Binghamton University - Colonist / Pegasus Yearbook (Vestal, NY)

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fter the recent conflict, brave men re- turned to their native shores. The crowds cheered approval as the weary tempted to resume their lives. The veterans, clutch- ing their G.I. bill of rights, sought to continue their education, but when the Tri-Cities heroes returned to the home of shoes and punch cards, they saw that there was still no college. Brave men returned to their native shores. Nary a Ph.D. could be scratched from the rolling hills and verdant pastures; nary a standard reference work could be found. The vets were restless and a crisis situation could have built up if Providence had not smiled upon the Tri-Cities. The wise and good chancellors of Syracuse University put their heads together and decided to benefit the heroes by the construction and exten- sion of their wonderful school in tree-shaded, arched Endicott, New York. The school was set down as a hodge-podge of old buildings, some of which were note-worthy for their ugliness; such as the Library, which was constructed out of tincans and broken glass. There was a Colonial Building, West Hall, The E. J. Clubhouse, all these scattered edifices were Triple Cities College. There were difficulties at first, but spirit was high. Students and faculty recall those days with mist- choked voices. They remember taking examinations wearing coats and gloves in the freezing classrooms while snow came through the windows, landing on test papers, making ink useless. One veteran faculty man recalls having a class . . . with 280 people in it. The largest lecture hall held 75, so I had to give the same lecture 4 times in a row. Spirit was high Incredible, staggering, you may think. How could people stand such conditions? They were bet- ter men then - tough and hardened by war. Our generation perhaps has been babied. But we digress. Winters were stem The pre-fabs were up before the heat was installed; pot-bellied stoves were in the classrooms, with buckets of water near-by in case of fire. The winters were stern and not even the warmth of student-faculty relationships everybody knew everybody else in those days could prevail over indoor temperatures of 427 The dingy snack bar was crowded in the bleak winter, with students and faculty tossing the bull to keep warm. Noise was omnipresent. All through that cold winter of '46-'47, the pipes and radiators were being installed by thickly-shod maintenance men who wan- dered through lectures, hammering, banging and shouting attempting to bring warmth into the sad winter. One faculty member recalls the village idiot, a local dwarf, breaking into the classroom jab- bering, and leaving. But noise and madness did not end with the winter. The spring brought other prob- lems.

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anning coordinator tc information assistant dean ector of placement lebrarian for administration . . John berry B . herbert kells . aysel searles . . Josiah newcomb . vergil dykstra oo Y : E business officer . . . frank cunay R e N Sy o Ji;:brfx 3 5 N x AT S' Gy regislrar . . . rhoda bernsten

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The dining facilities were overcrowded and drafty The thaw caused flooding and three feet of Gods own water in the parking lot caused general distress. Noise continued as high school bands started practicing on the football field bordering the E. J. clubhouse and a new dimension was added as a family of skunks established residence underneath the Colonial Building and was never, ever removed. By the end of the first year it was clear that the pre- fabs were shoddy and that the dining facilities were overcrowded and drafty. Some of the faculty we had a real bunch of screw balls were found to be wanting and the mortality rate among profs was staggering. Thirty young profs left en masse and went to California and formed a Harpur College in exile. By the end of that first year, many would echo the sentiments of a veteran teacher who de- clared it was a depressing place. I wouldnt go back for anything in the world. Flooding caused geneval distress It is thus clear, dear reader, that Triple-Cities College was, in a physical sense, an academic out- house. If this is so, what explains the fondness which many misty-eyed alumni and glassy-eyed faculty mem- bers look back upon those somewhat tossed-salad days? Because, things were simpler then. Familiarity was bred, to a point almost beyond endurance, in the womb-like environs of T.C.C. Things were simpler then For the students, it was a rugged life. The stu- dents had a rough and ready enthusiasm: they drank hard, played hard, worked hard and, as far as exist- ing data permits to conjecture, loved hard. Students had rough and ready enthusiasm The students found that local dives were with- in walking distance and the Main Street Bar and Grill, now fabled in song and story, was a second home to many. If legend is correct, however, nothing could compare with the Oasis Tea Room, where lilt- ing, inscrutable odors of the East mixed with the occasional flash of a diamond to create an atmos- phere which even in memory paralyzes the senses, and makes mice out of the strongest men.