Pittsburg State University - Kanza Yearbook (Pittsburg, KS)

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Retta Statler Hart - 1917 l've always told my students, 'degree doesn't mean anything, but it's a great door openerl' I believe it still holds true. Fietta Statler Hart, a spry 83-year-old 1917 graduate of SMTN iState Manual Training Normalj, compared the early school system with the PSU of today. We were on a much smaller scale. I can remember when all the students would goto meet the governor on his scheduled visits, so he'd think there were many of us and we needed more buildings. On academics, Hart said, lt seems like the young people do not learn the specifices as well as they used to. Who, besides English majors, knows exactly what a grammatical sentence should be composed of! In general knowledge, they're doing so much better. Born in Tupolo, Oklahoma, Hart was sent to school with her parent's hard-earned money. I never worked while going to school, but many students did. I was given S35 a month from my father, and that was more than most of the kids got. Hart lived at a teacher's home with other young women. Their usual mode of transportation was walking. I know everyone hears from their parents and grandparents how they had to walk everywhere they went. However, we enjoyed it, and a lot of our spare time was spent walking around the town and countryside. We also enjoyed picnics on Spring River, or an informal party where the girls would make candy for the young men. Football was also a big form of entertainment, Hart remin- ences. ln fact, l'll never forget the one big experience I went through at one of our home games. We had open bleachers then, with only chicken wire as a protector. It had rained during the game, and I was equipped with my heavy umbrella. All of a sudden we made a spectacular play and I got so excited I came down with my umbrella - right on top of Registrar MitcheII's head. Fortunately he took it good-naturedlyf' Hart graduated with a degree in English and history. She mar- ried a fellow classmate, Robert Hart, and when her husband went to defend the country in the Navy of WW II, Hart began teaching school. I taught school for ten years, five years in Oklahoma and five in Frontenac. I don't know what I would have done without my education. When the couple began a family, Hart devoted her time to being a dedicated wife and mother, while her husband began teaching on campus in the math department. Being a housewife with young children is a job in itself. Hart's children include Bill, who is a successful businessman with a construction company in Houston. A daughter, Mary Ann Predmore, who lives in Norton, Ks., and received her bachelors degree in English from KSTCP. Hart also has five grandchildren. With a twinkle in her eye, Hart emphasizes that she is not about to sit around doing nothing. She is currently working on a romantic history of the early years on campus. I intend to focus this upon a much-admired lady, Alta Branden- burg, wife of President Brandenburg. She created the Faculty Wives Club, which was designed to promote friendliness. We used to get together under her direction and have a seven- course dinner for our husbands. The banquet cost 356 a meal. It was a formal affair, but it was a great deal of fun too, as we always had surprise entertainment by the wives. Hart feels the history of the university is important and valuable. This is the main reason I am working on this project. It's important that we preserve this history, so everyone in the future can recognize the value of this institution. We have a school that we should be proud of. We've come along way in making it the school it is today. It is one of the best! We have a school that we should be proud of We've come along Way in making it the school it is today. It is one of the best!

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John was here. He even brags that per- formers used to pay the music depart- ment to let them perform i n our hallowed halls. Sometimes I think Uncle John exagger- ates about things like that to make up for the stories people tell about him. He was a member of one of the fraternities on campus. l won't mention the name in case someone would be embarrassed by having it known that they were associated with such a klutz. lUncle John would nev- er appreciate me letting this story leak out.l My dad tells me that during Uncle John's sophomore year at KSTCP, he was help- ing to decorate the fraternity house for Homecoming. The competition was fierce The lights of Porter Library beckon to all students looking for a quiet place to study. lt also lends a serene atmosphere to the evening on campus. that year, so everything had to be just right. Uncle John had been putting up streamers above the porch, and when he stepped back to survey his work, he stepped right off the edge. He broke his arm so he can't deny that we have proof of his uncoordination. Uncle John always acts embarrassed whenever anyone mentions that little epi- sode, but l think he likes the attention. He got a lot of attention at the time, too. The sorority girls felt so-o-o sorry for him. And to top it all off, their house won first place. l guess it was all worth a little inconve- nience on Uncle John's part. l decided to make PSU lPittsburg State Universityl my alma mater, too, although l did go to junior college first. Personally, I thought juco was fantastic, but this uni- versity also has it's advantages. What other campus has Gorillas running wild, especially in the middle of football games and basketball games when so many in- nocent people could be hurt? I have to admit he is the swellest Gorilla I know. Last year l got involved in the dance mar- athon. lt was one of the most rewarding experiences in my life - mentally that is. Physically, l'd have to say that 36 hours of dancing set me back a notch or two. l always tell my family that PSU is the best ever, but, of course, they don't always agree with me. We've progressed tremen- dously since Gramp's day when there were only two buildings. And we haven't had any accidents like Uncle John's since l've been here. The way l look at it, PSU's gotten better every year, l imagine my kids will think it's the best when they get here, too. HG is li Nft.

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John Lance - 1918 We have spirit We have togetherness. John F. Lance has lived near Pittsburg all his life. Raised in a house on the site of the present TKE house, he watched builders construct Russ Hall where he used to shoot off his July 4th fireworks. Lance, now 81 attended College High and the State Manual Training Normal School from 1911 until 1918. He studied in the industrial arts department which was the best in the country at that time. While a student, Lance was active in foot- ball, basketball, baseball, and track. He was an All-Conferenceplayer in each sport and broke the state records for pole-vault and high jump. Besides sports, Lance participated in de- bate with the Manus Verez literary soci- ety's debate team and served as business manager of the Kanza in 1918. Being an outdoorsman, Lance enjoyed hunting, fishing, and trapping. He often sold rabbits that he trapped for 10m a piece. During the winter he ice skated on what is now the University Lake. Lance worked several odd jobs while in schoolg he put up hay and helped build a house for Mr. Ebeneezer Porter. He received news that Russ Hall had burned while he was working in the wheat harvest in western Kansas. He quit har- vest, came back, and worked with the rebuilding crews scraping old mortor from bricks. Lance said he never really needed to work because he lived at home and the family raised almost all of their own food. As a student in World War I, Lance said there weren't really any differences in academics, but the sports teams lost sev- eral players. In 1916 he was selected to be the football captain for the 1917 sea- son, but he decided to enlist in the Army. He felt that being named the captain was the highest honor given to a male student, however I felt my country needed me more than the football team did. When his coach learned of his decision, he called Lance in and with tears in his eyes, and begged him to stay and lead what little team was left. Lance decided to stay but was unable to play the full season because of injuries. Lance felt that Pittsburg has always had fewer students but has outranked other schools in certain areas. We have spirit. We have togetherness. That's something you don't have in a big school. After graduating in 1918, Lance served as the Industrial Arts Department head and the athletic director at Southwestern Oklahoma Normal School. Returning to KSTC in 1922, he began a 41 year career as PSU basketball coach. He was named Coach of the Year by the National As- sociation of Intercollegiate Athletics in 1956 and was one of only a few coaches to win over 600 games at one school. Lance served as an official in the Big Eight, the Missouri Valley, and the South- west Conferences. He was asked to offici- ate in Orange Bowl game in 1955, but the Oklahoma City All-College Tournament was scheduled for the same time. Since the Gorillas were the All-College champi- ons the previous year, he felt obliged to be there again. Lance feels students are learning more today. There's more to be learned. He doesn't feel that today's student is more intelligent, but he has more to learn and is pushed harder. Lance married Clara Strickland more than 60 years ago. They have four children, all of whom received their bachelor's degree from Pitt State. The Lances continue to be active in the community and Lance still keeps information about the happenings in the sports world.