New York University School of Commerce - Commerce Violet Yearbook (New York, NY)

Page 31 text:

IOR CLASS HERE have been many definitions and descrip- tions of the word, Senior . A senior, we've been told, is a student . . . who sells his old books at a profit . . . who doesn't borrow cigarettes . . . who uses his full allotment of cuts . . . who thinks he's entitled to complimentary tickets to class affairs . . who thinks he knows the inside Cor shouldj to every political move. But if the members of the graduating class of 1944 were asked for their definition, it most prob- ably would be, A Senior is a student who wishes he could be a Freshman. The last four years have given us enough material for a century of dreams. The proms and the hops, the dinners at the Fifth Avenue Hotel, the parties at Christmas and Easter, the clubs and the publica- tions, the Hen Parties and Smokers, the Sororities and Fraternities were little flashes of sunlight which peeped through a college career darkened by the shadows of war. The Senior Class won't forget the last four years because they want to forget about them. The pandemonium which preceded the Frosh elec- tions back in November, 1940 made the third-term question seem unimportant by comparison. Automo- biles parked near the school broke out in a rash of political posters. In the nearby fraternity houses, older brothers were giving last minute instructions to the freshman candidates. In the evening, a torchlight procession paraded through Washington Square Park. Balloting the next day was decisive. President Mel Askenase, Vice-President Mal Hochenberg, Treasurer Ray Kupchinsky, Secretary Renee Gordon and His- torian Ronnie Gold took office immediately. It wasn't long after elections that the Frosh-Soph Tug-O'-War was held. Defeated on the lirst try, we came back to win the next two engagements and the subdued Sophs were obliged, according to tradition, to kiss the tarnished toe of Garibaldi. Will you ever forget the sight of Mel Askenase when he appeared at the Smoker at the Broadway Hofbrau? He had been kidnapped by the Sophomores on the preceding day and was swathed in bandages - nothing else. Co-chairman Wally Schwartz and Bert Babbitt introduced Doc Nielsen as guest speaker. After dinner the fellows snake-danced up Broad- way to the Hotel Victoria where the girls were hold- ing their Hen Party. Zara Wagner and Freda Belagore were co-chairmen and the guest speakers were Pro- fessor Sprague, Doctor Holbert, and Assistant Dean Reutiman. Formalities were quickly suspended and dancing begun. We had our own newspaper, too. The Frosh News, edited by Howard S. Kane, Jerry Gold, and joe Shenker, appeared bi-weekly and amazed the Stu- dent Council by supporting itself with advertising. Those Frosh dances were great. The upperclass wolves would flock to them to see what the new crop of co-eds looked like. The fellows were annoyed, but the girls liked it fine. Then, after Christmas vacation, the Vigilante Com- mittee headed by Gordy Phillips and Hal Adler kid- ANN1s'rTfs EICHMAN S'i'ANL1sY ACKER JEROME GALE Vice-Preridenl Secretary Treamrei' T P l , .lJ

Page 30 text:

Q2-5 AIEANNE GLEBERMAN Preficienl of Senior Clfm September to February DOROTHY MELTZIQR Pwfidefll of Senior Cffzn' February to june

Page 32 text:

1 T 4 3 U 5 f '-vi , M aa ROLAND JACOBSON FREDA BELAGORE ALBERT GOLDSTEIN Senior Reprerentatitfe I-Iirtorimz Senior Repwferztnlitzfe napped sophomore president, Chip Anthony. Chipl' escaped, but was captured the next evening as he entered the Soph Smoker. He was dressed ridiculously and herded to the Hen Party. And to climax a year of fantastic festivities, the Frosh Hop was held on May lOth at the Hotel Edison with Dave Greenberg as chairman. Wasn't it a nice feeling to return in September? No longer did we feel timid and insignificant. Fa- miliar faces and gracious greetings had taken care of that. Class officers had been elected back in the spring and therefore President Joe Shenker, Vice- President Mal Hochenberg, Treasurer Bob Vlfolfowitz, and Secretary Dotty Meltzer lost no time in planning the years activities. Under the chairmanship of Buddy Lowenfeld and Gordy Phillips, the social committee sponsored a dance every few weeks. For the time, the Smoker and Hen Parties were made a joint affair under a committee headed by Howie Kane, Bernie Tuttleman, Sylvia Grossman and Gail Silvert. The faculty guests were Assistant Dean Gladys Reutiman, Dr. jules Backman, Dr. Hayward J. Holbert, and Professor C. Hayes Sprague. On Sunday, December 7th, the laps attacked Pearl Harbor. The next morning a different student body returned to school. Some were shocked by the swift impact of events and others were dazed by the un- certain blackness of the immediate future. Classes were called off at ll:OO A.M., so that we could hear President Roosevelt ask Congress for a Declaration of War. Serious-faced students gathered in the Ed Auditorium, the luncheonettes, and the cars around School while the radio blasted the historic message. Many students enlisted in the armed forces imme- diately, Others, upon the advice of Professors, decided to finish their studies in order to be of greater service to their country. The students who remained in School saw things in a clearer light. Politics were dismissed because they were petty. War activities committees were formed. The School of Commerce went to war against the Axis. It won't be easy to forget the Soph Frolic which was held on Saturday evening, April 18th, in the Embassy Room of the Hotel Ambassador. Guest of honor was Eleanor French who was escorted by chair- man jerry Gold and Joe Samuelson. And then our junior year - the last school year for many of the Class of '44 Almost the entire class returned to School that September. Draft boards had touched only a few men and a large portion of the student body had enlisted in the Army and Navy Reserve Corps. MARTIN RAGAWAY Senior Reprerefzmlive