Ohio Northern University - Northern Yearbook (Ada, OH)

Page 8 text:

OLjOl me = LJ( emmcf Fifty-one years is a long time for any man to devote to any institution; and Major Cliffe Deming’s love for public speaking and for this university has led to just that, interrupted only by the intervals during which he was in the clothing business with his brother and periods of active duty in the army. First employed here inl897 as a student assistant under his sister, who was then head of the Department of Speech, the Major continued his period of service here until the fall of 1948, when he was stricken with illness. Absent from the campus now, the Ma¬ jor has left a wealth of memories of his successes in the fields of public speaking and dra¬ matics. Born in Richwood, Ohio, in 1876, Cliffe Deming’s association with this school began while it was still known as Ohio Normal University. Here he received the degrees of Bachelor of Oratory, Bachelor of Arts, and finally Master of Arts in 1904. The Major also studied at the Emerson College of Oratory in Boston. As a second lieutenant in the 2nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Major Deming served in the Spanish American War. He then saw service on the Mexican border with the National Guard, and as a major in World War I he studied at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and served overseas for al¬ most two years. After the first World War he returned to Ohio Northern as head of the Depart¬ ment of Speech. In addition to being a scholar the Major is, as one of his colleagues has so aptly phrased it, an officer and a gentleman, and as such he has endeared himself to faculty and students alike. Besides his concern with military affairs. Major Deming’s other interests include football, of which he is very fond, and fencing, which he taught here for some time; some of his fencing teams were outstanding. His especial love, of course, is dramatics, and his great success as a play director here attests to the fact that he realty has the know-how in that field. His favorite production here was probably his “David Harum,” which was a particular success; and his Shakespearean interpretations are well remembered, particularly “The Taming of the Shrew”, and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” A member of the old Theta Nu Epsilon fraternity when he was a student, Major Deming was honored with membership in the Alpha Sigma Phi when it was organized here. He is also a member of Theta Alpha Phi, honorary dramatic fraternity, and of the Ohio Teachers of Speech.