Clemson University - Taps Yearbook (Clemson, SC)

Page 7 text:

ion IN THE past hundred and fifty years the science of Chemistry has so gradually, yet so surely, worked itself into our civilization that at times we look only upon the results achieved without giving due con- sideration to the science itself, or to the minds that have built the science. Yet we know, if we stop to reflect, that without Chemistry, the design of our most commonplace experiences and daily routine would be, in truth, threadbare. As through our every-day living this thread is woven, so do we at- tempt to draw it as a theme through the pages of this book. As from the laboratory with its formidable array of alembics, test tubes, and apparatus there springs much of the beauty and convenience of our daily living, so do we over-print the motif with our campus activi- ties and experiences as a tribute to the science. We have chosen to represent Chemistry through the medium of the seven different schools of the College. We feel that any of these seven schools is ade- quately equipped to prepare a man to match wits with the world at large in his effort to secure a good living, and certainly, Chemistry plays no small part in this scheme of events. Throughout the theme presentation has been woven the student-life angle and we feel that we have caught a combination that is both appealing and at- tractive. Clemson College is closer to the science of Chemistry than just the experience of the classroom, and has a much greater interest in the advancement of the science than just the distracted or academic interest. Our College was founded by a man who pioneered in this field. Thomas G. Clemson, believing that the future problems of Agriculture and Industry were to be solved by this same science, gave to the State of South Ca rolina the original tract of land on which the institution has been built. Thus our College bears the name of a pioneering chemist. All of which concludes the explanation of our choice of theme. We hope you like it, that it will mean something to you as it has to us in arranging its presentation, and that you will stand behind us in our choice. Drink up, men, to the ancient and honorable science of Chemistry!

Page 6 text:

AS DAWN is breaking with a riot of early-morning color on the Clem- son Campus, up in the foot-hills of the mountains where the Blue Ridge yawns its greatness, and as the first signs of life become evident in preparation for a day of various activities, a similarity may be drawn in connection with the 1937 TAPS — a year ' s record of many such days begun in just such a manner. It is breath-taking and awe-in- spiring to look down upon a scene that becomes busier as the day grows older and to note the variety of preparations that are being made in order to meet and cope with the problems and situations that are to be encountered and reckoned with — classes that involve quizzes, speeches, diagrams and recitations under the expert tute- lage of a competent faculty, drills that involve explanations and tim- ing under the watchful eye of the Army, and gatherings at night that involve social and technical discussions with both cadets and men who represent the contacts that have been made through the years of earnest endeavor and effort while here at Clemson. Is it any wonder that to choose an adequate theme representative of sixteen hundred cadets, their varied activities, and their reactions to the nature of any effort made in their behalf, is an enormous task that requires concentrated time and thought? Just as surely as the Clemson Cadet Corps sponsors a yearbook in which is recorded in written and pictorial form the activities of the corps during a year at Clemson, there must be a theme to bind the various divisions of the book together into a compact, logical and understandable production. The staff has deliberated thoroughly and completely with the hope and thought in mind that the readers of this yearbook would come to praise and value its choice of a theme — Chemistry, as portrayed through the eyes of industry, in our every- day lives. Through the pattern of our every-day lives there is a.threacJ so closely woven that at times we fail to appreciate the essential ele- ment that it contributes to the general design of our modern mode of living.

Page 8 text:

% a t ,:, FOREWORD A YEARBOOK, like the golden thread of friendship that binds class- mates together, strives to give a definite, concrete and pictorial record of that class sponsoring its publication — a record that includes the aspirations, the joys and the sorrows of that class; so that in the retrospective hours of a distant future, one may turn its pages, and a host of beautiful memories will come trooping across the sands of time. To portray vividly a modern college year — to provide a storehouse for memories of carefree youth — those have been our ambitious aims. We chose Chemistry as our theme because the founder of our Alma Mater, the man whose name the College bears, foresaw in that science the solution of many problems that are vital to all professions and sciences. Our Chemistry Building was the first building to be erected on the campus. Scientific research was the first important function of Clemson A. M. College, a College that now stands out among the leading colleges and universities of the country. Chemistry as a theme gave impetus to the development of the art motif, and the addition of a pleasing student-life perspective enabled us to develop a book that will fulfill its every intent, we hope. To satisfy the varied tastes of a campus group and to meet the critic ' s charge of stereotype with originality despite increased fi- nancial woes — these have been our foremost problems. Do not judge too harshly the result — the task was difficult. Bearing these thoughts, we present this book as a record of the present which shall become with advancing years a souvenir of the past. The theme is Chemistry; the medium is modern art. The ver- dict is yours. Mh