Park University - Narva Yearbook (Parkville, MO)

Page 13 text:

i •i V • Although the rigors of work and study kept most of the students close to home, the fami¬ ly atmosphere provided ample entertainment. Debate and oratory, those lovable dinosaurs, once reigned supreme on the Park terrain. Intramurals soon became the custom, and the glee club and band were also popular activi¬ ties . . Sundays were always special. Every¬ one dressed in his best and went to chapel, often an all-day affair. In the evening the literary societies met. Plays were presented and topics discussed in the finest tradition of the European salons. Afterward, the girls gathered on the stone bench outside Copley and sang to the boys inside . . . But some of the most memorable times were just every¬ day occurrences, like calls for vats of fudge on Saturday nights, or taffy pulls down by the river after the molasses was made. Best of all, imagine walking on a brisk April morning through 300 acres of apple blos¬ soms. The scent would cling to your clothes all day . . . 9

Page 15 text:

vtfS)( ' i(3V c e)Ci®V v®i») SW v@U)(3W v®(«i( v «©M® V v®W(s5y By 1890, everyone at Park could breathe a bit easier. In 15 short years the college had conquered the wilderness. Copley Hall and McCormick Cha¬ pel had been built, and Mackay was nearing com¬ pletion. Enrollment had reached the 300 mark, the alumni roster totaled 153, and the school owned property worth an estimated $200,000. But crisis was an ever-faithful companion. Suddenly both the founding fathers, George Park and John McAfee, died within one week of each other. Many doubted that the school could survive without their gui¬ dance, but their legacy of strength was not without heirs. Lowell McAfee succeeded to the president ' s post and continued in his father’s determined steps for the next quarter century. He inaugurated a period of growth which continued uninterrupted into the ad ministration of Park ' s third president. Dr. Frederick W. Hawley. During this time eight major construction projects were completed on campus. Some measure of stability was also achieved in the school’s academic departments. Prior to this time, the scholastic burden had been borne by an ambitious but overworked faculty, none of whom every stayed for more than three years. Gradually, however, faculty members with many years ' tenure became the norm, and indeed, the faculty changed very little from this time until after World War II. v?e)W(s5v fS W(5V vte)l l(sV «v®H)(s v v l ' l©v v?cs)M(3W «NJg)W 2p5 ®l»)0 ' A £ rv©lfl(2;A it