Augustana College - Rockety I Yearbook (Rock Island, IL)

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. 'W' vw gi 'T .f me 5, i, . L - -V , V - '.v.,,,v,-.-. . .X ,M . i p, M ,, . ,, K , - Q , . ' -5- rl ,Yr uf N 1. X ', ,JH T Nj jf :NZ X' li an i . W l ' ' -ft:mf'y' i- i Tiff' F HT- ' - 'A ' i .iw 'S ia' ' W ini: J. i.iQi1 -I 'S '- 5 q. -' . C25 15 ' . .gi 3'.L,. .g 'S ' QV ik itzf- ' .fr 'gk rife vii - Q --r iQ. t:....ge 1,5 . ,' 4, 1 H - - ij. A- -4.1-1 un, , , If ,.., u U 'V ,' -X 5- sz, , . , : ,H ,gs --5 1 I?-' . .. ' . ' ' 4 ir u 'S - , , ,' 1 5-'. ' . .- .4,,w 1-.N , .4 12-' ,v ,xg u '- r 5 ' ' . -25 mir' ' -' :fv - ii: -5:1 ' -- 1 N 7? l-- - ,gifs exit. j Lgffmty, A - V ' ' ' U ' ' I. . . :I-,gf -.,, A M3 .I -,fl .41 ..- .Qzm ' 34' .M K' fkifiafk . ' . k- -'gi' . - '- ,-.9 ,Ii , '-- , ig , 1 -, ta, , . -5-:gi ei, ' - - ' U ,L WM, - . 2 -9, 1 'T '.- 9 -Q s . ' . V F vu. - . mpg A, , A-A A- A 1--. ae' .. - - ' ' . 1..- f I PN. I ,,,. .. 'P asfii'if' sf 'WW ,qyil '-as ATHLETICS AT AUGUSTANA By BILL KINNEX' Athletics at Augustana College, like everything else of importance which has a history of many years, has had its ups and downs. Among the matters of importance besides championships, victories, and defeats, is the never- to-be-forgotten rebellion which broke loose on the Augustana campus in 1906 when all forms of intercollegiate athletics were banned by the synod and the board of directors. For some reason or other, athletics, especially football, created a widespread disfavor among the churchmen of the synod. In 1905 the church leaders decided to forbid football. The student body of the school raised a hullabaloo over losing the game, but that was nothing compared to the bombshell tossed on the campus in the fall of 1906 when all intercollegiate competition was or- dered stopped. T 1' 'X On October 24, 1906, the pentup feeling of the students broke over the college and the board. lVithin 15 minutes after the announcement of the board's decision upholding the synod's action, all students except twelve called a general strike. A for rent or sale sign was posted on the old gymnasium. The board was hooted and jeered. After several days' of rebelling, however, the students finally were persuaded to re- enter the classrooms. Then about eighty of the ring-leaders were suspended temporarily, and re- instatement came when an apology was offered by the students. The whole affair was soon forgotten, but athletics were dead at the college for many years. ln 1911, basketball and baseball were reinstated, but it was not until 1917 that football was put back in the good graces of the Synod and the board of directors. Basketball first was introduced at Augie in 1897, by the Rev. C. M. Olander, who brought his knowledge of the game from the Marinette, VVis., Y. M. C. A. The game found favor with the students, and the first team to organize was known as the Five Drop Club, which soon had com- petition from the Stars, a rival cage organization. VVhen 1902 rolled around, Augustana had accepted basketball as an established custom, and was ready to enter the lists with a half dozen colleges and universities of the middle west. The first game of the year was with Monmouth, with the Vikings emerging victorious, 18 to 12. The first championship in the cage Sport Came in 1905, when the college won every game on its schedule, including two with the University of Iowa. Purn captained the team, with Walt Pearson the secondforward. Enoch Pearson played center and Johnson and Udden were the guards. The 1906 season was nearly as good as the previous year, and well it should have been, be- cause not until 1911 were the Swedes again to play other colleges due to the ban of 1907. In 1906, Augie won eight out of 12 battles. Roy M. Conrad of Moline came to Augustana in 1913, as the first director of athletics, coach- ing football and basketball. During the season of 1913, Conrad's quintet won 12 of 16 games. Art Swedberg, who later became basketball coach and director of athletics, made his entry into the Augie ranks in 1913. A year later, Augie was nosed out of the finals in the state tournament at Bloomington, losing to Northwestern Cnow North Centralj, 36 to 21. Swedberg captained the Vikings inthe 1915 and 1916 seasons, the latter year being the best year the old gymnasium ever saw-the new gym was first used in 1917. The state championship came to Augustana in 1917, with Swedberg, Ed Johnson, Al Taber, VVinnie Holmgren, Cub Lundberg, Ed Swedberg, Bill Anderson and Frank Johnson as regulars. Incidentally, the Swedes that year dedicated the University of Chicago gymnasium by losing to the Maroons, 37 to 17. Swedberg took over the reigns in 1920, turning out an aggregation that copped third in the state meet, conducted at Augustana. The squad was composed of Captain Almer, Wallie Swanson, Kootch Anderson, Bengston, Holgren, Dopp, Van Alstyne, Lundeen, Palmer, Andreen and Dahl- quist. 44 ur

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Cora Eldridge served as assistant in piano 1890-91. In 1892-93 the work in the Conservatory was organized into three distinct departments: a graduate department leading to the degree of Bache- lor of Music, an organist department designed especially to train students for organistsg and a choral and vocal department affording instruction and drill in solo, quartet, and chorus singing. This year the faculty grew to five members-Professors Gustav Stalpe, VV. Swensson, G. E. Grif- fith, Miss Alma Larson and Mr. G. N. Benson. In 19044 Professor Emil Larson became a member of the faculty, and a year later, the director of the department. Under his splendid leadership, which was from 1905 to 1908, the Conser- vatory strengthened its former standing and received impetus for greater things in the future. Professor J. Victor Bergquist of Minneapolis, took up his duties at Augustana Conservatory in the fall of 1912 and with him came Professor L. B. Canterbury to take charge of the depart- ment of voice. Professor Algert Anker, who had the previous year entered the fZlCl1lty as head of the violin department, remained in that position, Miss Effie Johnson came as teacher of piano, but was succeeded in 1913 by Miss Frances Lidman. - Very much could be said about the musical organizations which have come into being, flour- ished, waned, and died during the years of Augustanafs history, as well as about the ones still active and alive. A few of the organizations are: Utopian Quartet, Mendelssohn Male Choir, Xerxes Mandolin Orchestra, Kratodean Male Choir, Echo Quartet, Philodoi Female Quartet, Aeolus Club, Oriole Choir, Euterpean Society, and many others. The Handel Oratorio Society, founded at Augustana in 1881, was the first society of its kind in this party of the country. It came into existence thru the inHuence of Dr. O. Olsson, and its object is to study and render oratorios and other sacred compositions. For years the society has presented Handel's Messiah during the Christmas season, and it is now working on Mendels- sohn's Elijah,' to be given at the 75th Anniversary Celebration this spring. The organization, now conducted by Mr. Henry Veld, is one of the leading musical organizations in the Tri-Cities and is comprised of approximately 300 members. The lVen-nerberg Male Chorus, now enjoying the 35th year of its existence, is decidedly de- serving of recognition in the Held of music at Augustana. The Oriole Club, now known as the Jenny Lind Girls' Chorus, while not as old as the lVen- nerberg Chorus, is enjoying the 16th successful year as an organization. The two choirs are now directed by Mr. Henry Veld, a leader in every line of musical acti- vity, from the Chicago Musical College. Mr. Veld, very successfully directs the two choirs, now known jointly as the Augustana College A Capella Choir. Many are accustomed to think of the two choirs as being valuable to the institution chiefly be- cause of the service they render in the way of advertising the school on their annual tours, and it isxtrue that this service can hardly be estimated. But the service that they render to the Conser- vatory, and indeed, to the whole institution by their very existence, by their close and persistent ad- herence to high and thorough standards, in their work, and by their readiness to contribute to the musical success of every festive occasion at Augustana, can well be appreciated. The name of the Augustana Conservatory of Music was changed in 1931 to The Augustana School of Music. The faculty is now composed of eight members, Sven Victor Lekberg as Dean of the School of Music, and Head of the Piano and Theory Departments, Henry Veld, Head of the Voice Department and Choral Conductor, Louise Elizabeth Cervin, Instructor in Piano and Head of the Preparatory and Intermediate Departments, Mildred Anderson Hult, Instructor in Voice and Head of the Public School Music DepartmentgBrynolf Lundholm, Instructor in Piano and Organ, Edna Meckel llflason and VVilhelmina Johnson, Instructors in Piano, and Glenn Halik, Instructor in Violin and Viola and Band and Orchestra Conductor. The value of the School of Music can not be measured alone by its service to the College and its students, but also by its assistance in bringing to the Tri-Cities such well known artists as John McCormack, Toti Del Monte, Coe Glade, Paul Althouse, Edith Mason, Galli Curci, Marion Talley, Edward Collins, and Mme. Schuman-Heinck.

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VVith practically the same outit in 1921, the Swedes tore through about everything, losing only three out of 17 games played. A period of mediocre years followed, until 192-L, when a second modern wonder team came thundering out of the Augustana halls. The Vikings split even in the series with Macomb and Bradley, and won every other conference game, including battles with Knox, Northwestern, DeKalb, Lombard and Millikin. The 1925 was practically a repetition of the preceding year, as Coach Swedbergis men again eopped the conference title. After the great teams of 192-1' and 1925, Augie went into a slight decline, although the teams produced by Swedberg always finished well toward the top of the Little Nineteen conference per- centage columns. Swedberg took a year off from his duties in 1931, leaving his boys to Shorty Almquist, whom we will discuss later in accents sweet. The best season in many moons was chalked up during the 1934+-35 season, when the Vikings mauled eleven opponents and took it on the chin only four times. The final game of the season saw the undefeated St. Ambrose quintet bow to the Vikings, 41 to 32. Coach Almquist handled the cagers during the year. Football was first introduced at Augustana in 1893-and since that time-what a history has been made! John Swensson, Moline, brought the game to Augie after learning it at Northwestern University, and he was followed by Joe Cook of the University of Illinois. During the early years, football was a matter of personal business. The players paid for their own suits, equipment and eats and fares on the trips. St. Ambrose furnished the Hrst inter- collegiate competition, when the Saints walked off the field at the half-trailing by an 18 to 0 score. In the second game of that first year, Augustana was defeated by Monmouth, 145 to 12, but came- back to defeat the University of Iowa, 6 to 0. Men on the first squad were Dr. Louis Os- trom, Joe Wfesterlund, Cederquist, Setterdahl, Peterson, Hoagland, Johnson, Kohler, Benson, Jacobson, Eastberg, Swenssen, Cook, Moody, Sandell, Lofgren and Lindell. Because too many men were injured, Augie dropped football at the end of the 1894 season, and not until 1901 was there another team. The grid sport was becoming very popular by 1903, and the Swedes were champs in 19011. The wonder team if that year will long be remembered, and the players that season were J. V. Johnson, Newstrom, A. Johnson A. B. Swanson, John Hall, Buck Oberg, Gus Lofgren, James VVeir, Emil Bergren, Essley and Morris Johnson. Then came the ban, which were lean years, indeed. After many fruitless efforts, however, football finally was reinstated in 1917, with Ted Davenport as the coach. The season wasn't very successful, as many men were called to the colors for the war. The next few years were better than average-in fact, the Swedes lost only one game, tied once and won six. Swedberg coached that outHt. The grid warfare at Augie hit the skids in 1922, and failed to revive until 1925, when Mart Knanishu and others began winning back lost prestige for the Norse. Football got down to a real pride and joy at Augie, beginning in 1928, when Coach Shorty Almquist was pulled away from Minnesota. So Well has he succeeded that he has now been given a 3-year contract as head coach of all sports and director of athletics, succeeding Major Swedberg, who becomes director of the health and physical education departments. Since Almquist has been at Augustana, his teams have won 80 per cent of the time. That's quite a record, but it can be proved. The climax came in the 193-L season, when Co-captains Bob Marack and I-Ierb McCall were the leaders. Augie won all the nine games on the schedule, suffering not a defeat nor a tie. Mai-ack led the Little Nineteen scoring with 72 points, and the Vikings gained the Hrst Little Nineteen grid championship in the history of the school. Track hasnit been as successful at Augie as have basketball and football. The running and jumping business, however, has the distinction of being the oldest sport on record, having first been introduced in 1882. Baseball, after many successful seasons, was dropped in 1930. Augustana may be proud of its record in sports. The records are clean and legal, and since 1917 nothing has been done to discourage intercollegiate competition. lVith such men as Alm- quist and Swedberg at the helm, there has been but one credo-- play the game hard and fairly. The creed seems to work, as is indicated by the records. 44 ,, . ' A . l . . . Q -ig 0 . . .Q Q , ' , , . W 1-d rnj ' 7,41 if fn-.5 Tp f - ,R 'fr , 4 if , rn , . ' fl 1 , avi. , V 1, -pw,-sfrlwuyk y gl-JL ll gr,-e.. ,. :hw ,H , . WL I I .xg g li- . Q7 . 1 v x Ui. -.IL In -1 -I .', ' V 1- '-fi, , I, - I D ,Q . r 1 , ' - . as -. A --'Q-. ,, ! ' - , E 1, Q I '..,'tl'-,av , -4:Mj,,, '- -bi 1 4... .Il V pigs: H' JA' -...sn A , ,.. ,, , 4 '- , - 'I p - '