Kent State University - Chestnut Burr Yearbook (Kent, OH)

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RECONVERSION IN EDUCATION . . . EXPERIENCING a gradual transformation since the beginning of the fall quarter, by the end of the spring quarter the university was well established as one of Ohio ' s leading veterans ' colleges. Ever since the first few rehabilitation students enrolled in early 1944, the school had seen that its future was to be closely linked with the future of eleven million Gl ' s. First regarded with an awesome wonderment, Gl Joe College today is accepted as on average student, along with his counterpart from the WAC or WAVE. It is not considered unusual for a student to be married and have several children, for him to be over 30 years old, the wearer of a presidential citation or an artificial limb, or to be the former leader of thousands of men. Where John Boesch rode herd on a bunch of horses, others manned flocks of jeeps, coveys of 17s, squadrons of PT ' s and LCI ' s, or manuevered silken parachutes, or just slogged along on foot. But in the classroom these men meet on a common level. Starting with 105 veterans in the fall, by winter registration time there were 435, and 1100 enrolled in the spring. They moved in like an AMG unit, taking over Windham housing project, commuting from Akron and Ravenna, and filling private homes in Kent. There were other problems besides the housing difficulties. There was the question of food for service- sharpened appetites. Entertainment had to be found for those long hours of off duty from the books. And the university itself had to adjust to the needs of these men. Textbooks and classroom space had to be located. Being more mature and in a hurry to moke up for those lost years, the servicemen and women required more practicality in the courses they followed. Their thirst for knowledge was overwhelming. As students, their averages were high and they showed an enthusiastic willingness to work. For some, college was old stuff. For others who would have been unable to attend a uni- versity had it not been for the Gl bill, college was a new and glamorous experience. In some cases there were personal problems of not being able to concentrate on studies, finding chosen fields uninteresting, or being unused to new civilian surroundings. Old students seemed to feel this change more than others, because the school was different and they were rather uncertain that they liked it. But there were no cases of ex-GI ' s rioting against the administra- tion, diving into gutters when student pilots buzzed the campus or scrounging faculty autos. For several years, battle jackets, jump boots, pinks and blues will be proper dress for veteran- students. But at Kent the veteran will soon be a non-existant personality, giving way to the general classification of Kent Stater . Then the reconversion will be complete.

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PHOTOGRAPHICALLY YOURS OUR purpose was to present in this volume a photographic picture of university life in 1945-46 and a fleeting glimpse of the thousands of treasured memories that compose this American college. Picking up the threads of a school year, we focused the camera eye on Kent State in transition. We attempted to catch more than mere per- sonalities, places and events. We also tried to present in this book some- thing of the spirit that hovers above the wooded hills and ivy halls of KSU. More than cold academic life, there is that intangible glow of warmth which accompanies each familiar scene of college happiness. In a record more accurate than memory we tried to capture many images of the personal acquaintances that contributed to each of your private worlds. As we write this, it is still too early to judge our work. But we will be content if, years hence, you con thoughtfully open this slim blue volume and vividly relive those thousand memories. We give you a composite portrait of your college career — your copy of THE CHESTNUT BURR, 1946. Photographically yours, JULIE JUCH, Editor MARGE INGHAM, Business Mgr.