Bridgewater State University - Alpha Yearbook (Bridgewater, MA)

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c L H A I S s s T O R A hum of excitement filled the Horace Mann Auditorium that warm September morning in 1944 as a group of eager freshmen assembled, anxiously await- ing their organization as the class of ' 48. Then followed busy, active days — days crowded at first with high-school memories; — and later with dreams and ideas of what lay ahead — new friends, studies, gay social affairs, campus life, and an ever-widening sphere of knowledge. Flowing, white angel robes were the fashion during the first week at college, while we were put through a rigorous physical examination by sympathetic Dr. MacLeod in the gymnasium. Checking up on our stamina before handing us over to the sophomores for initiation, we thought apprehensively. Ah, yes! Initiation! All the horrible rumors became reality on the first Monday morning of classes. Every nervous fresh- man form sported a cotton dress, inside-out, a saddle shoe and a sneaker, and various assorted ribbons, curlers, toy animals and sandwich boards. Never were the tennis courts weeded so industriously, or the steps of the Administration building scrubbed more energetically, as under the watchful eye of a sophomore. Our trials were soon over, however, and the initiation was closed by the Freshman Party, given in our honor by the sophomore class. Thoughts of revenge then turned to liking for our sister class, for from that day until their graduation, we had an opportunity to learn what a friendly group they were. Soon a spirit of college loyalty and class co-operation began to arise, and en- thusiasm was displayed in the support of our officers, Barbara Talbot, president; Jeanne Moynihan, vice president; Janet Allen, secretary; and Marie McGowan, treasurer. Immediately we planned a frankfurt roast to swell the treasury. To- our gratification the venture was a huge success — both socially and financially. as}

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SENIORS Here we are after four profitable years . . . years of knowledge gained, friends made, and obstacles overcome. New experiences will come to supplant our memories, but never will we forget the inestimable joy of being called a Senior.

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During the year that followed we freshmen found clubs and sports to engage our time after classes. Our members were well-represented in each of the many active groups on campus, open to the student body. We struggled with new subjects, passed mid-year examinations with grati- tude and relief, became more collegiate as time passed; and before we realized it, our introduction to Bridgewater was swift- ly drawing to a close. The hand of war had touched many phases of our life at Bridgewater, and had reduced the number of men to an almost negligible quantity. However, in the spring, the freshman class assembled proud- ly to participate in the traditional and impressive ceremony of the Ivy March at the graduation of the class of 1945 — sym- bolic of our true acceptance into the spirit of Bridgewtaer Teachers College. The brightest spot in our lives when we returned to college in the fall was initia- tion. At last we were to have our turn! We had plotted the torture down to the last detail and could hardly contain our- selves with our plans. The class of ' 49 turned out to be a group of exceptionally good sports and the topic of initiation was 19 good conversation material for months to follow. W. A. A. organized its annual Sup- per Hike that October. The women stu- dents of the college gathered in the sand pits to join in games and community singing, and to cook supper over the open fires. We all struggled through sophomore geography and physical science. The girls often spent Friday nights serving as junior hostesses at the near-by Army camps. We gave our support to the scrap paper drive, and we spent long hours in the auditorium where the National Sophomore Tests chal- lenged our knowledge of a variety of sub- jects. We saw our first Mardi Gras, spon- sored by French Club. The theme that year was Claire de la Lune sur La Rivi- era. Gay, bright costumes were the order of the evening as the dancers recaptured the spirit of Old France. We had re-elected Barbara Talbot as president, assisted by Mary Ruth Sullivan as vice president. Carol Hill served as secretary that year and Lillian Wilson was our treasurer. February found us ready to launch our largest undertaking thus far, a semi formal dance in the gym. It was a wonder- ful dance — practically every student in the college attended and we were terribly proud of our success. The months sped by and soon we were packing again for the summer vaca- tion, extracting promises of faithful corre- spondence from our friends and looking forward to the far-off fall when we would return with the long-awaited status of upperclassmen. The most impressive sight on camp-