Emerson College - Emersonian Yearbook (Boston, MA)

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Dr. Richard J. Pierce Page Five

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Because he is that rare person of dignity and self-effacement, whose every action has always been directed toward the good of school and student; because he has given, from a lectern leaning in age, not only the pattern of the past exist- ence of Man, but also a pattern from which we have drawn material for our own existence; because he has given — our book is dedicated to Dr. Richard J. Pierce. Page Four

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COLLEGE! This was a word that we didn ' t quite understand in September, 1949 , but it sounded terrific. College was a big step towards maturity. It was a colossal undertaking which involved a new wardrobe of clothes, a medical examination, shots for typhoid and tetanus, and hundreds of well- wishes from relatives and friends. It was an important moment when we had finished packing and were in the family car on our way to Emerson College, Boston. But the three brownstone buildings on Beacon Street weren ' t quite as impressive as we had imagined, and our introductory convocation and tea in the theatre wasn ' t exactly what we expected. Our new friends, however, made those first few days exciting, so by the time classes began, we were still in high spirits. With the beginning of classes, we learned th ABC ' s of Emersonianism. Emersonianism was com- pounded of equal parts of The Polish War Song, Out to Old Aunt Mary ' s, The Pied Piper of Hamlin, and Brutus ' speech to Cassius, (the tent scene from Julius Caesar ), with liberal sprinklings of God of Our Fathers, and Whoal Since speech lies at the heart of Emersonianism, we became best acquainted with our speech teachers. Before long, though, we realized that the entire faculty and the administration, which inclu ded a new President, Dr. Godfrey Dewey, was thoroughly competent and well worthy of our respect. Towards the end of October, we were subjected to the rigors of hazing and Hell Night. We were forced to become the galley slaves of the All-Mighty Sophomores, addressing them at all times as Your Most Exalted Majesty. We suffered resignedly, and waited to sweep to our revenge the following year, when a new crop of Freshmen arrived. By November, most of us had settled down to one particular group of friends and made our headquarters in the cafe, the smoker or the ladies ' lounge. By June, we knew all about college. We knew about P. O. E., the Interclass Dance, the Junior Prom and the Senior Ball. And what more was there? Suddenly we were Sophomores. All knowing, all powerful Sophomoresl No longer was the idea of college, of Emerson in particular, an overwhelming impression. We were part of Emerson, very important parts. In fact, each of us felt a little bit bigger than the college as a whole. We were busily finding places for ourselves in the various departments of Emerson, and we were making our presence felt in the many organizations. We were, perhaps, more aware than ever before in our lives of the fact that we were individuals — individuals in a college which approves, which promotes, which demands even, individuality. Our most grotesque undertaking was the hazing of the Freshmen. Memories of sufferings we had undergone as Frosh made us eager for retaliation — taken out on the poor, innocent newcomers to Emerson. Were such torture chambers ever constructed before, even by the Spanish Inquisitors, like those devised by the Hell Night Committee? But soon it was over, and we lordly Sophomores unbent a little to become friendly with our erstwhile victims, who were willing enough to forgive and forget. Those of us who were taking the sophomore theatre course found an outlet for our melodramatic energies when the Bandbox theatre produced ' Phaedre the first semester. The rest of the school found travelling through the corridors dangerous because of the sweeping Greek gestures assumed by the theatre crowd. The second semester brought a Shaw production and a switch, therefore, from emotionalism to intellectualism. Other Sophomores began to feel philosophical twinges, and profound, abstract conversations became the order of the day. Meanwhile, the radio people were being initiated into the mysteries of the air waves and learning to form mental pictures for their unseen audience. And the Speech Therapy majors were frightening us all with horrible taies of what could happen to our voices. We showed that we could change our pitch by calming down enough to give the annual Sophomore Tea for the faculty. We came out of ourselves long enough to realize that some pretty important and exciting things were happening besides those for which we were personally respon- sible. Emerson ' s president, Dr. Godfrey Dewey, left us for Lake Placid, and Dean Jonathan French took over his duties. Emerson became accredited. And Emerson ' s campus was slowly being trans- Page Six