Iowa Wesleyan College - Croaker Yearbook (Mount Pleasant, IA)

Page 54 text:

TOje 1917 Croaker [HE class of 1905 of Iowa Wesleyan T kQ) took it upon themselves to publish jPj the first year book of the institution. [( }) The edition was small and none of the books have been available for the use of the present staff. Two years later the Junior class again published a year book on a somewhat more inclusive scale and sent it forth among the students as The Croaker’. Since that time all odd numbered classes have issued books, each book showing improvement over its predecessors. As the college has grown and expanded the publishers have attempted to keep stride with it and have endeavored to make their book representative of the life at college, as they saw it. In harmony with this it has been the earnest aim of the present Junior class to edit a book that would truly represent the college and one of which every student and friend of Iowa Wesleyan might well be proud. This has been no easy task and as you criticize we ask you to bear in mind that when we took up the work of publication last spring we had absolutely no knowledge of the nature of the job before us. But the work has been very pleasant and we have learned much. If the opportunity were again offered to do the same kind of a job there is not a member on the staff that would shirk the responsibility. We have endeavored to include every college activity within its covers and if anything has been omitted we are truly sorry. We have no apologies to offer, we have done the task to the best of our ability. We solicit no criticism, we ask no commendation.

Page 56 text:

Cnbotument Campaign A couple of weeks before the Christmas season of 1915 the Board of Trustees of Iowa Wesleyan informed the citizens of Mt. Pleasant through their commercial club that unless Mt. Pleasant and Henry county raised one hundred thousand dollars before the twentieth day of January the college would be forced into a Class “B” institution, and the conference would move it to some other city. Two or three preliminary mass meetings were held in the county court house, and after discussion pro and con the citizens agreed to raise the amount demanded of them if the Conference outside of the county would raise one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. This agreed upon, the people of the town and county were organized and elected Adam Weir chairman of their committee and Herbert Jeffrey secretary. Both men were well qualified for the positions and immediately set about formulating plans for the campaign. Because of the rush of the holiday season, it was decided to postpone the start of the campaign until the first day of the new year. The faith of a few men finally conquered, and with eight days of grace granted by the Educational Senate of the Methodist Church the campaign reached a glorious climax at midnight of the 28th. A larger task has since been undertaken, but there can be no nobler sacrifice, no greater service than that rendered by the loyal citizens of Henry County. On the first day of the year 1916 was started the hardest campaign that Mt. Pleasant and Henry County had ever witnessed. At the start the committees sent out had little success, and the hearts of all but the staunchest quailed and many wished to give the thing up, a failure. H. N. JEFFREY