University of Kansas - Jayhawker Yearbook (Lawrence, KS)

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OCTOBER VOLUME LXIX OCTOBER, 1936 NUMBER 1 Published periodically by the student body of the University of Kansas under the supervision of the Jayhawker Advisory Board. A record of events and personalities, and a reinew of campus trends and opinions. JAMES H. COLEMAN Editor -in-Chief JACK TOVVNSEND B np M n THE time has come for us to hang up our coat and hat ana try to add our meager bit to this, the first issue of the 1937 JAY- HAWKER. Much as we regret it. we have here a page to be filled, but we are only grateful for the opportunity to say what we want to say about the subjects we choose to discuss. First we beg to call your atten- tion to the general appearance of the new JAYHAWKER. It is quite possible, of course, that there are those who disagree with our tastes in layout and makeup, and if there are such persons among our readers ve will be only too happy to receive their criticisms and sugges- tions as to how we can improve the magazine s appearance in any way. As a matter of fact, we would be only too happy to receive com- munications from those who dis- agree with us, and, of course, hap- pier to receive word from any who agree with us, and promise to print any and all letters we receive either in criticism of commendation of the JAYHAWKER, providing such letters are not intended for the Dove and sent to us by mistake. For instance, here is one letter we have received already, and we are so elated over the fact that we would like to share its contents with our readers: Editor-in-chief JAYHAWKER: W r eII here we are with another year. I want to speak up concern- ing the old question of beauty queens. Why not let the girls have a thrill, what difference does it make whether there are two or twenty-two or more? With so many pretty girls w T ho can say who is the prettiest one or two? Vhat is one man ' s meat is another man ' s poison, vhat I think is beauty someone else may not. I think blondes with delicate features and blue eyes, graceful and slim, are my idea of beauty. I would walk a mile to see Ann Harding, Joan Bennett, etc. My roommate likes his girls dark, the darker the better, and slim, pre- ferably small like Arline Judge, Claudette Colbert. (Ed. note: If we had women like those mentioned here at the University the beauty queen contests would present no problems.) Have as many as you have had but have more than one. judge. I think the idea of your junior judg- ing fine, judge them personally on the final decision. A pretty girl may not photograph as well as one not so pretty. (Ed. note: How true!) But for Pete ' s sake, give us slender girls, take the photographs three-fourths or full length. The buxom amazons some of the ones you have shown are that and they are getting me down. Let us have our bevy of queens, one to suit each one ' s ideal and even-one will be pleased. Who can say who is prettiest? The choice in judging is just a break as it is, the only thing in its favor is that it gives a number of girls a chance and we can take our own pick. Very truly yours, An admirer of good lookers. There you have the whole prob- lem in a Big Bertha shell, except that we can ' t bring ourselves to agree with our lone fan on a few of his points. In our opinion quality is preferable to quantity-, and it is our intention this year to sacrifice the latter for the sake of the former. Thus when you see the second issue of the JAYHAWKER appear December 12 without the usual fifteen freshmen beauties, do not become possessed of the fear that we have forgotten our beauty contests, for we are going to aban- don the four class contests through- out the year in favor of one grand splurge of real beauty in the final issue. We do think, however, that the practice of judging the contestants in person, as followed on a few occasions in the past and endorsed by Mr. Admirer Of Good Lookers, is an excellent one, and if it is at all possible we will use that method.

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OCTOBER K.U.GDDMDTHER Mrs. Ekzabeth Vatkins adds another to the list of her benefactions and a new dormitory arises on the Hill By JAMES PORTER CC I . AR bigger than her fortune. J- That is the way Chancellor E. H. Lindley described Mrs. Eliza- beth M. Watkins as he bestowed upon her a medal given by the Dorsey- Liberty American Legion Post of Lawrence for the outstanding citizen of this community last February. And she continues to grow as Lawrence ' s No. 1 Citizen, though her personal wealth is constantly diminish- ing. Last June was announced her latest gift to the University seventy- five thousand dollars for the construc- tion of a women s dormitory similar to and adjoining the present Watkins Hall, her first benefaction to Mount Oread. Mrs. YVatkins shuns publication of her benefactions. In the first place because she assumes that any other woman with her wealth and no one to leave it to would do nothing else but what she is doing. She also knows that even the mention of her gifts in publications will bring her thousands of ' begging letters from ail parts of the country which she cannot find time even to answer. Logically reasoning her largesse, she distributes her money where she feels it will do the most good for the greatest number. Elizabeth M. Miller was bom in New Paris, Ohio, the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. V. G. Miller, a pioneer doctor and much-loved man in his community. When his daughter was ten years old. Dr. Miller moved to Lawrence, sending her first to the elementary and high schools and then to the University, when Fraser Hall was the only building on the campus. After gradua- tion, Elizabeth Miller was employed by the J. B. YVatkins Land Mortgage Company where she rose to the position of assistant secretary of the company. In 1909 she became Mrs. J. B. Watkins. Jabez Bunting Watkins, noted financier, railroad builder, banker and land-owner, in whose memory the Watkins Memorial Hospital was donated to the Uni- versity of Kansas, was born near Punxsutawney. Pennsylvania, June 25, 1845. Graduating with a law degree from the University of Michigan in 1869, he started practicing law in Champaign, Illinois, mostly dealing in examination of real estate titles and loans. Four years later he moved to Lawrence, where his constantly expanding business was in 1883 incor- porated and named the J. B. Watkins Land Mortgage Company. Shortly after this, Mr. Watkins went East and won the confidence of Eastern investors. He purchased a million and a half acres of Louisiana land from 1885 to 1890 for fifty cents an acre, then mortgaged it for six dollars an acre. With this profit he drained the land and it became rich rice fields. Then he built a hundred miles of railroads on his holdings. After his death in 1919, Mrs. Watkins sold the rice land to a group of Louisiana oil men for two million dollars and the railroad to the Gould System for a million dollars. In his land dealings in the South a clause in the deed of every parcel sold carried a provision that liquor should never be sold on the premises. The clause was afterwards the cause of litigation, but was upheld by the courts. During the last ten years Mrs. Vatkins has effi- ciently turned a part of the great estate which she helped Mr. Watkins to build into many projects for (Continued on Page 65)