Brown University - Liber Brunensis Yearbook (Providence, RI)

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JUNIOR CLASS BENJAMINMcCKENDALL, president The Class of '52 which entered in September of 1948 made an auspicious start by being the first Freshman Class in many years to win the traditional Freshman-Sophomore Flag Rush. The freshman ath- letes further distinguished the class by coming through the wrestling teams. The freshman football team was also season with undefeated hockey and quite successful, the most memorable game being the 7-0 upset victory over a strong Holy Cross eleven. The following year the class firmly established its reputation by successfully defending the flag rush on that same mud-spattered battlefield where they had been so victorious the year before. The most important activity of the sophomore year was the institution of a new tradition. In cooperation with the Freshman Class the '52 Class Council presented the first annual Freshman-Sophomore Dance at the Narraganset Hotel. In that year the seal on the class blazers was redesigned. The Junior year is traditionally the most active, and the Class of '52 has been no exception. The year's activities got underway in the early fall with a beer party held at the Lincoln Woods Reservation. The biggest social event of the year was the formal Junior Prom, the date of which was changed this year from the Homecoming Weekend to the night of March 2. Ralph Stuart and his Orchestra supphed the music for a capacity crowd at the Sheraton-Biltmore Hotel. One feature of the evening was the presentation of Throughout the entire year the class council displayed deliberate gardenia corsages to all the girls. organization and originality in the planning of Junior activities. Although the Homecoming and Spring Weekends are not official functions of the Junior Class, the chairman and many members of the committees run- ning these activities are quite often juniors. The Brown Key, Junior Honorary Society, was also ex- ceptionally active this year. In all phases of campus life-extra curricular interests, athletics, and schol- arship-juniors have taken a leading part. Although past achievements are not important in themselves, they are indicative of the leadership that may be expected from the class of 1952 in their most important role as seniors. The officers for the junior year were: Ben McKendall, president; Brad Benson, Ralph Crosby, John Hutchinson, vice-president; recording secretary; corresponding secretary; and Joseph McVicker, treasurer. RALPH CROSBY H. BRADFORD BENSON vice-president recording secretary 14 JOHN HUTCHINSON JOSEPH Mc-VTCKER corresponding secretary treasurer

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Vigilance Committee The purposes of the Vigilance Committee, more popularly known as the V.C , is to unite the fresh- man class as a unit, and to instill within it the cus- toms and traditions of Brown University. The V.C, comprised of 24 carefully interviewed, and very capable sophomores, executed one of the most successful freshman hazing periods ever effected before at Brown. Every member of the committee handled his job in the most expedient manner. The Those nasty, nasty old raids. Front row, left to right: Nichols, Calkins, Wilbur, Wenzel, Clark, Dowling. Second row. Pollard, Hartman, Hayes, Markowitz, Liv- ingston. Back row. Harvie, Amann, Jones, Thompson, Brady. hazing period, concentrated into two weeks, experi- enced no trouble, and very handily accomplished its purposes. This may be attested to by a poll taken among the freshmen. Some innovations which were installed as part of the annual Vigilance Committee program were: Daily sings on the Faunce House Terrace, which helped greatly to teach the Brown- lings the college songs, a VC . court to deal out pun- ishments to uncooperative freshmen by making them sing publicly, or by dousing them with a water-filled milk can. The reason for the milk can being used for punishment rather than the traditicnal and archaic Pump was that the latter was removed and hidden by the freshmen. A thorough search by the V.C. was to no avail, and the hiding place of the handle re- mained a secret until well after the hazing period had ended. It was returned at the Princeton football rally and placed again in its old position on the pump. Although this act may seem base, and not befitting the conduct of loyal Brown freshmen, the V.C. feels that it contributed to the success of the program by showing some of the spirit which it was the intention of the V.C. to promote. The hazing period was climaxed by the annual Flag Rush, which for the third time in 40 years was won by an up-for-the-game freshman class. The mass of freshmen clamoring for the flag atop the greased pole could not be repulsed by the small knot of sophomores opposing them. After the Flag Rush a gala dance was held at Alumni Hall by the sopho- more and freshman classes jointly. The Vigilance Committee was led by E. Howard Wenzel, Jr., chairman, and Winthrop V Wilbur, secretary.

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Mwwn Key Front row, left to right: Keck, Stehle, Rogers, Buck, Arenberg, Maslin, McKinley. Back row. Kissell, Steere, Rus- sell, Smith, Hyde. The Brown Key is the Junior Honorary Society and 1is annually made up of twenty outstanding members of the Junior Class. These men are elected to this society at the end of their sophomore year and are tapped at the formal dance during Spring Week- end. The Key has gradually taken on many duties so that today it is one of the busiest organizations on the Brown campus. No matter what the hour, visit- ing teams arriving here are always greeted by a Key man, who escorts them to their destination and pro- vides them with a pamphlet containing a map of the campus and general information about Brown. Besides greeting teams, it is the Key's job to hold the football rallies, purchase and maintain the mas- cot, and most important, to promote school spirit at Brown. This year's popular mascot. Butch Bruno XI, died shortly after flying to Philadelphia for the foot- ball game against Pennsylvania. In addition to these duties, the Brown Key provided round-trip bus transportation to away football games for those who desired it. Fred Keck and Woody Smith directed this year's rallies and did an excellent job. The Yale rally was acclaimed on campus as one of the best inmany years. The stars of that evening were Jerry Colona and Andy Russell. The Key also did its part to make Freshman Week a success. The men in the White Hats were besieged with questions by the eager newcomers, and the an- swers provided a large part of the freshman's campus information. The organization alsc paved the way for the appearance of the V C, whose activities they advised. The Sheraton Biltmore and Ralph Stuart's band combined to make this year's Rally Dance a success. This annual dance is the Key's primary source of revenue and precedes the Thanksgiving Day Game. The officers for the current year were: B. Russell Buck, president; Richard Clough, vice-president; William D. Rogers, secretary; John D. Hutchinson, treasurer. Smile, you little . . .