Peru State College - Peruvian Yearbook (Peru, NE)

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ANNA MOREHEAD JOY

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To George Elliott Howard and Anna Morehead Joy Why a Golden Anniversary? Fifty years ago a young lad and maiden completed the required work and received their diplomas from Peru. The graduation of these two is insignificant compared with the graduation of over three thousand since that lime. Yet we celebrate and dedicate to their honor —why? Not because of the number, not because of the event, but because these two lives have been consecrated and devoted to the golden service of education. George E. Howard and Anna Morehead were the first two to receive diplomas from any higher educational institution in Nebraska. On com- mencement day in 1870, under the shade of a group of small oaks on the campus where now the great boulder marks the spot, these two young people delivered their orations and were presented their diplomas by Hon. S. P. Majors. It is an impressive fact that fifty years afterward, in 1920, there fifty times as many graduates to be given their diplomas by Hon. T. J. Majors, son of this same S. P. Majors. Little did the faculty and friends, led by Dr. and Mrs. McKenzie, in congratulating these two young people, appreciate the fact that the young man, Howard, should in time become one of America’s greatest educators, leader of thought among the nation’s most learned scholars. Truly his life has been fifty golden years of service. Yet, the one who stood by his side on that graduation day, too has given one-half century of service. Anna Morehead served well her native state as a teacher f°r a few years after graduation, and then as Anna Morehead Joy, gave that golden service of wife and mother. She reared a family of five, who, in turn are now giving trained service to their country. The early standards and training of these pioneer days so indelibly stamped the fear of God in the life of the school, that it has become the potent, as well as the fundamental policy of Peru. Each class, since 1870, has maintained the high standards of scholarship, morality and spirituality set by this first graduating class. The faculty today, led by our President, E. L. Rouse, stands for right, for righteousness sake, as did the faculty of 1870, led by that father of education, President J. M. McKenzie. Fifty years golden years of history for Peru—have passed, yet never has the banner of truth trailed the dust nor the high ideals set by this class of 1870 been lowered. But each year has this spirit grown richer and richer until now, throughout the state and nation, our beloved institution is known, not only by its stately buildings, nor by its three thousand or more graduates— the pride of Nebraska—but especially is it known as an institution of high ideals where predominates that love and service so familiarly known as the Peru Spirit. The class of 1920, in dedicating the Peruvian Volume Xlll to George Elliott Howard and Anna Morehead Joy, on the Golden Anniversary of their graduation, does so in just recognition of their fifty years of Golden service.

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Anna Morehead Joy Having reached that period when people are spoken of as living in the past, it is rather pleasant to have our young friends ask us for some of those reminiscences. After several years of personal experience right here, then seeing brothers, sisters, cousins, and lastly five of my own children educated in this school, I would naturally have some experiences of interest to students of the present time. This school, as you all know, was established as a church school, and I am glad to say that in all these fifty-three years, has lived up to the high moral standard set at that time. The only mark 1 ever had against my conduct was for going walking one Sunday afternoon with my roommate, on the road west of town, where we called on a family we were acquainted with. Another thing that Professor McKenzie instilled into us, was to never say can t, but to do whatever we undertook. This was brought up very vividly to me three years ago when he was telling of the troubles we had with the first old bell. He wanted it rung at half past five for us to get up and go to study- ing- The boy or man that was to do it was sometimes a little late, so my room- mate, Emma Brooke, volunteered to do it for a while. The very next morning when she attempted to ring it, the rope was covered with sleet and frozen fast, so she climbed up on a ladder through the attic and out on the roof and rang the bell. When she told me, I said, Why that was a very dangerous thing to do. 1 know it, she said, but 1 wasn’t going to fail, especially the very first morning when 1 was expected to do it.” May the next fifty years mark tin even greater advancement than the last have done.