Longwood College - Virginian Yearbook (Farmville, VA)

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V O L U M E XXX I I I To Mrs. Portia Lee Morrison A strong woman in consecration to duty ; in loyalty to serv- ice ; in high ideals of the obligations for duties assumed, and in the faith that sustaineth to the end was Mrs. Portia Lee Morrison. From June, 1888, to June, 1905, Mrs. Morrison was the head of the home department of the Normal School, Farm- ville, Virginia. During this time, she was a pillar of strength and encouragement, of aggressive hope and confidence that all would be well. She never failed to look upward and onward, and her chief aim was to create for the students the atmosphere of a true home. Her strong personality, combining rare mental, social, and spiritual qualities, touched a responsive and quick- ening chord in the hearts of the students, the faculty, the mem- bers of the home department, and the citizens of the community. Possessed of a broad and liberal education, gifted with a naturally clear intellect, which was refined and cultivated by constant reading, study, and communion with the classics, both ancient and modern, with the literature of missions, and with the spiritual teachings of the Bible, Mrs. Morrison was an or- nament to any scholarly circle. Pure of life, inflexible in integrity of purpose, warm and generous of heart, charitable in impulse and deed, she meas- ured up to the stature of a noble woman, a true leader, one who has left an indelible impression for good upon the hearts of those who were blessed with intimate association with her. % t - £■= 1 9 3 4

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T H E V I E G I N I A N To Mr. Cox In 1888 Mr. P . M. Cox was appointed Clerk and Business Manager of the Normal School at Farmville, Virginia. He has been called one of nature ' s accountants. His methods were his own, but they were so simple and satisfactory as to merit the highest praise from expert auditors. For a man to have such a personality that ten years after his death, two of his friends, though strangers to one another, could meet and spend a delightful two hours living over happy memories of their friend, gives proof of the rare human quality of the man ' s nature. This experience of mine can be duplicated l v the host of friends who knew Mr. Cox as a most lovable man. Time confirms the fact that schools are built around person- alities, and that the spirit of an institution is the composite of the souls of those who have breathed into that institution its verv breath of life. These immortal spirits live on, and shall live on, perpetuating the ideals and traditions of the place. As guide, counsellor, and friend, Mr. Cox was honored and loved by all those connected with our alma mater, whatever their stat on or degree. He was ever the generous-hearted, genial host ; and his merry laughter and kindly welcome created the home-like air that makes our alma mater unique among schools. Mr. Cox was a tradition, the tradition that f etters not, but inspires. Our lives are richer for having touched his, and we must pass on to others what he taught us of the good life. vJ vcAJU-je- v Jc 1 4

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T H E V I E a INIA N Childhood and Youth A Vision Behold the vision of Childhood and Youth reaching out eager, restless hands to an unknown world. Behind the hands are youthful faces, alert ears, eager, questioning eyes, some filled with the joy of happy childhood, some filled with wonder, some, perhaps, with the fear of the unknown — Childhood and Youth facing a world in which they are to live, and of which they are to become a part ! The speechless hands, the open ears, the questioning eyes — all embody the mute appeal of childhood and youth for train- ing, direction, and guidance — training for the little hands that they may become strong, skillful hands. The open ears, the questioning eyes, need direction and guidance that they may begin to understand and interpret the world which from year to year is to become a more real world to them. Thus the heritage of sublime thought in great literature may be opened up to them that their youthful faces may come to reflect the spirit of the One in whose image they were created. This vision of the inarticulate appeal of the childhood and youth of Virginia bore so heavily upon the minds and hearts of the educational leaders of fifty years ago, that to meet this need, in 1884 the State Normal School, Farmville, lrginia, came into existence. In the educational ideals for the development of the three- fold nature of the child, in this first institution in Virginia for the training of teachers, was reflected the spirit of scholarship, of progress, of unselfish service. I low well this first Normal School of Virginia, now the State Teachers College, barmville, Virginia, has fulfilled the mission intrusted to it, is attested by the faithful, efficient service of the alumnae who have gone out from its walls. What has been accomplished belongs to the past, touches the present, reaches out into the future. And in this future — The Eternal Vision of Childhood and Youth! I gfSlfpi u