Lowell Technological Institute - Pickout Yearbook (Lowell, MA)

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labs on the tables in the old locker room; of the grand piano which doubled as a lunch table, lounge, and what have you, until the day it folded noisily to the floor; of obsolete and long unused equipment in dusty labs. Witness the changes in this picture. Gone is the day of the single Textile building. Two new buildings now share the famous Lowell skyline as the two dormitories, Smith and Eames Halls, offer their accommodations to the wandering student who is far from home. These buildings obviously contain all the most modern innovations. For the resident thereof, clean, spacious, rooms are provided with many of the homelike comforts (such as violin, flute, and clarinet obligatos), which aid immeasurably in producing good study habits. The modern cafeteria, with its cheesecake, and the lounge with its facilities for sack time, ping-pong, and pasteboard shuffling, provide for the needs of the more aesthetic student. In order that the Textile student may further degenerate from the strong, virile, specimen of humanity that he was, to a meek, white, stoop-shouldered, bespectacled animal, tunnels have been provided between the various buildings so that the scent of fresh air will become forever foreign to those tools of the “Greater Tex- tile” program. The physical machinery of edu- cation has also shown marked change. Gone are the dusty labs and outmoded machinerv. New t. equipment of all types lias ap- .1 Congrats! ! ! Once over lightly [ 16 ]

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Cotton spinning . . . old method E ducation, as we have had it since the war years, is changing again. After the barren and nearly studentless ages of the recent unlamented conflict, old L.T.I., as well as all the other schools of the country, surrendered bravely to the assaulting waves of “Uncle Sam’s Bovs” who inundated this country’s educational system. Backed by the well-lined pockets of Uncle Sugar, an entirely new type of student was unleashed upon the ivied walls of traditional education. These men were considerably older, harder, and more foresighted than the average student of the pre-war years. Pedagogues found that these men could think, and that it would be well to review the latest innovations of their particular field. Despite the predictions of many that these returning men would be the best students that ever clamored for entrance to the Institute of their choice, the veterans succeeded in making plenty of fun for themselves. Social fra- ternities flourished, various organizations prospered, and the local purveyors of entertainment found that these boys knew how to relax and have a good time. This, then, was the veteran. We say again, was the veteran, because, like the Dodo bird and the bison, he is a member of a disappearing race. He is rapidly leaving the hallowed halls of learning and making his way into the bottomless abyss called the world. He has left behind his mark, however. Academically he has distinguished himself in the eyes of the world as the typical American boy, who, given opportunity, puts it to the best possible use for himself and his country. During the “Era of the Veteran,’’ Lowell Textile Institute prospered greatlv. There are manv of us here who have memories of the davs when Textile was one building; of “Ma” Swanson’s Ptomaine Gulch; of bridge [ 15 ]

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“This they call an education!’ pea red within all the laboratories. Much machinery has been pur- chased, much more made a vailable through the grants of various friends of the Institute. New labs have sprung up in the fields of man-made fibers. Sufficient per- sonnel to take care of the require- ments of the myriads of students have been added. Much unsung work has been done behind the scenes in an effort to improve the subject matter of the courses of- fered and the inter-relation of such course material. Deadwood has been pruned from the re- quirements, and streamlining has resulted in a lighter work load with better presentation of factual material. The extra-curricular activities of our school have shown marked improvement. Increased interest therein and full scale support from the administration have resulted in the formation of many strong organizations, both in the line of sports and in the intellectual fields. Athletic teams have been fielded each year in 3 of the 4 major sports, and the various facilities of the school for each type of contest have been steadily improved. Locker rooms have been enlarged and improved with many new additions to the comfort of the sportsters. New equipment has been purchased and the Textile teams now take the field with the best of uniforms. The gym, once the subject of many an editorial, now sparkles with fresh paint, and is replete with safety padding, new backboards, a new score- board, sanitary drinking facilities, and many other innovations. The old chicken wire that once served to protect feminine spectators from the players has been removed. With all these features, plus the increases and improve- ments in the Athletic Department itself, many optimistic hopes for the future of Textile teams are prevalent. Publications, both yearbook and newspaper, have been resumed after their wartime slump and have more than outstripped their precursors. Those interested in the plaudits of spectators find an outlet for their thespian talent in the Textile Players, while a student government provides practice for the politicians among our group. Chemists revel in a national society of their own which had attained nation-wide fame before the war, and which has steadily grown since that time. This then is the old order. This is the wav things have been done under the impetus of the post war “boom” and the rush of well-paid students. This is the heritage that the old guard leaves to the new student. For the student has changed. Gone, for the most part, is the veteran — [ 17 ]