Fordham University School of Education - Grail Yearbook (New York, NY)

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3 Social Service Club Activities On April 25th of our Freshman Year, we witnessed the introduction of the third new extracurricular activity into the over-all school program. On that date, the Social Service Club held its first formal meeting with Dr, Crowley as guest speaker. The organization had been formed by Dr. Balmain after the students displayed a great interest in contemporary social problems and a strong desire to do something in their small .way to arrive at a solution to them. With great e th ' F ' ' n usiasm the newly formed organization set about achieving its purpose, that of serving the community in keeping with the principles of Christan Brotherhood. Under the leadership of their former resi- D dent, Phil Grossman, and their present prexy F d ' re Fenter, the group has early achieved much, both in the fields of personal enrich- ment and service to the community. Lectures d. . . . iscussions and field trips were held. Plans were made for guest speakers to be invited. They planned, promoted and exe t d cu e a suc- cessful appeal for food and clothing for the destitute children of Europe and plans were made for an annual Christmas drive for fo d o . clothing and other necessities for the poor on the lower East side The most striking feature of this organiza- tion is the great enthusiasm with which its members engage in their activities. There is a spirit of unselfish devotion to humanity that char t ' ' ' ' ' ' ac erizes this organization and if a like spirit could be infused in all of us, then we could truly say we had benefitted from our education at Fordham. 23

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Three girls on a horse... . . . more ofthe same. Then came the All School Affair. This was a rather young tradition at the' time, being but a year old. Called Campus Candids , it was dedicated to Dr. Francis M. Crowley, on the occasion of his tenth anniversary as Dean of the School of Education. lt was held April l7th. Sponsored by the Student Council for the entire school, the second annual All School Affair was effectively dominated by freshmen. We boasted of our Freshman chorus line that included Marge Zlovsky, Peggy Waldron, .loan Schlinkert, Eileen O'Donnell, Rita Casey and other gorgeous dancers. Frank Dance culmi- nated his corridor and classroom parlor magic with a complete act of his own. Ray Connolly, in a raccoon coat generously supplied by an unknown friend, gave a heart-rendering ap- peal on behalf of the oppressed Yaks of outer Mongolia. On Ascension Thursday, we clambered a- board a fleet of sleek, silvery busses, solicit- ously provided at fifteen dollars apiece by the Campus Coach Company and proceeded to Bear Mountain for the annual Freshman Out- ing. Temporarily foregoing the comforts of the Bear Mountain Inn, we proceeded to the Ath- letic field where the stalwarts of section 'C' met and were defeated by a coalition of erst- while softball players from the other classes, 24 to Zi. The playing was sparked by the home run hitting of Ed Murphy and the throwing arm of Bill Howley. After the athletic festivities were over the girls took the field and romped disjointedly through another contest to the evident amusement of the bystanders. Male jealousies were aroused at the athletic prowess of Dot Michaelis, an expatriate from the class of '48 who acted as Miss Scanlon's aide de camp that year. Boatriding, picnicing, square dancing and horseback riding followed. Lois Johnson fell off her slowly ambling steed to round out a perfect day. ln a final burst of camaraderie we nearly ate Mr. Collins out of house and home at his picnic in May. Then came another round of the Blue Book Blues which most of us were singing around exam time. Then, after a wild Sal Scarecrow. Grin and bear it. burst of celebration, much copying down of addresses and hearty farewells, we left school for the summer vacation. We had completed one year of college. We had set a pattern that was to be followed throughout our next three years and thereafter throughout our lives. For, underneath all the gaiety and fun of our happy experiences, we had recognized the growth of a spirit of unity and fellowship. Divorced from the oversentimentalized, romantic reminiscences of comradeship and unity, it took the form of deep and at times almost unconscious appreciation of what we were receiving as Catholic College students. Knowing that in a sense we are not unique, it is comforting to realize that all Catholic stu- dents share in this spirit. This unity or feeling of a collective purposiveness is difficult to define. lt may derive from the experiences we shared. Perhaps it arose out of the friendships or even the antipathies we formed for one an- other. But, however it originated, we first became aware of its existence in our Freshman year. This spirit or feeling can be explained in terms of an increased desire to know, to do, to love and to share. lt is the spirit of Christianity as applied to education. For this gaining we are eternally thankful to Fordham. There were many reasons why we came to Fordham. Some came for amusement, some for study, others because they were sent. Al- though some of our expectations were unful- filled, although some of our motives are inadequate we continued at the School of Education, despite tremendous physical short- comings, lack of space for a full extracurricular program, schedule difficulties, wierd hours, hasty meals, shrieking fire sirens and high school student riots, because we have found full and complete compensations for these difficulties in a truly wonderful teaching staff, our mutual associations and the sense of pride and achievement that comes from overcoming great obstacles in our search for a Christian answer to the great problems we face.