Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts - Mohawk Yearbook (North Adams, MA)

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Class History On a September morning in 1954. a timid group of students approached the portals of North Adams State Teachers College. where they hoped to shed the shackles that held them in the darkness of the cave of ignorance and enter the world of light, knowledge and wisdom. After a number of hesitant starts we finally caught a faint glimmer of light and thus began our slow. laborious ascent from the bottom of the cave. Friday evening of our first week arrived and we shyly attended our first social event, which was a reception held in our honor. At the reception one of our mem- bers, ,loan Dion. was named freshman Queen. Halloween loomed over the horizon and brought with it the responsibility of sponsoring a dance. The dance. which was a grand success. showed that with cooperation and work we could accomplish a great deal. Other travelers ahead were beginning to be aware of us when Bunny and Annette were elected to the cheering squad and were chosen as queen and attendant respec- tively at the Winter Carnival. November brought political rallies. discussions and the long awaited day when we elected our leaders to help us wend our way toward the glimmer of light. We chose Paul Nash, Bunny Wary, Ike Koza and Nancy Alsing. One of the most memorable events was the Christmas Party. which was high- lighted by the presentation by the student body of a beautiful leather chair to the retiring President, Dr. Grover C. Bowman. Although we had known Dr. Bowman for only a short time, we had already developed a deep respect and admiration for him. This was the year of firsts. Dr. Freel began his first year as President of the college, the first Parents' day was held, Alter Natus was formed and we had our first experience with such things as 'coutside reading 417' and horizontal questionsf, This was also the year when most of us met and some of us conquered the three- hour exam. In June we stopped on a ledge to rest before starting the next lap of our journey. In September, 1955, we saw that many of our party. preferring other trails, had decided to go no further with us. The path leading to the light had become very steep but we felt that if we could reach the next ledge then we would. in all proba- bility, achieve our goal. The reading of the Honor List at the beginning of the year indicated that the chains of ignorance were beginning to slacken. but those days in Dr. ,Iohn's lab convinced us that we had a long way to go before they were broken. We found that we had come back with a strong feeling of unity and we chose as our very capable leader Jack Murphy who was assisted by Denny Duquette. Jean Shepard and Shirley Sweet. The ray of light, which had increased in both size and intensity, shone upon the artistic efforts we made in the planning and decorating for the Sophomore Prom, which was highly acclaimed by all who attended it. Inspired by our success in this venture and driven by our creative urge. we pro- duced 4'Minnie the Mermaid, who enhanced the Winter Carnival setting and led us to the first prize in the snow sculpturing contest. Not content with this honor. we became Stunt Night champions after demonstrating our acting ability in 6'Snow Drop and the Seven Dripsf'

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.mm , RICHARD ALFRED WINDROW Dick 95 Brooklyn Street North Adams, Massachusetts Current Eventw3, 44 Freshman Orientation-3, 4 Cvlee Club-1. 2, 3, 4 Yearbook Committee-4 There is no Iruer truth obtainable than comes of rnusicf, LORETTA ANNE WARY Street Bunny, 100 Acorn Pittsfield, Massachusetts Cheerleader-1. 2. 3. -1 Captain-ll Class Vice President-l, 3 Dormitory Secretary-2 Drama Club-1, 2, 3, 4 Vice President+l The Tender Trap--3 Intramural Sports-1, 2 Newman Club--1, 2, 3, 4 Secretary-4 Senior Queen's Court-1, 3 Winter Carnival Queen-1 WRA-1, 2, 3, 4 Mischief sparkles in her ey 68 And her laughter never diesf,

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Although it was a most enjoyable year, it was not entirely devoted to having fun. Scholastically this was the year for daily quizzes, books to be read, and papers to be written. We found that we had to work steadily or fall by the wayside. Sopho- more Exams were a credit to some and a disappointment to others, as they showed us all our strengths and weaknesses in this struggle and proved that once again we ranked highest among the State Teachers Colleges. Arriving exhausted, but much wiser, at the next resting place, we paused to regain our strength before continuing our Journey. As we continued. we found that the path had grown quite narrow and presented new obstacles. It took time to adjust to the different conditions, but we were de- termined not to fall back into the darkness. Burton Albert, Bunny Wary, Jean Shepard and Shirley Sweet led the group through methods. demonstration lessons, and happy timei' classes. We soon became aware that drill follows understandingi' and that people learn by doingf, If the latter is true. we must have learned a great deal. We spent hours preparing units, maps, arithmetic devices. tachistoscopes. and flash cards. We found time along the way to sponsor the Winter Carnival and present HHer- man and Gertrudei' on Stunt Night. The men gained recognition when they became the Intramural Champions in basketball while the quiet female population became well known as strains of harmonious flutophone selections were heard throughout the school. Drama seemed to be one of our strong points that year, as five of our members, Paul Nash. Henry Reynolds, Alan Murray, Bunny Wary. and Nancy Alsing, lent their talents to the school play. Wllhe Tender Trapf' Nancy and Paul also received the distinction of being elected to the dramatic society. Delta Psi Omega, an honor bestowed upon a selected few thespians. In May we had the honor of capping the seniors. who had finally reached the mouth of the cave and were ready to step forth into the light. When we had done this. we realized that we were truly on our way to the completion of our formal enlightening period. As we began the last and most exciting part of our journey. we struggled to over- come such obstacles as lesson plans. motivation. and registers-in blue-black ink. Realizing that we would need an unusually skillful leader. we chose Alan Murray. Alanis assistants for the year were Dick Stomski. Annette Haddad. and ,lean Shepard. Activities became our byword. Stunt night was quite successful but some of our members were not content with working on such a small scale and so Nancy Alsing. Burton Albert. and Alan Murray lent their talents and abilities to the Drama Club production. The Hasty Heartf' May lvl brought Cap and Gown Day and we sud- denly realized lhat we would soon be stepping out into the unknown region beyond the mouth of the cave. We were eager to learn what awaited us but hesitant about leaving the security we had known. Time seemed to have sprouted wings as we flew through our party at the Springs. the Senior Banquet. our last exams, and then graduation. We began to think about finding positions and while we looked forward to new places and new friends. we were saddened by the thought that we would no longer be together as a class. On June 8. 1958. our struggle temporarily ceased as we boldly stepped forth from the cave of ignorance to the edge of the world of light!