Queens College - Silhouette Yearbook (Queens, NY)

Page 138 text:

The A Cappella choir on lhe U.S.S. Prairie State. Lislening 11051. Mobilization of the 'ihuman resourcesy' of Queens College began at a furious pace two days after the Jap back-stabbing. By the scores men and Women flocked to the recruiting stations set up in Thomas Jefferson Hall. And at the end of a Week nearly l,000 students had volunteered to help in one way or another. Motorcyclists to keep in touch with police-artists to draw morale posters- ham radio operators to intercept short-wave warnings-pub licity men to stir up sentiment-all these took their places with student air raid wardens and firemen. Seasoned radio listeners to intercept air raid alarms were assigned to radios in the registrar's oflice . . . but after that Tuesday, they only heard Bach, beauteous babes and lots of blarney. Specific evidence of QC work: Thirty Mitchell Field soldiers were invited to attend a sorority hop . . . on February 22, the A Cappella Choir sang for ensigns aboard the Navy training ship, the U.S.S. Pmirie State.

Page 137 text:

Un the left If Pearl Harbor wasn't enough, the air raid helped it along. Class- es as usual was as absurd as business and profits as usual should be, so Queens College buckled down to some serious honest-to-goodness work. A quick glance at any map will reveal the highly interesting infor- mation that: 1. Queens College lies between two airports of great strategic value, LaGuardia and Floyd Bennett, and 2. Queens College lies between two army forts, Totten in Bayside and Tilden in Rockaway. Problem No. l to the college that nurses 2,200 people, as a result, was precaution against enemy air attacks. It doesn't make any differ- ence if the raid is in earnest or just a token, suicide or not. A bomb by any other name still bruises. The original plan was to getthehell out of the buildings as soon as possible, but this was reversed when it became apparent that crowded ball fields are inviting targets, and that the shrapnel from our own ack ackiers might rain oler Flushing. 133

Page 139 text:

SPEED UP! Going full gear in its project to place its resources at the disposal of the United Nations, Queens College early in the Spring Semester announced a three-year plan to speed up education production. At the same time, disclosure was made of a new pre-engineering curriculum to facilitate the training of technical men needed so much in war industry. In the regular curriculum itself, War left its customarily vivid im- pression. Advanced Naval history, radio communication, Morse code, first aid, leadership and civilian defense took their places next to science survey and contemporary civilization. Extension courses, too, came in for their share of remodeling. Prac- tical navigation, radio, analysis of the chronicle of the war for arm- chair admirals and grandstand generals. . and fashion note Slacks were more modish too after Pearl Harbor, with 'ustilication .I and rationalization aplenty. Long-legged and skinny, or plumpy and dumpy, Queens co-eds argued-and reasonably, we suppose-that slacks were necessar ' for first aid classes. There is even the stor bruited Y Y about that Dean Kiel ' was seen Walkmf from eflferson Hall to Y 5 Whitman Hall in a pair of spotless black slacks. The editor of a local paper heard of this and demanded pictures, but the Dean demurely and firmly niX'd the idea. Slacks, she maintained-or so the story goes - were for first aid classes only and not for publicity. The editor is said to have been ver cha frined. Y S 135