Hood College - Touchstone Yearbook (Frederick, MD)

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and through, as the A No. 1 solicitor for the swimming pool fund. We see him leading us in our chapel and vesper services, we know him as our host at Thursday night and Sunday dinnersg and at Braddock picnics he's a jolly good fellowf, But here is the story behind the story behind the man who is the father of four hundred girls and more . . . Lock Haven, Pa., was the birthplace of President Stahr, on November 6, 1880. He is the oldest of four children-the other three were girls. One of the sisters is Dean of Women at Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pa., another has been teaching in the Norfolk fVa.j High School for many years, and the third sister is married and lives in Oley, Pa. As a boy, he began his formal education in a one-room school house, attended the now non-existant Oley Academy, and at 16 entered Franklin and Marshall. As an undergraduate, President Stahr served as assistant manager and then manager of the baseball team, president of the literary society, and also president of the Y. He was president of his class, and since graduation has also been alumni presi- dent, class of 1900. And to add the personal touch, his uncle, Dr. John Stahr, was presi- dent of F 66 M at the time. Upon graduation, President Stahr served as principal of a small township high school near State College, Pa. After a year in that capacity, he returned to his alma mater to teach Latin, Greek, history, German, and even a little math thrown in-all in a period of six years! But as if this program was not complete in itself, during the last three years of this period, besides teaching, President Stahr carried a full academic program at the Theological Seminary of the Reformed Church in Lancaster. He was graduated from that institution in 1908. On a graduate scholarship he did further work in Latin, Greek, and philosophy at Cornell uni- versity. He again returned to his alma mater, however, to resume teaching until he took over the pastorate of the Faith Reformed Church in Reading, Pa. Married life began for President and Mrs. Stahr on February 2, 1914 in Bookline, Mass., where they were wed at the bedside of Mrs. Stahr's mother who was an invalid during the latter years of her life. They first met when Mrs. Stahr came to Lancaster to teach at Miss Stahr's School, run by President Stahr's cou- sin. Mrs. Stahr eventually became principal of that institution, of which the present day successor is the Lancaster Country Day School. Included in the Stahr family are the three children of President and Mrs. Stahr. Sara 'api .Nu 'l if I K l '-ESQ: Ez, 3. Louise, who was graduated from Hood in 1939 and is now engaged in technical writing in Philadelphia, Mary Elizabeth, a Hood girl who transferred after a year to Wellesley and re- ceived her Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of California last summer, and

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-fn. B-1 if B nrt? if ff ig- -,.. -'Y f ,,., -f 'T 'saw X - i P Z Q f' 1 , Op 4 ' -.--- 1 - f i n-., ' l 3 --H fn 122' ' T E: mil! E realized upon arrival on Campus in 5 -2 A Q4 September that there were lots of in- novations. This is an era of changes, people and we believed it, for it was re- flected in our faculty and college life. And we felt it too. Miss Grace Brown, registrar, was in New York doing graduate work, with Miss Leinbach assuming responsibilities. Dr. Ranclc had left on a leave of absence to teach GI's in the University in Biarritz, France, fas- suming a title quite unfamiliar to us Hood students, that of Professor Ranclc of the U. S. Armyj. Hood wasn' t the same without his enthusiastic hoots at our productions, and Brad- dock picnic, everyone will admit, was certainly incomplete without that original Ranck jig. But we muttered under our breath, C'est la guerre and tried to grin and bear it. This was facilitated by the presence of Mr. Covell, Dr. Ranclc's young substitute, who added a new oomph to freshman English history. And Dr. Barnhart's new assistants caught our eye those first days of registration: Dr. Sponseller, that do or die for Yale man, and Mr. Rein- berger, the strong, silent type. Thus the sophs entered their Bible course with an eager beaver attitude. fAnd who could blame them?j Those of us signing up 4 for economics, couldn't believe ir when we learned that the strange dark-haired beauty was Mrs. Lynch, the new economics professor, and not a trans- fer student. Gee, brains AND beauty, we mumbled. Hood was definitely looking up! Dr. Laiferty appeared taking Dr. Heathls place as professor of psychology and helping to swell the now growing masculine population among the 483 female inhabitants. Miss Douglass and Miss Briney, whose arrival put Hood's publicity in capable hands, were newcomers to the Eng- Iish department. Miss Czajkowslci was wel- comed to the home economics department and Miss Zimmerman became a valuable addition to the chemistry department. And so there were some new young bloods at Hood! As the academic procession marched in at the September Convocation to Mr. Wade's stirring organ music, the very air seemed to vibrate with that feeling of expectancy. There was a whole year ahead of us, and as our eyes followed the brightly colored hoods, we recognized among these new strange faces the familiar ones of those who had guided us before. But there's more to these Hood executives than meets the eye, something more than a big ofiice with plush rug, something more than a cap and gown and a colored hood. PRESIDENT STAI-IR L4 RX H, he's the only man at Hood you hear so much about . . . that indispensable, . -I M. i M' Q commonsensible, eloquent President Stahrf' He is for the Blue and Grey through

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is now an instructor at Wellesley in the as- tronomy departmentg and Henry, Jr., who is now an Ensign in the Navy. In 1917 President Stahr was invited to be- come pastor of Christ Reformed Church in Bethlehem, Pa., and continued to hold this pastorate for almost ten years. The next move was to Hanover, Pa., where President Stahr took over the Emanuel Re- formed Church, beginning on the first Sunday in January, 1926. Here he remained until 1930 when he assumed the responsibilities as the executive secretary of the Board of Christian Education of the Reformed Church with head- quarters in Philadelphia. Nineteen hundred and twenty-six! This year marks the beginning of President Stahr's as- sociation with Hood, with his election to the Board of Trustees. Then on July 1, 1934, he assumed the position of president, having been challenged by his fellow board members to succeed Dr. Joseph Henry Apple. He has con- tinued in that position ever since. Thus we see our President as not just a member of our Convocation procession, but as educator, minister, husband, and father. Hood College sings to you . . . DEAN MAY ET'S see, what can we do about this? That's what we might hear Dean May say at any time during the day. We ve all seen her hurrying through the halls many times, 'bent on some urgent mission. She's a very busy lady, but in spite of the fact that she has a hundred and one irons in the fire at school, she still manages to run her household and look after her young daughter, Margaret. Suppose we take what might be a typical day in the life of Mrs. May. She gets up early enough in the morning to see that Mar- garet downs that last spoonful of oatmeal and wears her rubbers for slushing through the puddles. After she says good-bye to Margaret, she is confronted by many pressing household duties. Having discharged these without too much difficulty, she makes her way to Ad building. There things really begin to happen! She finds that one or two of the 30 advisers must see her about urgent problemsg three or four of the students have to see her about other ur- gent problemsg the President informs her that the speaker for the next day's public event program has a serious cold and doesn't think he can make itg Dr. Eister finds some flaw in the plan for the new faculty library, Miss Bower has to see her, immediately about the latest candidate for Honors Papers, the Re- gional Association of Deans of Wmnen and Advisers of Girls is having a meeting next week and she simply has to attend! By the time three or four o'clock comes, these proh- lems have been duly dispensed with in Mrs. May? s efficient manner. About this time, Mar- garet comes home from school and begs to go riding. The Dean, weary from her day of making decisions, smiles and agrees to her young daughter's wish. At dinner that night Mrs. May entertains a group of freshmen, aided and abetted by Margaret. That night we can well imagine