Provincial Institute of Technology and Art - Record Yearbook (Calgary, Alberta Canada)

Page 33 text:

.TECH -ART RECORD Men’s Dramatic Society Out of a discussion which took place at a meeting of the Argonaut Club, there sprang the idea of forming a Men’s Dramatic Society, and with Mr. Rees acting as mentor, the organization has gone through its first year of existence with a fair measure of success. L. C. Cabelka, president, and L. Soper, secretary, capably handled ' the club’s business during the term, and instruction was given at the Wednesday evening meetings by Mrs. Skene. Large attendances at the early meetings testified to the enthusiasm of the students who became interested in the club. There were ' ‘strange things done” on the Assembly Hall stage as the amateur thespians recited and acted everything from Service to Shakespeare under the able direction of Mrs. Skene and Mr. Rees, whose combined efforts at coaching did much to add to the interest in the work. The difficulty experienced in finding a play with an all-male cast, and the numerous delays involved in the search, killed the in¬ terest of many of those who joined the club, but at time of writing there is every indication that the men who stayed with the organiza¬ tion will soon present at the Association meetings something worthwhile in the way of dramatic work. The policy that kept the men’s and women’s dramatic organizations separate nearly nipped the newest of Tech students’ interests in the bud, but in spite of the diffi¬ culties, the enthusiasts have done some effective work by establishing dramatics as a section of student activities. Weekly Literary Programs After a vacation of more than two years, the Stunt Cup was put back into service again as a prize for the class presenting the best Lit. progremme during the term. The last group to win the cup in the days when it was competed for at the annual banquets, was an Electrical class, so perhaps it was fitting that it’s reappearance as an inter-class trophy should be marked by an Electrical class victory. Out of a long series of concerts that provided the Students’ Association with entretainment of varying degrees of quality, the first year Electrical department was picked as the winner of the Stunt Cup. There can be no doubt but that the choice of the judges was a popular one. The programme not only brought to light individual talent of the highest order, but provided several original ideas that easilly placed it above the ordinary run of weekly presentations. Taken on the whole, the type of entertainment provided by the classes this year has been exceptionally fine. Some of the earlier efforts were hardly up to the mark, but popular opinion quickly stopped all tendencies towards the vulgar. Classes entered into the spirit of rivalry that was fostered by the competition, and even those groups that were cursed with a lack of experienced entertainers stepped out and presented really worth-while programmes. Almost every form of entertainment, from comedy stunts and black magic, to the fine rendering of classical music, has found a place in the concerts. At the conclusion of the class competitions, the literary committee was forced to look in other quarters for the weekly entertain¬ ments. It was here that groups such as the Emery Weal and Year Book staffs came to the rescue, and on one occasion the Normal School made a goodwill gesture by taking charge of a concert. Mr. McCalla, of the Normal staff, also filled a gap in a very interesting manner with a lantern slide talk on the trees of Western Canada and the Pacific coast. Page Thirlv-lhree

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Student Association Dances The strenuous art of terpsichore has always enjoyed great popularity among Tech students, so it was hardly a surprise when it was seen that the school dances occurred nearly every two weeks. From the moment the Alumni Association started the Tech social season on its yearly whirl with its election dance, the socials have been the most largely patronized events sponsored by the Students’ Association, and, contrary to the experience of the previous year, they have been financial successes. If for no other reason, the social committees deserve to be complimented on the efficient way in which they have handled business matters pertaining to dances. Not only have they succeeded in reducing the prices of tickets, but they have been able to show a sub¬ stantial profit on nearly every social. The fact that charges could be adjusted to suit the present economic situation, and a profit shown at the same time, speaks well for the efficiency of Tom Lees, Bob Rae and their henchmen. From the social angle, Tech dances are in a class by themselves. Almost every girl attending Normal will vouch for that statement. They have been thoroughly enjoyable from the start, and the free-and-easy atmosphere that permeates the Assembly Hall when dances are in progress has made them ideal ice-breakers, so far as student friendships are concerned. As colorful events they have had no equal. Besides seeing novel decorations festooned around the hall from time to time, the dancers have had the latest creations of the D. D. D.’s flashed before their eyes, as changing seasons demanded changing wardrobes. Stampede Exhibit At the Calgary Stampede last year the Institute arranged an exhibit that turned out to be the centre of attraction in the Exhibits Building. Teachers and ex-students co-operated to make the display a fitting representation of the work done at the school, and how well they succeeded may be realized from the fact that this year the school intends to exhibit on a much larger scale. The booth was arranged in the form of a room, draped with crepe paper in the school colors, in which were pieces of appara¬ tus from every department in the Institute. I hree Crookes tubes connected to a big spark coil served to attract attention and dis¬ organize the short-wave radio station next door, and sectionalized tractors and engines assisted in the work. Easy chairs were provided for tired and weary students and ex-students who wandered in, and the record kept by the Alumni Association showed that large numbers of former students renewed old acquaintances at the booth. Both teachers and ex¬ students attended the exhibit during the entire week. Folders advertising the school were written by an ex-student and printed by courtesy of the Turner Valley Observer. School calendars were also provided to satisfy the public craving for “something for nothing.” T. A. Hedley was in charge and this year he is planning another exhibit that will place the school before the public eye. Watch for it in the grandstand building. Page Thirty-two

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.TECH -ART RECORD - Argonaut Club The least aggressive of all student societies has enjoyed, during the 1930-31 term, one of the most successful seasons it has ever known in its four years of existence. The unofficial motto of the Argonaut Club, “No work and much play keeps the grey hairs away,” was faithfully adhered to by most of the members who usually did nothing more strenuous than tell Mr. Wright, staff representative, and the various officers, what should be done. The sporting side of Argonaut Club life was confined chiefly to the shuffling of cards. Every game that Hoyle ever chronicled, and a few that he didn’t, found a place at the Wednesday even¬ ing meetings of the Argonauts. The members also became pro¬ ficient in the art of making doughnuts and cookies disappear with startling rapidity and the speedy manner in which the coffee pot lost its contents proved that the club’s frequent warm arguments and debates were wonderful stimulators of thirst. It was in the intellectual branch of its activities that the club was extremely fortunate. A long list of speakers addressed the society on a wide range of subjects. New slants on well known subjects were given to the members, and out-of-the-way events and activities that are not often brought into the glare of publicity, were touched upon in the series of interesting and edu¬ cational talks. Among the speakers who contributed to this part of the Argonauts’ activities were: F. N. Rhodes, founder of the club; H. J. Rees, Mrs. Skene, C. A. Choate, S. Simons, W. H. Broughton, A. W. Rider, W. A. Pinkerton, A. A. Peebles, J. O. Howells, A. W. Baxter, Tom Moore and W. R. Davis. The officers who so ably conducted club affairs this term were: F. Rubie, president until January; A. T. Staples, secretary during the same period; F. C. Cabelka, spring term president, and W. J. Summerby, spring term secretary. A large proportion of the credit for the successful year enjoyed by the Argonauts must also be given to Mr. H. P. Wright, who, as a member of the staff social committee, was untiring in his efforts to bring the best speaking talent available before the members. Page Thirty-four