Chatham College - Cornerstone Yearbook (Pittsburgh, PA)

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s. •% Dedication A-, Eacult) advisor to the class oi 1956, Dr. Earl K. Wallace has been an unending source ol strength. His fine mind has inspired our respect, and his warm support lias evoked our gratitude. At song-practice, lit ' bolstered our spirits In saying, I can ' t decide whi h one will win. Now we must say, oi his main attributes it is impossible to decide which one will win, and so we dedicate the Cornerstone to him simply as a friend and a foster-father.

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1 5 • From Pennsylvanian to Cornerstone On November 15, 1955, Pennsylvania Col- lege lor Women was renamed Chatham Col- lege. Two weeks later, the college yearbook, the Pennsylvanian, was renamed the Corner- stone. The name, Pennsylvania College for Women, dated horn 1890, but the Pennsyl- vanian had been a part of the college since 1 883. The Eirst Pennnsylvanian was published fourteen years alter the founding of the col- lege, in December, 1883, by the senior class who had resolved to edit a paper of their own, thus marking their graduation by something special, as well as starting the ball for succeed- ing classes to keep rolling. Theirs was a paper-bound semi-annual which resembled to- day ' s literary magazines. In I 111 ), the Pennsylvanian appeared as a cloth-bound annual, whose editors said, We entered voluntarily upon this difficult but delightful task of editing the first yearbook of Pennsylvania College for Women. The 1915 Pennsylvania)! was truly a yearbook, with twenty-lour pages devoted to faculty, students, college scenes, and organizations. There were ten seniors then, and a tennis court stood in place of Woodland ' s parking lot. From 1916 to 1945 the Pennsylvania)! was published once every two years by the senior and junior classes. In 1945, it again became an annual, anil has remained so for the past ten years. In (hanging the name of the yearbook a seventy-two year old tradition has been altered. But in changing the name to the Cornerstone, an eighty-six year old tradition has been com- memorated. The college motto, That our daughters may be like cornerstones was in- cluded on the college seal adopted in 1871, the first year of charter for the Pittsburgh Female College. The seal now includes the new name of Chatham, but the original motto remains as a heritage from the very beginnings of our history. The name Cornerstone, was chosen by the yearbook staff from suggestions submitted by the student body. Marilyn Miles Oliphant and Mildred Shulte proposed the new name which was selected on the basis of brevity, euphonx and adaptability. The adaptability of Chatham ' s new year- book name is two-fold. Every college year is a cornerstone in the life of the student. Each year ' s experience builds upon the loun- dation of learning and memories which is already laid, and serves tor raising up the luture developments which are as yet onl plans. But in 1955-1956, Cornerstone is partic- ularly rich with significance. During this year of transition, we are planning for the luture and building on the line things ol the past. It is fitting that we take the name for our yearbook from one of those fine things, the college motto. The first Cornerstone has been assembled with a reverence for tradition and a faith in future growth. Even the surface innovations have had their roots in the past: colored di- vider pages were used in 1932-33, a burlap cover was used in 1936-37, and the beige color of the cover was echoed in 1944-45. We have tried to retain the essential dignity of Pennsylvania College for Women, and to reflect the dynamic challenge of Chatham Col- lege in the Cornerstone of 1956. Our warm thanks to Miss Laberta Dysart, college historian, for her knowledge and en- couragement during the production ol the first Cornerstone.

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r The new name of Pennsylvania College for Women commemorates William Pitt the Elder, the first Ear] oi Chatham, after whom the city oi Pittsburgh was named. Pittsburgh had been formerly the French Fort l)u Quesne. It was here that Lord Chatham ' s war policy turned the tide in the final struggle between the French and English colonials on this continent, giving the vic- tory to the English and determining the language and cultural background of the colonies. Lord Chatham was also a prophet ol the liberal arts education, having devised a syllabus or main plan ol education containing the central elements ol what today we call preparation lor living. It is thus doubly fitting that we should perpetuate the name ol William Pitt, the first Earl of Chatham.