Northwest Missouri State University - Tower Yearbook (Maryville, MO)

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Historica footsteps wymous columnist has been facet of University since 1918. Ovef the years, the Stroller, a secret columnist in the newspaper, was in some controversial predicaments. The notable event was the Sig Tou incident of 1939. The Stroller had attended a finger-painting exhibition done by school children. One of the children hod painted a facial profile with two eyes and two ears on the same side of the face and a few hairs protruding from the creature ' s head. The Stroller overheard someone soy, looks like a Sig Tou to me. It was printed in the next issue of the Northwest Missourion. However, the Sigma Taus were offended by the comment and descended upon the Missourion editor demanding to know the identity of the Stroller. However, keeping true to tradition, the editor refused to tell the crowd who the Stroller was. Although the columnist remained unidentified, the editor decided to cut the Stroller column from the paper. The Student Council later demanded the return of the Stroller, and the column July 1979 Your Stroller is not his usual jovial self this week. For as he watched the historic Administration Building burn, he saw more than physical damage to his perennial home. No, os your Stroller viewed the old Main building being consumed in flames, he also saw burning memories. Your Campus Crusoder recalled his first year on campus in 1918 when the Administrotion Building was the focal point of college life. He remembered all the classes being held in the building. As the fourth floor collapsed, he remembered the good old days when he had helped carry pianos up the four flights of stairs to the music department. In that earlier time there was no elevator. Watching the fire creep further down the landmark, your Stroller recalled not only memories of adventures in those rooms, but also many of his past acquaintances. Some never got to use the benefits of their educations. As the vision of war memorials to fallen alumni being destroyed come to mind, your Stroller felt smoke and a few tears sting his eyes. When the little Theatre was engulfed in a ball of flames, your Stroller recalled the earlier life of the facility. He remembered spending many a night trying not to study in this little room which was then a library. As flames licked around the broadcasting department, he recalled how the department had started as a club. It had grown into an area which the University could really be proud of. But then your Stroller recalled a similar disaster which struck the campus. Suddenly your Stroller felt a bit relieved that the damage was only material. Fortunately, no lives would be lost here. Your Stroller remembered that on April 28, 1931, the campus was not so lucky. The women ' s residence hall was filled with sleeping coeds when a train car of propane exploded in a flash flood of fire behind their dorm. Your Stroller recalled that the hall was quickly evacuated, but not before 30 people were injured. Sadly, your Stroller remembered the death of one girl. More tears in his eyes now, your Stroller sighed. The Administration Building fire was o devastating experience for his beloved campus, but it could have been worse.- Coupled with the relief that the east side of the building was saved, your Campus Crusader was a bit happier. Northwest had survived the past setbacks, and he somehow felt they would bounce back again. was restored. After an explanation of his absence, the Stroller emerged in the Missourion as he wandered through the pages of the newspaper. There were several other tries to void the column and the first being the foil of 1922 due to a faculty adviser who was not aware of the importance of the Stroller as well as a new editor who wanted to try something new that year and did owoy with the column. Each of the attempts to removed the column were unsuccessful and the Greek organizations seemed to comment most about them. Ironically, their complaining came when the Stroller, unknown to students, was Greek. The Stroller provided commentary on various campus topics and usually maintained total anonymity. Although the columnist was absent from the newspaper occasionally. The Stroller always returned to the paper. Writer | Kelsey Garrison Designer j Brent Chappelow September 20, 1984 [excerpt] Approaching the old lemon, your Stroller found onother ticket on his windshield. One ticket was for having on improper sticker, another ticket was for not having a proper sticker and yet another one was for being parked in an improper place which your Hero had the sticker for but it was after hours to buy one. A total of three tickets in one day and the old lemon had been sitting in that some spot for two weeks. What is this, hit and miss week? Hey 605, want to ticket anyone this week? Now, let ' s confuse them and ticket them next week instead. Look out Northwest, these guys are going from Book ' em Dano to Come on punk make my day. Your Stroller heard a distinct noise, but what could it have been? Probably just another shot in the dork, look out Abe! 1027 I October 4, 2001 [excerpt] For every cent donated, ounce of blood given, ribbon worn, prayer spoken and tear she this community gets stronger. All are a remembronce of the important things in life, that everyone is your neighbor. As Sept. 1 1 gets further away, don ' t let yourself forget. Remember your initial reactions, your first emotions felt. To all members of this American community: Don ' t let your hearts harden back to the way they were Sept. 10.

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Voice of The Stroller rings from the past. I I Jan. 9, 1918 The Stroller has come. Bewarel This mysterious person is evanescent and omnipresent. His eagle eye sees everything. Darkness to him is as glaring as noonday sun. hluman frailties are the breath of his nostrils, or as the sawdust trail to Billy Sunday. No one is exempt from his merciless pen, not even the hitherto sacred circle of the faculty. In fact, he has unobtrusively courted their society v ' ith the result that his first comments ore on our bachelors. Ov ing to the scarcity of men in the school, vve feel that it behooves the girls not to neglect the faculty bachelors. We have taken their temperature, symptoms are favorable. The latest information on this case is: Mr. W — , i am sorry to tell you that v e are going to move away, said Mrs. S — . — w-what is going to become of me then? inquired the professor. Oh, Mr. W— , why don ' t you buy this home and have a bachelor ' s apartment? asked the young miss of the home. That is not the kind I am looking for. Late one night during th e Christmas holidays. The Stroller heard mysterious sounds issuing from a well-known house in Moryville. Not being above eavesdropping, he crept to the window and discovered that the S. S. K ' s were having a reunion. They were discussing the fair sex. What did they say? Ah-there ' s the rub! lan. 31, 1929 [excerpt] B Saturday will be Ground Hog Day. It hoped that the ground hog will H be so soundly asleep that he will fail to come out-that he will be as sound B asleep as Mr. Cooper must have been last Monday morning at eleven o ' clock. The Stroller merely takes for granted that he was asleep since he forgot to show up for a demonstration lesson down in the College Elementary School. A demonstrator for traffic lights was seen at Residence Hall one day ' , this week. He was trying to get a set of lights installed over the fireploce in the living room and in the front hall. The green light is to stay on until nine-thirty; the yellow light is a warning to being leave-taking; the red flashes on at ten. No regulations have been made for weekend dates. jNo definite information has been given out as to whether he affected a i sale. Dec. 12, 1941 [excerpt] Time certainly marches rapidly once it gets started. The trend of world affairs since Sunday hos changed so much that the Stroller ' s feeble brain is going around in circles. From the happy carefree campus of last week, we hove changed to a solemn thoughtful campus. Last week students were all wondering whether or not they should ask that new boy or girl in school to one of the many Christmas formals for the college. This week they are all wondering whether or not the army will get the boys before that date or whether perhaps, the formal will be called off. 1 r, hi Haf May 9, 1951 (after the Residence Hall explosion) This week the Stroller did his strolling at a dead run. However, did make god on his boast to reach the third floor of Residence other than on visitors ' day. The events of Fateful Friday night brought little in the form of humor, but there were a few happenings worthy of being remembered. Miss Hottie Houp fled from the building earring her most prized possessions-a dictionary and Emily Post ' s book of ettiquette. Roberta Cronkhite, absent at the time of the fire, returned to find onl one possession of hers had been saved-a bowl of goldfish. Arriving on the scene within a few minutes after the explosion, thi Stroller joined others in saving the girls ' belongings down the stairs. As soon as property had been saved, the Stroller set to work gettinj interviews with those near ot hand. A few of the most noteable comments ore as follows: Joan Lynch: Where ' s Norman? Herb Hinton: I wouldn ' t go near there for a thousand dollars. Shirley Jennings: Eeeeeeeek! Ed James: (still carrying poker hand) I hod a flush-ace high. Joan Lynch: Where ' s Norman? Mr. Dole Blackwell: Onward, Menl Dean Knodle: I carried the telephone over to the Library in case anyone wants to coll a taxi. L Joan Lynch: Where ' s Norman? Bob Grobelch (after being hit on the head with a radio thrown from a third floow window): I say, up there, you really should be more careful. Roberta Walker: I woke up and smelled smoke, but I just thought it was Donna Slottery and Jean Overstreet smoking cigars again. Air Corpsman, who had been helping girls out: I wrapped a blanket around me but it caught fire; I got another blanket but it caught fire; I got another but it caught fire. About that time I figured I ' d better get out of there. Monday morning saw students and faulty trying to carry on as usual. Lefty Davis exaggerated the situation to a point by giving a test to his first aid class. Shirley Collier described the predicament perfectly, but unprintobly. June 18, 1971 [excerpt] This is the time of the year that millions of college students are relaxing j and enjoying life in general. Summer vocation is here. As you ' ve probably noticed, not everybody is vacationing. In fact, the campus seems to be fairly crowded. High school kids are popping up in every corner of every building on campus, and a few dedicated teachers ore working hard to further their education. Then there is thel college student who makes studying a year around occupation. ' By the way, one high school coed was so eager to get to her workshop Monday that she arrived on time but with her dress donned in reverse.

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Leafy acclaim Campus celebrated for dedication to conservation. In the chill of a cold winter day they were frosted by flakes of snow and a crust or ice. In the spring, they moved back and forth in the breeze as they grew greener and brighter, and they gave shade from the harshness of the sun in the heat of August. Orange, brown and yellow leaves crunched under fool and swirled in a whirlwind of color in autumn. When Thomas Gaunt, a Civil War captain, moved to Maryville, he planted a tree nursery on the land that eventually became the campus. Since the land was developed, it hod a heavy population of trees. Shaded by approximately 1,300 of them, the campus was home to the Missouri State Arboretum beginning in 1993. An arboretum was a place where trees and plants were grown for educational purposes. Any local Missourian who had considered planting trees in their yard could view mature species of their choice before making their final decision. Also, parents who wanted to instill an understanding of nature in their children hod the choice of viewing easily confused trees here at the University. Who would have thought that Northwest Missouri would be the home of the Missouri State Arboretum, arboretum coordinator Lezlee Johnson said. According to Johnson, the arboretum was the campus-any one tree of the 125 different species seen on the 198 acres of campus was a member of the arboretum. It was also used to teach classes like Woody Landscape Plants and Local Flora. Johnson said they mode an effort to plant all kinds of trees, even ones that might not do well in northwest Missouri. We hove trees that don ' t grow that well here, but we grow them anyway, she said. Visitors to the arboretum could pick up the Tree Walk Booklet to follow the three trails-Gaunt, Tower and Chautauqua-oround campus. The tree guide provided descriptions of each species of tree and maps of each trail. The guide also explained leaf composition and arrangement. Writer | Alec Jennings Designer | Brent Chappelow The Washington Hawthorn produces clusters of red berries in autumn that grow progressively dar1 er through the season. The hawthorn was found on the Tower Trail, which started east of Roberta Hall and surrounded the Bell Tower, photo by Marsha Jennings The Chautauqua Trail starts near North Complex and surrounds the area near Mary Linn Performing Arts Center. The trail was named after the area near campus where trav- eling entertainers used to camp when they visited Maryville. photo Marsha Jennings