Manhattan College - Manhattanite Yearbook (Riverdale, NY)

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1 s T MANHATTANITE' n 5i'i I all '-' ' .. fN I .g ,-1 if ' WC- is ll 44' 5 5 ? History of the Class of '29 A Manhattan opened its doors in the fall of '25 to an army of youths who were seekers of light and faith. From far and near, high schools contributed their choice sons to this strong and enterprising group. Falling into step, each son of a former Alma Mater pledged his faith and strength to the citadel on Riverdale Ridge. Gathered into the strong, encouraging arms of Manhattan, these youths, be- wildered and awed by the transition from high school to college, sought repose in the Dean of the Freshmen, Brother Gabriel. There first friendships were made, there the first spark of unity infused. VVe were Freshmen out to protect ourselves from the unknown terrors of Sophomore wrath. Thus came about the formation of the Class of '29, Four years have passed. Our memories have become chock-full of knowledge and delightful incidents connected with our collegiate life. All these, as time wears on, and as the solid unity which we now enjoy is smashed by the world with its many callings, will afford us our greatest joy during those periods of musing when we sink into the great lounge chair before an open fire, and gradually, to the monotonous ticking of the drowsy clock, hark back to old scenes and to the pleasures of yesteryear. A lanky, scared, green-capped crowd of one hundred and fifty youngsters. we were, that September morn of '25, when as Freshmen we tried to follow our sched- ules. Skeptical of asking anyone's directions, for fear of meeting a Sophomore. we could be seen everywhere trying to decipher just where we belonged at the moment. The going was hard until some brave spirits passed the word around that the Freshmen would gather for their first meeting under the patronage of Brother Azarias Michaelg from then on the Class of '29 was to be respected and recognized. Under the leadership of President Howard Kiernan we made ready for what- ever the Sophs could offer. The first official skirmish was the Tug-of-YVar, that grand and glorious battle when no quarter was asked or sought. Valiantly pulling against the strength of the whole Sophomore class, augmented by two automobiles, our team went down to a courageous but muddy defeat. But, remember the battle through the air during the pull when eggs, tomatoes and mud balls played havoc with many a smiling countenance. Defeated but happv we marched back to the college. The temptation was too' great. Passing the forbidden archway some brave person gave the impetus for a charge that hurled us upon the Sophomores and made the storming of the fields of Abraham seem a Sunday school picnic in comparison. The arch was ours, the hose was ours and so were a good many Sophomores. That victory only whetted our appetite. Before that thrill had a chance to wear off, we were celebrating our nineteen-to-nothing football victory in football over our rivals. How Bushel and Marino tore through that line! - The cream of all the hazing was the hanging of Ed Hickey on Alumni Field for the losing of the Sacred Brown Derby. But our time was not taken up solely by the Sophomores. VVe started things going in another line. Our class dance introduced the social season. in the Empire Room at the VValdorf, Manhattan men danced as guests of '29. Success crowned the event, adding greatly to the prestige which we were gaining every day. One Hundred lfo1'ly-lhrm' 1. v. at i M 'r '1 f P 'x j 1 .1 J J -1 4 I T 1 3 1 4 . N X V f, pNs.1'.-vnr'X'-P 4-41' xlJX S I F in V V

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in ia . L. H-- W are Then came those two informal affairs at which we all enjoyed ourselves- Manhattanite Night at the Colony, saw Tony Giordano sing Alma Mater' and Jim Riordan, If I Had a Girl Like You. And the Torch Bearers presented by the Hayes Dramatic. Recall those pseudo-femmes, our jovial Hugh Graham, Alphonse Le May and Vialter Caughlan? The talk after the show was that re- quests were sent to each to become the Prom girl for that Vear. VVhen our class was registered the upper classmen argued hotly on the contri- bution we would make to the athletic teams. But there was nothing to worry about, as freshmen were on every team. In football Mike Hayes wrote football history. He certainly could carry the pigskin and grab passes! Tllen there were Jack Flynn and Byrnes Bently. Basketball saw Mike Hayes and Tom VVhalen make the Varsity. VVith Fiorenza on the mound, Davis at the plate and Hayes in the A V C F 'N 'T ':'t'!,T'i' ew e J x A ' .r is garden our baseball team had nothing to worry about. And those fast steppers, Louie Manz, Frank Clarke, Tom Philbin and Joe Blasi brought home trophies in track. 'iff Still, those are not the only choice morsels of reminiscences. The professors on registration day told us how good we were and then a week later each and every one of them began to tell us how dumb we were. How they bemoaned the fact that they had made a great mistake! Every Friday, Professor Sweeney, in his effort to get across something about the Cro-Magnon Man and the Nebula Hypothesis, would prolong his lectures for at least a half-hour. Finally deciding to bear it no longer we resolved to remind him that the hour was up. Accordingly, three alarm clocks were set under his stand, five minutes apart. An apple and some field flowers were left on his desk to appease an expected wrath. After thanking the class for the gifts he settled into his lecture. Brrrr-ing went the first clock. Everybody was all attention but Prof. Sweeney never deviated a jot from his talk. Brrrr-ing went the other two in succession-and at five o'clock a wilted freshman class closed its books, beaten at its own game. Prof. Hawn, the southern gentleman, who did his best to make us speak cor- rectly. always provided something interesting. If he hadnit a new story he would fall back on the Soul of Everything . No one ever missed his class,-much. The engineers were taken under guidance by two splendid teachers. Brother Felix, who remained as their prefect until Senior year, and the late Brother Noel, of revered memory, who was ever constant in his watch over them, trying to direct their explosive energies into useful channels. But it was not long before we found ourselves in a new situation--as Sophomores we had new responsibilitiesathe chastisement of the Freshmen. No Freshmen was ever right, no matter what he did. VVe were to enjoy ourselves at their expense. Jim Cuddy, as President, selected Hughie Graham to lead our forces of righteousness against iniquity. Although the Tug-of-War decision was awarded to the Frosh, their meekness was secured. Due to our supremacy the year was quiet along that line. Our social ,activities were limited to a dance held after the final examinations. The night was too hot for it to have been much of a success, but we did the best under the circumstances. The Glee Club Concert in Town Hall, and the Hayes Club Production In the Next Room provided an outlet for our energies. One Hundred F01'lvfi e ,l I.. , : 2 0 K l 7 Y 'IXL Wg. , .RQN 4-'tx Af-1 Nj :fi Ixgf I i