Montana State University Bozeman - Montanan Yearbook (Bozeman, MT)

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(con't.) Union Building. Any entertainment we had was downtown, even a Coke. Mo cars. Our entertainment every Sunday night was walk to the movies. then go across the street for a cup of coffee because that's all you could afford and walk home in the snow. It was the Bungalow right across the street. It was a good soda fountain. a real fun place to go. That was our entertainment. Then we had lots of fireside dances with the fraternities. Just roll up the rugs. MONTANAN: You were a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority. What was it like being in the greek system then? JOHNSON: I do think it was important. You weren’t so lost. MONTANAN: How many independents were there? JOHNSON: There was in my class a group about as large as a sorority. MONTANAN: What did the average student know about what was going on in the world? Did people sense that a war was coming? JOHNSON: I shouldn’t say everybody. that's too general. We really didn't read the newspapers. You know. I don't think we were nearly as aware as college students are today. We didn't have television, we didn't have time for the radio. We knew about Hitler, we had lectures and things. People coming in. This is one thing that’s happening now is that kids know what's going on. You can’t avoid it because you've seen it on television or radio or something. It gets to you. MONTANAN: What about politics and especially student politics? JOHNSON: We had President Roosevelt for so long... Student politics. yes. For instance I was elected to something. MONTANAN: Student Senate your senior year. What did you do as a senator? JOHNSON: Hardly anything. Really, there wasn't too much. We worked at it. I think that there was student politics but I didn’t get too mixed up in it. Student Government positions sort of passed around the different fraternities and sorotities. MONTANAN: What did people wear then? JOHNSON: Oh my goodness, just look in the Vogue magazine it looks just like that. Horrible! Horrible! But we had lovely evening dresses. MONTANAN: What did you have to do with the Military at the university? (made in reference to a photograph of her in a uniform.) JOHNSON: That was band sponsors. Our Missoula games were in Butte. Our grizzly games were always in Butte. I'd have to march down the street with a bouquet of chrysanthemums. MONTANAN: How popular was football then? JOHNSON: We went to the games but we didn't have a team worth two cents. There was a lot of school spirit though and our basketball team was tremendous! MONTANAN: Did you ski? JOHNSON: We used to go up to Karst and I didn't have any skis so I borrowed mine. The girls would get on that little flat west of Karst and the boys would climb the hill and try to ski down. MONTANAN: Was it cross-country skiing? JOHNSON: Well no. regular. Not anything like the boots now. Skiing was... it hadn't really started. Long 7

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tv ,;’ v Ruth Keithly Class of 1938 Ruth Keithly graduated from Montana State College in 1938 with a degree in Home Economics. She was from the Billings area and soon after high school began attending college in Bozeman where she remained until her graduation. A member of Pi Beta Phi Social Sorority. Ms. Keithly. was active in a number of campus groups and activities. She was a Spur, Home Ec. Council Member. Swimming Suit. Montanan Beauty Queen, and Junior Prom Attendant. During her Senior year she was a Student Senator and Commissioner of Social Affairs. Now Mrs. Arnold 0. Johnson, she resides in Big Timber. Montana. The following interview was conducted at her home on October 11. 1978. (Photos by Donna Zook) MONTANAN: When you were in college. how busy did you keep with school work and extracurricular activities? JOHNSON: Winter quarter was the easiest quarter to get good grades, it was the shortest one. But we had some good parties. I know one thing that we didn't have to do that you have now. Homecoming! And I'm grateful every time I see a parade we didn’t have to put all those napkins in those little holes. No Homecoming. No parade. MONTANAN: What were parties like? JOHNSON: Same thing as they do now at M.S.U. MONTANAN: Much drinking? JOHNSON: Not too much. There were spring parties and beer busts, but I’m not ... I didn't like the beer busts. The girls especially, you know, when you start washing your hair in the beer ... I like a good time as much as anybody but I really didn't like those. Love to dance. MONTANAN: What kinds of dances? JOHNSON: Sort of like Fred Astaire. Not quite as fancy. MONTANAN: What about Jitterbug? JOHNSON: No. I'm too old to jitterbug and I still can’t. I tried and tried. I just have to get close. Hows that? MONTANAN: What about other entertainment? JOHNSON: There was no Student 6

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3 MONTANAN: What was it like as a Spur in those days? JOHNSON: I think that one of the most traumatic experiences in college was the fact that my roommate and I, shortly before women's day... we got to talking as roommates do and she said “if I don't become a Spur I’m going to be completely crushed . And I had never even thought about being a Spur. You know. So along came the announcement and my name was [called]. So I was elected and I nearly fainted because 8