Rocky Mountain College - Yellowstone / Poly Yearbook (Billings, MT)

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ke OncamUu Pn bide U ' 4, Philip M. Wideiihouse The staff of The Yellowstone has been gracious enough to invite me to write a brief message for the 1958 issue. I am grateful for the oppor- tunity of using this medium to extend my greetings and congratulations to the class of 58 o It will be my pleasure to work with you as alumni members of our academic community. As you leave Rocky Mountain we trust that you will take away something of its spirit of idealism and also that you will leave with the college something of your own spirit, devotion and loyalty. Farewell to the college and welcome into the alumni. To all the student body - greetings and salutations! The Widenhouse family is looking forward to our new home at Rocky Mountain and to meeting all of you. We have great hopes and expectations for the future as we begin a new life with you. To trustees, faculty, alumni and friends of the college - we send our fond greetings. We join you in the common enterprise of making Rocky Mountain College a place where the search for truth may be pursued in full freedom to the end that generations of dedicated young people may find wisdom and know- ledge to guide them through life. It is commonly accepted that a college or university has three basic func- tions - 1. An institution of higher learning is a custodian of knowledge and truth. Its libraries, laboratories and classrooms preserve the accumulated ex- periences gathered through the centuries by men of ideas. 2. An institution of higher education also seeks to transmit to each succeeding generation of students the cultural values of the past and the body of known knowledge in each academic discipline. 3. An institution of higher education is committed to the task of exploration of new knowledge. The research function of a college or university is as im- portant as the first two if there is to be a creative, growing, stimulating academic community. Rocky Mountain College joins all other institutions of higher education in dedication to these three tasks. Your President-elect ' s conception of Rocky Mountain College goes beyond these tasks to include a fourth function of building a Christian academic community where scholars may pursue these ends while seeking for meaning and purpose to all of life. Philip M. Widenhouse

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7 4e Oidcfttituj, PtetidesU ' fyatewell Mr. Herbert W. Hines President This 1958 Yellowstone is naturally focused upon the seniors, and purposes to recognize them officially, as well as speed them on their way into the wide world of activity. When the ancient Romans bade fare- well to some great leader who has passed away, they started the memorial service with a common phrase, Ave atque Vale , which is translated, Hail and FarewelL This was their apt way of expressing appreciation and affection for the worthwhile achievements of the one who was leaving them, and conveyed the idea that, though he was gone, he would not be forgotten. That is the way we feel about you of the senior class. When we consider what you have actually done for your alma mater, individually and collectively, during the past four years, we certainly want to say to you Hail. During your four years of activity here, you of the class of 1958 have definitely helped to advance the standing of your school in athletics, dramatics, music, industrial arts, scholarship, and moral leadership. We are grateful for what you have accomplished in aiding to lift the standards of Rocky . You have seen and have been a part of the progress of the school in many things. You have seen the Administration Building remodeled and made re- spectable; you have seen sidewalks laid across the campus, a hardtop road laid down, Tyler Hall completely provided with new and durable furniture, the new doors and other improvements at Tyler, Alden, and Kenney Halls, the leveling of the ground for a football field, and the building of a new library. You are leaving at a turn in the road - a historical point - for your college- — the 75th anniversary celebration. True, we say farewell to you, but we know from your record here you are going to achieve success, and we know that the school that you helped to build is moving on toward a future of great promise. With this commencement of yours, your President, too, after seven years of service, bids a fond farewell to you and to Rocky Mountain College. Herbert W. Hines 4 16 58

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ZduxxUton In Montana The heritage of our college is older than the state of Montana; seventy-five years ago the first religious predecessor of Rocky Mountain College was founded — six years before Montana became a state. Higher education began in Montana Territory at Deer Lodge in September, 1878, when the Montana Collegiate Institute was established through the un- tiring efforts and generous gifts of many citizens. Among those who contributed to the founding and support of this school were E. H. Irvine, Conrad Kohrs, A. H. Mitchell, L. J. Sharp, S. E. Larabie, W. A. Clark, and Gov. S. T. Hauser. Soon after the Institute was launched it was felt that there would be an advantage in having this school placed under the sponsorship of some religious group. The Presbytery of Montana, the first denomination to respond to this sug- gestion, appointed a committee to enter negotiations with the trustees of the Institute. As a result, the Presbytery acquired the property of that school on August 23, 1882. A new institution, the College of Montana, was opened Septem ber 10, 1883, under the patronage and control of the Presbyterian Church in Montana. The first president was Reverend D. J. McMillan who served until 1890. The program of the College of Montana was a blend of liberal arts and technical studies. One of the strongest departments was a School of Mines which offered the only work in this field in i±ie state. It helped produce a num- ber of outstanding mining engineers in the state, continuing its valuable service to young men of the region until the founding of the Montana School of Mines. In the late 1880 ' s, Montana Methodists began agitation for the establishment of a college. In 1889, the year Montana became a state, the Methodist Episco- pal Church organized Montana Wesleyan University in Helena. Technically, the name of the school was Montana University , a designation which continued until the state legislature restricted that name to the state University of Mon- tana. Subsequently this school became Montana Wesleyan College. Below is a photo (found in 1902) of the ruins of the College of Montana in Deer- lodge, the pioneer college of our state. U Mb