Delaware Valley College - Cornucopia Yearbook (Doylestown, PA)

Page 31 text:

green neckwear and those lovable Mutt Caps. There were whisperings of the hold Mutts who used the front walk and front doors — when no upperclassmcn were about. SAPLIXG rpHEY began to grow, those children. The class decided after their setback in - - boxing that they must get organized; and held their first class elections on May 2, 1938. They first learned the true meaning of Wolf at their first social affair, the Freshmen Welcome Dance of May 21st. Their belief in organization was fulfilled when they defeated the Juniors in baseball 14-1. The last of the newcomers arrived towards the end of June, bringing such notables as Sobelman, Schalman, and Teller. At the same time the school lost the services of Mr. Zieglcr. With the arrival of Rabbi and Mrs. Cook at the beginning of the summer, the first step toward the raising of the spirit of the student body was begun. For the first time in the history of the school the student body was taken twice a week to cool off in the pool at Forest Park. Plans for a recreation room were begun. Meanwhile many of the boys availed themselves of the socials at Kenneseth Israel Temple. I saw the dream, or shall I more appropriately say nightmare, of those nineteen days of rain when the boys in G. A. shocked and reshocked 120 acres of wheat. In August Mr. Groman left to be succeeded by Mr. Weaver as head of the General Agriculture department. Rabbi Cook also left at this time to take up his duties in the city but continued his interest in the school. The beginning of the football season marked a great step forward in the education of the greenhorns , the burning of their caps and tics , halfway to freedom, the}- said. Harvest day in ' 38, was a day of days in the annals of Farm School history. I in it brought the beginning of a new era. The coming of Mr. Samuel J. Gurbarg, whose friendship, advice, and guidance, to a very large extent has helped make the fellows more completely happy and brought the morale, and spirit of the school up to its present high state. Great was the rejoicing as the Class of ' 4(1 was defeated in the annua!. interclass football classic, 13-7. The winter witnessed the breakdown and then the reformation of the student governing body under the guidance and ideals of Mr. Gurbarg which he has striven so hard to inculcate into the thoughts oi the boys. I was indeed witnessing a great change in the ways of life at Farm School. Graduation came quickly that year and they were free — no longer to bear the stigma of Mutts. Most important, however, this day brought the new President of Farm School. Dr. H. B. Allen. He. in his own quiet way, began practicing his ideals which are a stepping stone to greater things lor Farm School. Very shortly, main- of these proud seniors got their first lesson in the handling

Page 30 text:

CLASS HISTORY Who am I: you may ask. Where do I come from; you may also inquire. What am I doing here? That ' s a long story and I shan ' t go into that at length but I suppose it ' s only fair that I tell you a smattering of my past. I was born many, many years ago, just how many I really don ' t recall. I do remember red-skinned men pitching camp around me. I can recall a group of quiet, conservative people who used to worship their God in my shade. (I think they said they came to this country because they were not allowed to speak, or write, or worship as they pleased). Oh! yes, they were Quakers. And then I heard that different races of peoples who had come from across the ocean to this free land, had banded themselves together declared their independence from a tyrannical rule, and formed a government, which guaranteed every man, woman and child the right of free speech, free press, freedom of assembly, and freedom of worship. How fortunate was I to be born in this great country so that I might be a witness to the struggle and the progress in the building of these United States. But I see that I bore you with my retrospection. Please forgive me, but when I think of what I have seen it overwhelms me so that I must tell someone about it. Just about forty years ago a learned Rabbi founded a School, the purpose of which, I am sure, you all know. I have watched it grow, as a baby grows into child- hood and then to manhood. I have seen many groups of green city boys come and leave as confident farm students. Of one class I am especially fond. This class entered the school during one of its crises. Let me tell a bit of their days spent at the National Farm School. GERMINATION TT was a dark and dreary day on March 31, 1938, when forty-seven hopeful, but very bewildered young men from cities all over the country entered The National Farm School to begin their careers as future farmers. Among this number were a few fleeing from the tyranny and oppression of other peoples. It was indeed a dismal time, for the school was just recovering from a siege of internal trouble. This immediately affected their morale and led many to leave. It was soon to pass, however, for they rose with the School out of the depths to the greatest heights which it has known. Many a time have I heard how the upperclassmen kindly did their part to acclimate the Freshmen to the new life which they were to lead for the next three years. Who has forgotten that S. S. A. meeting and those Sunday evening parties that followed? As the green of spring appeared so was I able to see the outbreak of bright

Page 32 text:

of the correct end of a paddle. The new Mutts, to show their appreciation for this introduction to higher learning, came back with a 4-3 victory in boxing. Shortly the Juniors gained vengeance by defeating the Freshmen in Baseball 11-7. Our boys told me of the new honor received by Farm School when Sycamore Etta was chosen as one of the thirty Ayrshires in the U. S. and Canada to be shown at the 1939 New York ' s World Fair. For the first time at Farm School a soccer team was formed as a result of the activity of Edward Grosskopf. It is hoped that this will be a permanent establishment. As the day for the Junior Prom approached there was great bustling, and talking, and planning. Despite the rain that came it was a great event in the ' Crystal Ballroom. The Freshmen Follies were enjoyed by all. In July, we lost two old friends, Messrs. C. J. Toor and M. Mayer, who left us to go into private business. To take their place in July came Mr. Samuel Meisler and Mr. Harry Rothman, both of Rutgers, to head the Poultry department, and Mr. Benjamin Horowitz, from Connecticut, as Floriculture Instructor. DIVERSIFICATION A T the end of October the members of the Class of ' 41 were called upon to - - make one of the most important decisions of their lives . They were to make their choice of a branch of agriculture and what they hoped was their ultimate career. Few shall ever forget the time they spent in Dr. Frank ' s Soils classes. The Freshmen came back for vengeance in the annual football classic to pass and rush a tiring Junior eleven to a 12-7 defeat. It seems that in this year of changing times, there were many new ideas. A great plan materialized into a Student Loan Fund, to be used for the benefit of the student body. Also for the first time a movie benefit was held, the proceeds of which were applied to the same fund. Added to these innovations was a new type of student publication. The old ' ' Gleaner magazine was changed to a newspaper to permit more frequent publications and newsier news to be printed. During the winter of ' 39- ' 40 the grading systems were modified and improved, one more step upward in the course of the National Farm School. MATURATION TT ' INALLY the time came when my young friends took over the leadership of - - student activities, for they had become Seniors. One evening in May I was surprised by the arrival of the entire Senior class. Due to a Scarlet Fever epidemic i he Freshman Welcome Dance of ' 43, was called off.