Columbia University - Columbian Yearbook (New York, NY)

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publications, the band, and the orchestra, the Class of 1950 was in the full swing of the college year. Emboldened by the lack of disciplinary measures at the start of the semester, the Freshmen discarded caution and neglected to wear their caps and cards. A surprise assault of the Black Avengers put a quick stop to this state of affairs. Unexpectedly they donned their black costumes and dragged their old pillory box to the area in front of Hamilton Hall. All yearlings without caps, cards or black socks were promptly imprisoned in the stocks. Although the tug-of-war proved to be a 'Waterloo for the forty Sophomores who turned out against ten times that number of Freshmen, one of the'most successful of song-fests was held in the South Field stands. The University Band, clad in its new blue uniforms, made its initial appearance on the Campus to lead the Frosh in the College songs. Some of the words and most of the melodies of Smzr Sami and Rom' Lion Roar came from the throats of the meek yearlings, as many of them were led from the stands and smeared with blacking because of too great modesty in singing the songs. Not a sign of rebellion came from the now subdued Freshmen as white tags were given to those who had successfully passed the test. As a fitting end to class activities for the winter session, the Sophomores trounced the Frosh in the cane sprees, winning five of the seven bouts. Peyser, Odom, Pettit, Arnold, and Brown marked up the winning units for the class, while Pirone and Fiordalisi were trounced by their opponents. Committee appointments were announced by Campbell before the Christmas holi- days, Baruch had been named previously to head the Vigilance Committee for the songhfestg and now finances were put in charge of a group of men under Stanley Wilson, and William Blaisdell was appointed to take charge of dances. Meanwhile, Howard Vincent was selected by Specffzfor to be editor of the next issue of the Blue Book. Dinner W'eek re-opened the traditional conflict between the Sophomore and Fresh- man classes soon after the mid-year exams. Student Board re-organized the contest along a system of points by which a definite winner could be chosen. The listless attitude of the class at the beginning of the year seemed to have been left behind as its members organized for the struggle. The Class of 1951 held its dinner at the St. George Hotel in Brooklyn. More than 150 yearlings were dining quietly in the hotel when fifty Sophomores intruded. Not waiting to attack individual men, they overturned tables and ruined the dinner in a thorough, systematic way. A storm of eggs and tomatoes was directed at the Frosh before they realized what it was all about. A good scrap was in progress when police reserves arrived, dispersing the Sophomores. The Student Board penalty of fifty points for this attack scarcely lessened the pleasure obtained from it. The Amber Lantern Inn in Flushing had been selected by the Dinner Committee, under George Banigan, for the Sophomore banquet, and careful plans had been laid to convey the members of the class to the inn. The time of the dinner strategically was set at a late hour of the night, to throw the Frosh off the scent, but the plan did not work well, for, when the Sophomores arrived, they found the Freshmen lined up outside. The owner of the inn grew panicky at the thought of a class scrap within his walls and called for the police. The latter, arriving on the scene in short order, refused to let anyone enter the inn. Still remembering the class welcome that they owed the Frosh, the men of 1950 offered to hold a free-for-all battle in one of the nearby fields, but the yearlings wisely refused and left for home. Basketball received its group of 1950 men in Magurk, Tys, Blatterman and Mid- dleton. The election of Magurk to the captaincy of the team while still a Sohphomore was one the several forms of recognition of athletic ability accorded to members of the

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were seen in the lapels of many yearlings. Of the erasing of that sense of importance little need be saidg those same men who had been feted to distraction suddenly became the meekest on the Campus. At the call for candidates for the cane spree team, a large number of men turned out. After a period of several weeks' training, the 1930 entrants surprised the College in the sprees held before Christmas by annexing four of the seven canes. This victory over the Sophomores entitled the Frosh to the privilege of smoking their class pipes on the Campus after Washington's Birthday, a boon of which many availed themselves. Student Board deemed the Class of 1930 capable of caring for itself in the Spring semester and opened the polls for class elections. The results of these elections showed that Edward Joyce had been elected presidentg joseph Hagen, vice-president, Elbert Twaddell, secretary, and William Blaisdell, treasurer. Under its own leadership the Class of 1930 entered the Dinner Week contest with determination to win. With the Dinner and Vigilance Committees functioning per- fectly, they held an undisturbed and excellently managed dinner at the Hotel Shelburne in Coney Island. One hundred and fifty men sat down at the banquet, which was unmarred by the presence of Sophomores, with the exception of the two who were held as captives for the occasion. Although the yearlings were unable to reach the Sophomore dinner in time to break it up, they won an informal victory through having more men attend their own affair and escaping without being molested. Toward the end of the Spring semester elections were held once again, this time for the officers of the Sophomore Class. james Campbell was chosen to head the class in the following year, with Charles Harris as vice-president, while Elbert Twaddell and William Blaisdell were re-elected secretary and treasurer, respectively. Final examinations brought to a close the days in which the Class of 1950 were known as Freshmen and in which they had to wear the black cap and green card. With the passage of the year went the assumption of humility, the experience of Hell Week, the mingled emotions of being introduced to the wiles of the Apollo Burlesque chorus. The summer vacation was filled with expectations of a new, greater year, and the wisdom of Contemporary Civilization crammed into Freshmen heads was already passing. SOPHOMORE YEAR Summer vacation lasts only four months, but sometimes it has the effect of that number of years. Certainly the class which had won the Dinner Week contest of the preceding semester with such enthusiasm did not return to College as the immature Freshmen they were when they left it in May. The disappearance of the Freshman cap produced a marked change, instead of plunging madly into inter-class activities the men of 1930 held aloof. The era of 'lnon-collegiatenessn and half formality continued. The opening day of the academic year came and went unmarked. The traditional welcome to the new class of Freshmen seemed to have passed into the limbo. When, before the start of classes that morning, a group of forewarned Frosh gathered around the sun dial prepared for the worst, they were permitted to remain there unmolested. Student Board had decreed the death of Freshman hazing. Besides, 9 o'clock classes had become unpopular with the Class of 1930, whose members certainly would not disturb themselves for a crowd of mere Frosh. But with the renewed participation of the Sophomore Class in college activities, that attitude soon passed. Fo'otball practice had already started when the class returned to Morningside Heights. Malcolm Bleeker, Remey Tys, Bill Buser, and james Campbell were already figuring in the headlines of the metropolitan papers. Track and the minor sports drew in their share of Sophomoresg and soon, with men out for managerial positions, the

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class. Joe Hagen won his letter in indoor track and proved himself to be one of the outstanding runners of the country in the process of winning the letter. One more class affair was held during the year, a Sophomore Hop in John jay. Busher was chairman of the committee arranging the dance, which was an unusually successful one. In the elections at the end of the year, Buser beat Hagen by twenty-three votes for the presidency of the next year's junior Class. Goldthwaite was made vice-president, while Brown and johnson became secretary and treasurer. JUNIOR YEAR For the third successive September, the Class of 1930 gathered on the Morningside campus to start a new college year. The turbulent days of Freshman and Sophomore battles were over. Tug-of-war, cane sprees, and Dinner Week appeal to an upperclass- man only in the realm of memory, Athletics still held the interest of the class, and many seasoned veterans returned to bolster the varsity teams. Bleecker, Buser, Campbell, and Tys won their letters on the gridirong and later in the year, when the vote for the captaincy of the following year's team resulted in a tie between Bleecker and Campbell, the latter withdrew in order, he said, to maintain the morale of the team. The class had the distinction of having two men hold the captaincy of the basket- ball team for two consecutive seasons. Don Magurk led the squad through its games that year, while Tys was elected captain for the next season. They, together with Middle- ton and Blatterman, adequately represented the class on the court. The making of another championship crew started that Fall with the resumption of training. Blesse, Bonynge, Sanford, and Murphy rowed in the boat which carried the Blue and Wluite colors first over the finish line at Poughkeepsie. Murphywas elected captain of the Varsity shell for the 1930 races. joe Hagen in the meantime continued to turn in sterling performances on the track. He annexed the I. C. A. A. A. A. two-mile championship for the second time. Ghil- lany, Hanley, and Joyce also were consistent winners on Merner's squad. Baseball, with three out of the four infielders juniors, and the minor sports, car- ried the numerals of 1930 into the van of intercollegiate competition. In swimming especially, the nucleus of Gaynor, Kraft, and Oberist played an important role. Tom Brown was elected captain of the water polo team, while Gaynor received the same honor from the natators. The rifle team, with four juniors on the squad, won the Eastern Intercollegiate title. Julius Roth and Haaken Gulbransen won the national intercollegiate saber championship for Columbia, Gulbransen was elected captain of the team. In the non-athletic activities, 1930 more than held its own. COLUMBIANIS Senior Board was composed of Lutz, Parker, Rosenberg, Isaacs, V. Campbell and Mikolanis. Spectaiow Freshman candidates of two years ago had turned into competent News and Business Board men, Banigan, Block, Claman, Isaacs, Kaufman, Kosting, Meyer and Rosenberg showed up well. Matthews spoke on the debating team, Katims managed the orchestra, and Peyser on the Vanity and Lawrence, Wiggins and Levy on fever re- ceived their crowns for good work. Managerial prospects received their awards during the Spring semester with the announcement by the A. A. of appointments to the different reams. Banigan received the football mangership, Platt was assigned to crew, Henry obtained the baseball man- agership. Aikenhead was selected in basketball, and Odom was chosen for track. Nor-