Columbia University School of Dental and Oral Surgery - Dental Columbian Yearbook (New York, NY)

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g zovos i i The subway shuttle had its parallel in the summer infirmary course which served to tide us over into the Junior year from the Freshman session. Then came a repetition of the first year on an amplified seale, but with the sinister war motif ever within hearing. The draft took a handful of us from our studies, others enlisted in the Naval Reserve and a con- siderable number in the Medical Reserve Corps. War work claimed several professors with whom we were just beginning to be acquainted. An Army and Navy Club was organized and admitted members as fasl as they enlisted, posting information as to the possibilities of seeing service shortly, or gaining a commission. The literary element commenced a clamor for some means of expression, and Lamar Harris took the initiative of giving an illustrated lecture to raise funds for the printing of a monthly magazine. It. ran for several months under the name of IMPRESSION, when it was turned over to the tender mercies of the Freshman Class. It brought to light unsuspected talent from individuals who showed exceptional skill in drawing, writing, and last, but not least, business acumen. Our humorists were afforded the chance to poke innocent jibes at members of the class, though some of the recipients proved rather thin-skinned. Dissection proved a novelty for us, the first patient sensation having worn off some time before. But the novelty was not so engrossing as to eclipse the prospects of a Junior Prom. With rare judgment, our Chief Executive Jack Rosenblum, selected an unusually capable commit tie to take upon itself the task of handling the affair successfully. As a result we spent a most enjoyable eve- ning on February 16, 1918, at the Hotel Netherlands. A track team that we backed all the way to Philadelphia under the chaperonage of Dr. Suesldnd, went there with the best of intentions, and though they came back non-victorious, they stored up enough information to stand them in good stead the following year. With the exception of a couple of informal dances in Brown Hall, ami some more examinations at the end of the year, most of us had nothing to do but wait for the Senior Year to roll around. « Maturity at last! Ours the coveted Senior end of the infirmary, the general cordiality unaccorded to mere underclassmen. We came into our own as naturally as though we had been seniors always! 23

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OQ O S ' 1 1 Class History i CTOBEE, 1916, saw the beginning of the era. June, 1919, sees its close. How infinitely much has transpired during the intervening years! A crude mass of ore, we entered the mill of learning, and after subjecting ourselves to various processes of refinement we now leave it in a considerably different state. With the adaptability of the young, we imbibed the very essence of dental lore, mouthing the grotesque nomenclatures of the ' different ' ologies, and very quickly settling into the rut of study. Yet the surging spirit of youth was merely restrained, never entirely subdued, as witness the indignation meet- ings after some fiasco in Cooper Auditorium, the impromptu dances in Brown Hall, the tendency to applaud and cheer on the slightest provocation. Various cliques, fraternities and even good old-fashioned friendships of trios and quartets soon drew like to like sifting the wheat from the chaff, so to speak. Into our Utopian midst crept the Hydra- headed monster of politics, and one fine clay we woke to the fact that a republic had been established ; and as its head we elected William Rochester. Under his rule we toiled and moiled m peace and happiness until the dread monsoon engulfed us in its swirling center. Examinations! They proved our first barrier, and we surmounted them bravely. Those days were idyllic, when marks of ninety proved so plentiful that we welcomed an eighty to break the monotony. How times have changed! Then came the home stretch for the first year, unbroken save for our Freshman Prom, the first opportunity accorded us to meet each other in a social way outside of college. There seems no good reason for spoiling the happy memory of it by inadvertently mentioning the finals. Examinations are always sordid, necessary evils. ' They are like a machine-gun: dangerous to face, but harmless enough when once ' captured. It is not amiss to talk of machine-guns and examinations in the same breadth, for in the spring of 1917, the United States took up arms in defense of world democracy, and the declaration of war came to have a deep meaning for us at the college. 22

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oaos 1 1 A new mantle of dignity enveloped our shoulders, our mischief changed from the continuous variety to that of spontaneity. We settled down in the main, however, for life symbolized a deeper meaning for us when we lost from our midst a beloved classmate, Anna Mirabella. She had been the bright, cheery influence in our midst, and her untimely decease threw a pall over us. Then suddenly the martial blare of trumpets. Squads drilling in the park; uniforms, guns, bayonets! Sentries posted at the doors, courtsmartial. confinement to barracks! Embryo dentists ,trans- formed into prospective warriors, clicked heels, saluted, and stood retreat at sundown. By some miracle studies survived simultaneously with the activities of the Students ' Army Training Corps. The inferno three thousand miles away cast its glare into our midst, and then with a crash, our hopes for glory on the field of battle crumbled to ashes. An armistice declared! Peace on earth again. Then slowlv the turn in midchannel, a new start against the surging currents of study. Back into the old rut, this time the passwords being Study and Work. Examinations held some dread for us, but we doggedly struggled through and emerged again for a breath of air before the finals. A dread scourge swept the country with no fatalities among the students, but once more the Reaper passed our way and took with him a beloved and esteemed preceptor. Dr. Robert Brust. Joy and sorrow are so inextricably entangled, that we mourn and rejoice almost in the same breath, so that as a true chronicle, we must needs remember the Senior Prom at the Hotel Ansoma. Our new President, Walter Quinn directed the dance committee to bring us together on the evening of March 22, 1919, and a splendid representation of the class derived much pleasure from the affair, at the same time ex- pressing regret at the fact that we should never again meet at OUR Senior Prom. On April 25, 1919, a track team selected after careful competition, went back to Philadelphia to avenge the defeat of the previous year, Dr. Sueskind with them as formerly. The following Monday morning the good Doctor, with what remained of his voice after cheering the team to victory, announced 24