Salem College - Sights and Insights Yearbook (Winston-Salem, NC)

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Dr, Qramley, President of Salem ... is there — whether it ' s the per- formance of the Pierrettes ' new play. Senior Vespers or a picnic supper on the athletic field. Since he arrived at Salem last year as its thirteenth presi- dent, his brown suit and horn-rimmed glasses have become familiar all across campus. A real person, interested in what ' s going on in the life of the youngest freshman, he ' s proof to stu- dents that a college president is not a distant and aloof executive concerned only with faculty meetings and mys- teriously important papers. Knowing and helping students themselves, he believes, is a good start toward the goal he set for Salem on his inauguration: to make it the best possible girls ' college in the South. He doesn ' t think it a waste of time to spend several hours discussing needed improxements in last week ' s Salemite, or to turn his hand at helping the Junior class get rid of a leaky washing machine. This interest in each student as an individual stems from a desire to see each attain what he believes should be the ultimate goal in everyone ' s life — happiness. He believes that education plays a basic part in this attainment. Rather than being simply the tech- nological training needed to prepare men and women for a vocation, edu- cation is the humanistic indoctrination necessary for a development of inner resources. Education, he o nce said in characteristic fashion, should prepare one for ine itable solitude. But education, he believes, must be more than a means of securing happi- ness. In addition, it must teach people to think, to develop right attitudes, to realize their responsibilities as members of a democratic community. We talk too much about rights and free- doms, he ' s said, and not enough about responsibilities. It was charac- teristic that as a member of the Lehigh faculty he played a part in changing the wording of Lehigh ' s diplomas from ... is awarded all the rights and privileges to . . . all the duties, rights and privileges . . . Spiritual needs — and obligations — thus assume a high place in his scheme of things. His background — he is the son of a minister and a lifetime church member — has made him a firm be- liever in the attitudes and practices of 12 £

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This is how it began . . . with meeting roommates, meet- ing adxisors. meeting deans and faculty and just plain meeting. From that first half-h ' ightening moment when Fresh- men entered the front door of CUewell until classes had finally begun, orienta- tion week was crammed with things to do and places to go. At adxisor meetings the Seniors tried to explain to the Freshmen the difier- ence between lights out and light cuts. In the mornings the Freshmen took placement tests, and at night they were entertained by the I.R.S. and the A. A. Dean Hcidbredcr and Dr. Gramley talked informally to them, and Winkle attempted to explain Salem ' s honor system. In between, the Freshmen were trying to fit their brand new wardrobes into the closets in Clewell, and running down town to buy bedspreads and ciu ' - tains. Advisors supplied handy infor- mation — such as Bright ' s ability at ironing evening dresses, where to send kid gloves to be cleaned, and how to stretch two overnights and five cuts into se -cral nice week-ends. Then registration began, and the Freshmen had to learn more new names and faces as the rest of the students re- . you gel the word from Todd . . . and Ike Home Moravwn ' urch on Sunday . . . and of eourse il rains . . . and then, I when things are comme, along fine, classes start . . . turned to campus. Those pesky little blanks had to be filled out in triplicate, keys had to be bought and faculty advisors had to be consulted. On the first Sunday wc went to the Moravian Church together — the Sen- iors in their robes and the underclass- men in their new fall outfits. And on Tuesday we had opening assembly with the faculty lined up in their aca- demic regalia. It was an impressive ceremony to the Freshmen, and to the old students it was a repeat performance. Standing at the Portals sounded a little diflerent to the Seniors. There was an understanding and an exchange of glances between the caps and gowns on the stage and those in the first rows, which could come only from three years of teaching and learning together. VVe appeared on time for our first classes at tvveK ' c o ' clock --for once with the right notebooks and a pen that wasn ' t out of ink. VVe took notes steadily for an hour and filled out book order blanks. Even the syllabus that read two term papers before Thanks- giving, direct one panel discussion and read one-himdred pages of parallel each week didn ' t look too bad. We had plenty of time . . . our textbooks hadn ' t arrived . . . 1951 was just be- ginning. 11

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Christianity, which he thinks should have a large place in the education of a college girl. He sees a definite need in modern life for people who can judge with mercy, who have deeper under- standing and less prejudice. The best kind of education, he believes, heightens faith in God and creates broad spiritual aflfirmation. Not a soberside. Dr. Gramley be- lieves that work and fun loom large in college acti itics. A one-time college journalist and football player, he might still play a pretty good tackle. He looks pretty good down on the athletic field with his four sons. And, if you want to shift the line-up, he looks pretty good in another position. As president of Salem Gollege, he ' s good enough to make the first string— because here ' s a man who is the product of those quali- ties he wants his students to possess. 13