Lehigh University - Epitome Yearbook (Bethlehem, PA)

Page 13 text:

The Vear in Reuieuu The 1955-56 academic year started oul like- any other year with the be-dinked freshmen swarming confusedly over the campus trying to orient themselves to college in general and Lehigh in particular. However, subse- quent events were to put a mark of distinction upon this year, to set it apart as a year to remember. Returning undergraduates were greeted with the sight of a huge physical transformation taking place on South Mountain. Cranes, bulldozers, skeletons of steel, piles of brick and stone, and vast holes torn in the earth of the Mountain were everywhere. As they looked upon the construction rising about them, the students could very definitely feel a sense of participa- tion, for through their organizations they had con- tributed $10,000 in student funds to the Packer Hall- Dormitory program. Another development that had taken place over the Summer which somewhat dismayed the students and their bill-paying parents was the increase in tuition as of Fall 1956. Following a nation-wide trend, Lehigh was forced to increase tuition $17 for arts and busi- ness students and $200 for engineers to meet rising education expenses. F.arly in October a power failure plunged the entire campus into darkness. With the absence of light mak- ing study impossible, the students looked for diver- sions and hit upon the idea of paying a visit to the girls at Moravian. Crowds of students, singing as they went, marched down campus, across the New Street Bridge, and proceeded to the College where they serenaded the girls. The appearance of an irate Dean of Women and several police squad cars persuaded the students to disperse and wend their way back to the dorms. The minds of Lehigh men turned back to more ser- ious matters with the visit of General Carlos P. Ro- mulo, Philippine Ambassador to the United States. The former president of the UN General Assembly en- lightened his audience on the situation in Asia and emphasized that we need to put more stress on the spiritual values to win in Asia. The same weekend was the occasion for the visit of some 3.500 parents to campus. A bullet luncheon with members of the Faculty, a gridiron victory over Bucknell, tours of the campus, and inspection of the new Health Center were the highlights of the Par- ents ' Day. Fraternity houses and residence halls enter- tained the parents at parties and dinners that evening. The dedication of Fritz Lab drew over 300 promi- Freshman Week has its trials. Perhaps the greatest shock is the receipt of a sizable hill for a handful of books, after years of free education. nent industrialists, engineers, and guests to campus for the ceremonies which included speeches by Eugene- Grace and Dr. Allen Austin, director of the National Bureau of Standards. Putting their pride and joy, the World ' s Largest Universal Testing Machine, through its paces for the benefit of the audience, the engineers had the giant nut-cracker pulling steel bars like t.nt and reducing wood sections to splinters. The machine ' s odd shape soon had wags dubbing the lab The Nut- cracker Suite . South Mountain went into its customary semi-annual eruption with the arrival of Fall House-party which was particularly hellish with the theme of A Night in Hades . Over 1.000 couples kicked their hooves to the red-hot horns of the Sauter-Finegan orchestra. against a backdrop of devil ' s skulls and other grotesque figures. Saturday afternoon the Engineers trampled Temple into the turf of Taylor Stadium to put House- party participants into the proper moeid of celebration for the traditional living group parties that night. Any celebration on the part of the members and guests of Delta Tau Delta and Chi Psi was short-lived, however, as parties serving alcoholic beverages were forbidden by the Dean ' s Office for an infraction of the House- party rules. A jazz-concert in Grace Hall wrapped up the weekend.

Page 12 text:

H life — and an education These are impressions of Lehigh life: islands of light in a softly lit library sheltering intent students; tuxes and evening gowns rustling to the soft music of a Houseparty band; blood thirsty yells of an eager wres- tling crowd reverberating from the walls of Grace Hall; the sombre, yet happy ceremonies of graduation; and even the broad panoramic view spreading out over the campus and Bethlehem into the far distant haze of the Blue Mountains across the Lehigh Valley. Translated into more abstract terms, these and other elements of the Lehigh picture form an education that is both purposefully specalized and wisely broadened. There is more to the picture than the search for wis- dom of past and present generations, carried on in libraries, labs, and classrooms — far more. In themselves, the people we know — fraternity brothers, classmates, roommates, and friends — are an indeligible education. The bull sessions and parties are an invaluable supple- ment to formal subject matter. The physical elation of good sport, the sense of team play, the health and vigor of the playing field — all add depth to a picture which otherwise is largely mental. Even the surroundings, the town, steel mills, and movie theatres of our environment are important. Thus, there is far more to the process of education than that which an academic average measures. The 1956 Epitome has attempted to portray the college edu- cation in a broad and informal manner, feeling that it is an understanding of people, as well as processes and event that leads to the growth in wisdom and grace which lends magnificence to the purpose of the Uni- versity and marks the truly educated.

Page 14 text:

The dedication of the addition to Fritz Lab, with its 5,000,- 000 pound testing machine, marked the opening of a new era of strengthened relations with industry and Lehigh. An early morning fire in Williams Hall completely destroyed the third floor of the Metallurgy wing of the building. Damage was estimated in excess of SI 00,000. An enthusiastic, jazz-loving crew of Le- high students had a wild afternoon when Wilbur deParis and bis baud conducted a dixie-land concert at the Frolics.