Ripon College - Crimson Yearbook (Ripon, WI)

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Dr. Jesse Fox Taintor lirif htfr fan than '.saves hj autumn ttys A. Or the Crimson rose of June beside; Fadeless, stainless shall our Crimson show Kifaon’s hearts with loyal love aglow. We have tried at Ripon. as other colleges have tried for themselves to discov- er whether the many and varied experiences of the college life- its failures, suc- cesses. errors of judgment, struggles, out reaching may not also be crystallized into a single word that shall suggest the unifying constant element in its life. In these later days someone has happily fallen upon the epithet “the intimate college as best defining that element. . . . The phrase does suggest the very essence of the thing which was present with this college in its beginning and has been a constant factor in its life to the present day. . . . The intimate college should mean, and I think it does mean here, one in which the human relations between faculty and students always overshadow the academic relations. . . . The essential thing is to serve the highest interest of the student. . . This is true in any college, but as one reads the history of Ripon College, it becomes increasingly clear that this has been the purpose to which it has steadfastly held. Excerpt from “History of Ripon College.” JESSE FOX TAINTOR. A Word of Tribute to JESSE FOX T AINTOR There has passed from our Ripon community a man of marked influence. Prof. Taintor has been for many years, and by a wide circle, a man beloved. The Taintor home has ever been a cen- ter of hospitality and charm, and The Professor. was the radiant and genial host, for he regarded the community in terms of the home. In any group in which he might have been expected to be present, there was a sense of some- thing really missed when he was ab- sent. His was not the popularity of in- dulgent good will. He was often quite critical and independent. He had likes and dislikes, but loved through both. As Professor of English Literature, he had an art of creating in his pupils a breadth of interest, and above all. that so rare and essential sense of ap- preciation and admiration which is the parent of a continued life interest in lit- erature. He had a unique style. Style is often defined as personality. Emer- son says. “We teach what we are. not involuntarily, but involuntarily. It was very much so with Prof. Taintor. He looked and acted and imparted the part. If the student brought to the class any spark of interest, he fanned this spark into a flame. He taught his students to love to read. His was not the dry-as-dust manner of critical anal- sis. Old grads are today enjoying their evenings in good reading because of him. His pupils studied to satisfy a hunger of soul, and not merely to meet an academic requirement. We all loved him. Fie loved Ripon College, and the people of Ripon. He was an outstanding citizen of no mean city. Harvard college has a phrase of high praise. They say of a man, “He has —2(

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Dr. Grace Goodrich To many students and alumni Dean Grace Goodrich is the center of the Ripon College family. She is the per- son to whom students, faculty and townspeople come for consolation and congratualtion. No one is too socially insignificant or scholastically faltering to be denied Dr. Goodrich s interested attentio.»] and no one is too well placed in social and academic circles not to feel the need of her friendly counsel. Individuals and groups drop into her living room to talk politics or to listen to Beethoven or just to bask in firelight and unstrained companionship. 1 can't deside anything until I see Dr. Grace.' her alumni friends still say. Dr. Goodrich will help us.' is the pan- acea for any ill that besets sorority, townswomen's club, or faculty commit- tee. Problems related not only to the intricacies of Latin and Greek gram- mar but also to campus love affairs, philosophical premises, moonlight pic- nics. modern art— in short, everything touching the life of any Riponite, past or present—are referred to her for so- lution. '1 always feel that I am my best self with Dr. Grace.' an alumnus once said. She seems to expect me to be cheerful and tolerant and sincere and I find my- self trying to be. Hundreds of alumni will agree. It is not that Dean Goodrich is conscious of her influence or even wants it. She smiles at her friends' shortcomings and loves the delinquents the more and she lets her acquaintances chuckle and scold by turns over her misadvanlayes. Even in the sacred confines of the libra- ry she will recount with genuine enjoy- ment some incident in which she was the ridiculous figure. Miss Goodrich has no need for false dignity. Students who study with Dr. Good- rich do not learn only Greek and Latin. These languages are not mazes of strange sounds and orphan endings: they become keys to the thought and life of highly cultivated peoples. Classi- cal students form a foundation for the appreciation of all literature, they be- come aware of the best in human expe- rience through the works of men who have the wisdom of all ages. Dr. Good- rich s students, though they do not al- ways know it. acquire a finer yardstick by which to measure their desires and attainments. They have the best that education can offer. There are many faculty members whom students respect and admire. There are a few whom students lov».. Dean Goodrich stands first in the group of teachers whom Ripon students re- vere and love.

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In Memoriam On these pages—a few of the many expressions of love and honor for the memory of Dr. Jesse Fox Taintor. The Commencement program of 1935 is specifically dedicated to him whose gracious spirit these many years has helped so largely to make the commence- meint seasons a happy joyous festival. But even more we could remember that Ripon College with its joys and sor- rows—with its life ever re- newed in the life of those who enter and depart from its doors, is increasingly a memorial to him who loved and served and interpreted that college with unswerving loyalty and devo- tion. ✓O arrived.” Prof. Taintor at a ripe age has arrived, as he enters the world of mansional resources. We offer a toast to our beloved Dr. Taintor. a noble gentleman, a genuine Christian, an inspiring teacher, a de- votet! alumnus, a loyal friend. Silas Evans. AAA Prof. Taintor had that quick under- standing that kept him in step with the procession of youth. He could not grow old in thought or attitude. Who that ever heard his chapel talks can forget them? His whimsicality, his appreciation and his sense of fitness made them memorable. His friendship was not the kind that offers a crutch He expressed every- one to stand on his own merits and measure up to any one occasion. And who could fail to make a mighty effort to justify his expectations? Josephine Hargrave. '06. AAA And how did Prof. Taintor look, you ask? He was beautiful to look upon as part of the grace and charm and unfail- ing courtesy that marked his days. In the first place like a hero of old —27—