Westfield State University - Tekoa Yearbook (Westfield, MA)

Page 25 text:

The Will I N THE course of intellectual events, it becomes necessary for the graduates of State Teachers Col- lege to dissolve the educational bands which have connected them with an- other, and to assume, among the in- tellectual powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature ' s God entitle them. We hold these truths to be self- evident: that not all State Teachers College students are equal, that grad- uates of State Teachers College have been endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, Intel- lectual Capacity, Respect from Un- dergraduates, and a Pursuit of Hap- piness. A decent respect to the opinions of faculty and students requires that we leave a certain few articles as tokens of our separation. We hereby duly declare, ordain, as- sign, and bequeath, as the party of the first part to the party of the sec- ond part, that the party of the second part receives from the party of the first part, the following articles : Article I. To Dr. Russell, a set of squeakless chairs in order that he may not know when the students are adjusting themselves for one of his short talks. Article II. To Mrs. Winslow, a phonetic-ometer to be used by those who cannot reproduce the vowel con- sonant sounds after the first hearing. ARTICLE III. To Miss Lammers, an inexhaustible supply of fox-trot records in order that the tap dancing c ' ass may continue when one of these disappears. Art cle IV. To Mr. Patterson, a set of longer tables so that he may have more room for laying on the table the unsettled disputes. Article V. To Miss Snow, a pad- lock on all removable art materials. Article VI. To Miss Tobey, the position as head of the school detec- tive agency because of her skill in questioning and her unequalled ability in obtaining the desired an- swers by asking the same question persistently. Article VII. To Miss Pratt, a robot to take charge of the library Avhen her services are demanded else- where. Article VIII. To Mr. Sawyier, a room made of slate where he may write to his heart ' s content. Article IX. To Miss Fickett, a device whereby she can tell what members of the Junior Class have leisure time and so give only them the larger assignment. Article... X. To Mr. Hawley, glossaries of his terminology to be distributed among the dumbfounded students in order to illuminate them. Article XI. To Dr. Haupt, who is responsible for making us so sci- entific-minded, an automatic record- er, mebbe , for the I-don ' t-knows. Article XII. To Miss Abrams, self-selling tickets which will take care of the impatient commuters. Article XIII. To Miss St. Claire, an Austin, in order that she may cover the distance between the State Teachers College and the Training School much more quickly and com- fortably. Article XIV. To Mrs. Loker, a set of rubber stairs for the exclusive use of Juniors descending after a strenuous period of tap dancing in order that the tranquility and so- lemnity of the dormitory may not be disturbed. Article XV. To Dr. Crutsinger, the ability to guide our inferior pro- spective teachers to success Article XVI. To the Training School Faculty, the extra-ordinary ability to give the most unsatisfac- tory criticisms in the most satisfac- tory way. Article XVII. Miss Bryan leaves to the next President of the Student Council a lever long enough to silence every garrulous student and thus, as Archimedes said, move the universe. Article XVIII. Miss Lynch leaves to her successor her inspiring leadership. Article XIX. Miss Boyer leaves her vim and vigor to the next most vigorous student. Article XX. To the Sophomores, a spirit of co-operation with the upper classmen and intelligence enough to understand the marking system before they graduate. Article XXI. To the Freshmen, an abundance of square hats. We know that blocks of wood should not be exposed to rain, sleet, and wood- peckers. We believe that when you save the surface you save all that may be possibly developed into a brain. The Class of 1933. Witnesses : — Julia Zajchowska Albina Gajda Helen Schenna

Page 24 text:

History of the Class of 1933 I OOKING over these familiar halls as we are about to leave them, it seems utterly impossible that once they appeared so formidable to us, and that we actually got lost dozens of times before we found Mrs. Wins- low ' s room, Miss Fickett ' s, and the others. When we finally reached the stage in which we could find the room for our next class in the prescribed ten minutes, the upper classmen thought it well to decorate us in a manner becoming to those of such low degree. For two weeks, then, we wore green bows straight on top of our heads, bowed to the upper class- men, opened doors for them, did not use the mirror in the locker-room, came in the back door used by the first-grade children, and left the building by the faculty entrance. We then attended a Get-Acquaint- ed Party at which, we still strongly suspect, there was a great deal more laughing than we did. At any rate, we were formally introduced to the whole faculty and the Training School teachers. How could we re- member so many! But, strange as it may be, we know them all now. There were five dances this year which we greatly enjoyed. In the operetta our class was well represented. Then came the Commuters ' Club Minstrel Show, and again the Freshmen car- ride away some of the laurels. Our first Teachers ' Convention ! We were real teachers now, we thought, and with much dignity, as befitted prospective teachers, we ap- peared in Springfield that October morning prepared for anything. We listened dutifully and prepared our notes for questions in classes later. For several years previous, a Forum had been held each year with Fitch- burg and Bridgewater Normal Schools. A representative was chosen from each school to meet the other representatives. Here, again, a Freshman came to the fore. Since then, the Forum has not been con- tinued. This year, as our Henry Todd lecturer, we heard Lorado Taft, the noted sculptor. This lecture was ex- ceedingly interesting and instructive. One September morning, in 1931, we entered Normal School as Soph- omores. It now became our pleasure to renew old acquaintances, and to watch the Freshmen struggle through their first days here. This year we had sever al dances, the Commuters ' Club also giving a dance instead of its usual Minstrel Show. We had the privilege of hear- ing two most interesting lecturers, one of which was Dr. George Rom- mert, who showed us slides of living microbes which were totally unaware that their private lives were being observed by a group of eagerly in- terested students. The other, our Henry Todd lecturer, was Dr. Albert Bushnell Hart, the famous historian. In the history of the school this was an outstanding year, and we are glad to have been here. In the first place, we became the State Teachers College at Westfield on April 1, 1932. This year also marked the introduc- tion of the four-year Junior High School course leading to a degree. One other important thing — we re- ceived our first period of training. Will we ever forget the panic when we stood up to teach our first lesson? One sad spot stands out on that bright year — the death of Miss Eliza Converse. We had not, as yet, known her well, but we felt her loss, and went about our work quietly for a few days as a tribute to her. And now our last year! Our last period of training came and went. Dances, the operetta, the Commuters ' Club Minstrel Show, and other club activities took their turn in the spot- light. Another milestone in the histo- ry of the College is found in the in- troduction of the Senior year of the four-year elementary course leading to the degree of Bachelor of Science in Education. The Seniors appeared about the first of March in their caps and gowns, and continued to wear them on all important occasions. Last April, the first, was important, and so is this one, for on the first of April in 1933, our college registrar, Miss Ida R. Abrams, was married. We wish her the greatest possible hapoiness in her new venture. Then, for the last time, the Inter- Class Promenade, Class Day, Ves- pers, our Class Banquet, and Gradu- tion. Now has come the end of training and the commencement of service. Respectfully submitted, Elizabeth A. Wyman.

Page 26 text:

! o O w