almost as well. The basketball team won twelve of the thirteen games played, and the track team dropped only one meet in four. A The wrestling and swimming teams split about even, and the baseball team, with Hadley on the mound, won seven out of twelve, the more notable of the triumphs being the victories over the Holy Cross and Harvard Freshman teams. . The semester exams in February proved a serious obstacle to many of us, and the usual number severed their scholastic relationship with the University. As soon as the brief examination period was over, .we proceeded to elect our class ofiicers for the year. Dick Gurney was elected President: Nels Jones, First Vice-President: Henry Hayes, Second Vice-Presidentg Ed Frazee, Secretary, and Johnny Getz, Treasurer. All served with diligence and distinction. The Athletic Association, awakening to the unusual promise of our class, hurried along the construction of the new baseball field on Aldrich Field so that it might be dedicated during our Freshman year. The dedication game with Dartmouth was a complete success, Brown winning by a 3-2 score. Soon it was time to burn our Freshman caps and assume the toga of Sophomores. Two days before the momentous occasion we started to collect old railroad ties, huge crating boxes, and various and sundry infiammable materials to make our celebration the most memorable of them all. The pile of timbers on Lincoln Field must have stood a hundred feet in the air. Fearful of Sophomore atrocities, we stationed guards about the field who kept away all suspicious characters such as street urchins, tramps, and second- year men. The night of the celebration came at last, and we rushed down the tunnelwith a determination and vigor that was not to be denied. Down in the city we marched about, tried to crash our way into the Arc, that sacred haven of so many misguided Brown men, and, meeting with failure because of the regi- ment of Providence and even Pawtucket policemen in the place, returned to the tunnel. Never before had a Freshman class succeeded ,in rushing the tunnel twice in one evening, but we of '28, Cshattering another traditionj, did the unprecedented and ran up the tunnel as readily as we had come down. In a melee Just before the second tunnel rush Brack Clark was slashed on the head with a night-stick, but no serious damage was done. Thus did we cast aside the restraint of Freshmen, and prepare to take our righteous place in the brotherhood of upperclassmen. 1 , 4 SOPHOMORE YEAR Sophomore year found us a more mature group of men, free of first-year provincialism. The year opened with the fight with the incoming Freshmen, now held in utter contempt by we self-esteemed Sophomores. The confiict was short and destructive, as we had lost none of our cunning and energy. Dis- covering the Frosh cowering in the innermost reaches of Maxcy, we descended upon them in a cyclonic stampede and subdued them with one mighty effort. They were made - - to walk about the surrounding countryside as had been our pleasure a brief year before, and many of them did not find their 21 Harvard Gonlposts go Down

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THE CLASS OF 1928

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Gwilqgg Liber B'runer1sisea.v 'e ' wavay back to the city until the afternoon of the following ay. The opening of the new stadium with an all-home game schedule held our attention all Fall. We were naturally disappointed that the team lost most of the major games, but that did not obscure our pride in the new stadium, one of the finest in the country. We feel ourselves very fortunate in being undergraduates at the time when the stadium was constructed and dedicated. Eleven members of our class played on the squad throughout the season, and were of inestimable value to the coach in the building of the team. The Vigilance Committee, whose duty it was to , maintain a proper submissive attitude in the Freshmen, was appointed early in the year and served with facility and efficiency, as many a humiliated Frosh can testify. Cantankerous boys were quite severely punished for their misdemeanors. The Sophomore Ball towards the close of the year was well-attended by the college, and was proclaimed by unprejudiced merry-makers to be one of the best in some few years. Chairman Nels Jones devised a system that was to have eliminated the ever-present problem of the crashing stag. As each man filed through the door, his wrist was stamped with a seal similar to that used by the government pork inspectors, and only men thus branded were allowed on the floor. The committee, confident of the assured success of their ingenious scheme, unfortunately forgot to bolt the basement windows and their efforts went for naught. However, the affair was thoroughly enjoyed by all. Under the leadership of our Sophomore olificers: Getz, Singiser, O'Brien, Tyson, Spellman, we passed the greater part of the year in reflective tranquillity, no longer Freshmen, but not yet upperclassmen. We were going through a period of transition from first-year super self-confidence and flair to the more mature poise and dignity of the upperclassman. v University Band at Philadelphia JUNIOR YEAR The Fall months of our Junior year were among the most eventful of our entire four years. Week after week we had the pleasure of witnessing one of the best Brown teams in history crush our rivals in shut-out victories. Only the tie game with Colgate at the end of the season kept us from winning the undisputed Eastern Championship. The splendid playing of five members of our class on the Iron Man eleven was a source of pride to us throughout the season. Randall, Consodine, Towle, Hodge, and Lawrence, will long be remembered for their valor on the gridiron. This was Tuss McLaughry's first year as head coach. Tuss came to us from Amherst to take the posi- tion left open by Robbie, the former coach for many years, who had decided to sever his connection with University football at Brown. We were sorry to lose Robbie, but were gratified that a man of McLaughry's calibre had come to take his place. During the two years that he has been with us he has won the friendship and esteem of the entire undergraduate body. The football team was not the only undefeated team during our Junior year. The wrestling team, captained by Dick Spellman, the third of the Spellman brothers to captain Brown wrestling teams, went through the season without a loss, winning from Harvard, Penn, and Yale. The strength of the team and the excellence of the coaching of Frank Herrick may be attested by the victory over Yale, Eastern Inter- collegiate Champions of the year. The tennis team also enjoyed an undefeated season, scoring notable victories over Dartmouth and M. I. T. The outstanding social event of the year was, of course, Junior Week. Favored by warm, pleasant Spring weather the Frolic, Prom, and Ten-Mile were the scene of much pleasure and delight throughout. Frank Singiser was Chairman of the Week Committee, and Roy Randall of the Prom Committee. During this year of advancing maturity Spellman, Consod1ne,Lysle, Towle, and Jones served as class officers. We began to realize that the pleasures of college life were soon to be at an end, and sought more and more to attain true knowledge and culture, the real purpose of our education. SENIOR YEAR Senior year began with the traditional Freshman-Sophomore fight. Now we were the observers, not the participants. Not until now did we fully appre- ciate that our four years of college with their friend- ships and associations would too soon be over. The b grim spectre of uncertainty of after graduation plans started to stalk many of us, and not a few wished they might have a year or two more at Brown. The football team was a disappointment to all of us, as we had expected much from last year's suc- cesses and were not a little discouraged at the series of setbacks the team received. However, we felt that they did their best at all times, and showed a com- mendable spirit in every game. Next season may perhaps be a happier one. The Iron Men 22