Memphis University School - Owl Yearbook (Memphis, TN)

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ceased to be published after a few years, but was begun again as the Red and Blue in 1927. The school colors, red and blue, were decided by a vote of tlie student body in 1898. The combination was the compro- mise result of a closely split vote between the colors of Harvard and Yale. The school continued turning out excep- tionally fine scholars, such as Richard Halliburton, world famous travel writer and adventurer, until the early nineteen thirties, when it was forced to suspend op- erations as a result of America ' s great de- pression. In the 1930 issue of the yearl)ook paper the editor wrote a sentence in his editorial to the senior class that could well serve as an epitaph to the whole era: Fel- lows, it ' s all over now. In 1953, however, plans were laid for a new school, which was to closely parallel the M.U.S. of the early twentieth century, and in 1954 was chartered as a general welfare or non-profit organization. It was decided that the new school would use the same name as its predecessor, and would carry on the traditions of the Old School. A very definite connection between the old and tlie new was actually written in the charter. The new M.U.S. graduated its first sen- ior class in 1958, and ever since then has been actively carrying on the traditions of the old M.U.S. We still use the same colors, have an honor system much like that of the Old School; the school crest and motto are still the same, and we still use the de- merit system which dates from as early as 1899 (needless to say, this is not the most popular of M.U.S. ' s traditions.) Even study halls are a part of M.U.S. tradition, dat- ing back from before the time of this 1897 group. Study hall exemption, too, is tradi- tionary; the Old School equivalent of the exemption list was the Fresh Air Club made up of boys excused from study hall be- cause of their scholarship. 12

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This is the Old School as it was in 1914. The building still stands at 23 South Manassas overlooking Forrest Park from its grassy terrace well above the street. The building looks much the same from the out- side as it did fifty years ago. even the date, 1899, is still visi- ble. But the interior has been divided up by cheap partitioning and is in use by the University of Tennes- see as a dormitory. re-instated in 1898. In this, as in everything else, M.U.S. students excelled ; tlie 1904 team was un- scored upon by six out of seven teams. School spirit ran high at these athletic contests; a game in 1900 with C.B.C. ended in a free-for-all over a score dis- pute. ( Feelings were hurt so badly on both sides tlial tlie two schools didn ' t play each other for another twenty years.) Baseball, introduced in 1895, was also popular with the students. The team played not only high school teams but also college teams, and won several city championships. Other extracurricular ac- tivities were quite numer- ous in the Old School. some of the clubs being the Mandolin Club, the Hunt Club, the Riding Chm. the Lunch Club, the Auto Chil). and a Fresh Ail Club. M.U.S. Topics, the school newspaper, was first puli- lished in 1900, and tlie annual in 1903. Originallv named the M.U.S. -Kito (after a common denizen of these parts), the an)uial

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M.U.S. has an ex- cellent tradition to follow. The stu- dents feel that it has followed it tvell. Zbc Ibcmpbie Univcveitv 5c boo I A DAY SCIH ) »I. l ' k I ' .nvs 4J !!U!nl fM ' pupil-. Scvrn instructor . Hcn r V ' - T[| trin. Wei! t ' (|ui} ' jH (i i ymnasium; aniple } ' l.t un-un(i iiu haseisri!!. iootbal!. tennis .md all iuahlsfui ut i ' r sports. An ,h: -filfted school oi Wrishinutoii Aud l.v.r i ni vrrsitv. inutTsUy of the South, T ni cT itv of v, ' ,u-- see, i ' liiversitv of Mi !- i| [ i and the rnnrr :t Cliicas o, Pupils are aUo tutrd t- ' eiitrr th»- i ii .r l- aclielor of Art- course hi the rFi- .is!t • ' ! ' n ;ur.a. SEND FOR CATALOGUE UJerts Rhea, Principals Cor. Madison and Manassas Sts 13