Union College - Golden Cords Yearbook (Lincoln, NE)

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Bollege of the Golden Cords- A clue, perhaps, to your secret-the Colden Cords. Yes, to truly grasp the genius of Union College, to find the one thing that makes it most unique, we must understand a sixty-one-year old tradition at Union College, 21 tra- dition Which had its beginning in the minds and hearts of those who formed your arms of knowledge, the tradition of your Golden Cords. The story of the Golden Cords is un exciting story. It involves real peo- ple. their love and their dedication to serve. fflontinued on page 8D I w xg .L 4 k I4 C UNION COLLEGE rmw,.ymaua.2w ' 2 - , fi' r , Q 5 nag K dw ,lx spun 3 , ,M -Spf, . 3 'www wut? arsmguzi-is 2 A 2 :LL 2 A STTQQS4' L CZ1.. 51555 54,171 E fi ' ' W - . , 11. 1 . 'Q , 'C - , , E 4.-:,: fr , 1 en , lr , K 1, f 'fs 1 . 2' .A ... , ' i if 'MSE ffwg, -5. ' an 'i L .,2f2'wZ5Lf ' ,gfrjmpfff-.if .Q lf 'H' 55 e ff: f 1 2 s , Rx!! 'A 1 ' l 1 . or ' f l in ,, ,sq 4 ' fa' M U T 'ef ' f -.vb ' cocoon QINL 5 Q, , ' Ass. ,, ' - , Y f -sf'-, A 4 , 15 , f wwffw K Q, ' l it 'Q if , N ' ' , . Q gf- Q 1 f t , Q: 4 4 .5 Q fl ' , 5 -an .ww -N 4 7-4 ' A . Q 1 gi 1 1 lg A 'U 1 X Q l ' X ' f 1- ' o , A 72 :Sys-.4 'nf' x -N ef-LY- k -. . . , s.,f-Ha, . . .V , k g , ec . 1 , W , X ,Y .JL-K5 ,, 1 -. .NX xx ' 1 ..,,,g Xl, , AV ,Q ,V , ,,, V, A V, E 4 , 4 rjwgwf .. 5 A7 -it -- 2-5 ' , fl bg . - ,gow if , - -, f Q- ff' is - si ., -H M - ffff. V g . f 2 e , ,-, -if r -- '-2: fsffi 5 ff 9 4 r f--'Q :fr f t I 3 , 1 e it ' ' '- ' t v 3 ,gr 5 X tg. K' 2 t ' 2 x-U: 172 -Vi A -5, ' , 'fr Y ' , 2 2, t 15,5132 -WST! . ? ' 7 23' I. 'i , '21 1 , if f 7 5 f: f 'jf I g ,Q - 'x ' .V Q14 'fs f Q 2 3. 3 - 277, .5 N- ' 2 ' ,V fix-, sf? , ' K fer, 4 - - f V: 5- rf.-51, , -, y 1 if 1 f 'yr f. ' ,fo K. '33 1 , W, ,, '21, ,A fug- 1 V gg v of 1 34 '- , if .gg ' vi U 5 - 7

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Y T0 SHOW ADDDOVED

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The Story of the Golden Cords- It began as an intangible goal in the minds of the Union College founders 75 years ago in 1891. The Northern, Central, and Southwestern Union Con- ferences of the Seventh-day Adventist Church felt a need for a school within their area in which their youth could be trained for service. Its purpose was set forth in the Articles of Incorpora- tion as follows: The general purpose and object for which this incorporation is form- ed is to promote the principles of true higher education, and to pro- vide proper facilities for the har- monious development of the intel- let-tual, moral and physical powers of mankind. More particularly, its purposes and objects are to establish and maintain an institution of learn- ing where thorough and systematic instruction shall be given in the arts and sciences . . . also where special opportunity shall be afforded men and women to become acquainted with the mission fields of the world, and to be educated and trained in such branches and methods as will best fit them for successful work in the same. It began with an ideal termed Serv- ice, service in the mission field. In 1906, fifteen years later, a tradition that epitomized this concem for serv- ice was born. Professor M. E. Kem suggested to 1. P. Anderson, class president, that a gift be given to the school that indicat- cd the place of labor of the various overseas workers who had attended Union. Miss Mertie Wheeler, registrar and secretary to President C. C. Lewis, helped the class make the first map and strings. Miss Wheeler, still a Col- lege View resident who still retains avid interest in Union and the Golden Cords, was responsible for the choos- ing of the golden color of the cords. Go across the street and get some cords for this mapf' she told an assist- ant. What color should I get? inquired the student? After a moment's hesitation, Miss Wheeler answered fi r m l y, Get a golden color. The final product of their labors was a large missionary map of the world with golden cords running from a point, which represented Unionis location, to the different countries where teachers and alumni had gone to serve. Emil Rosenwald presented the map to President Lewis. Before the next school year had begun I. P. Anderson was serving in China and Rosenwald was on his way to Sweden as a mis- sionary. As pages were added to pages in the story of the Golden Cords, the in- crease in cords caused the map and stringsv to sag. Peter I. Rennings, an art professor, painted two large hem- ispheres over each double door of the old chapel in the administration build- ing. Over the west door were painted figures of Africans and Asiatics. Over the east door were placed figures from Central and South America, each in their respective hemisphere. The cords were attached to a picture of the door- way of the Union 'College administra- tion building between the two hemis- pheres and ran out to the appropriate spots indicating the area of the world where the Union alumni were serving. During the administration of Pres- ident Harvey A. Morrison, the idea of hanging a framed picture of the ad- ministration building over the rostrum of the old chapel was initiated. And with it the idea of attaching the home end of the cords to a ring just below the picture. Then, when the rostrum was moved with the changing of time, the framed picture was moved and smaller hemispheres without pictures we r e mounted in octagonal frames over the rostrum of the old chapel. Up until the 1986 General Conference session it remained in this position. At the time of the General Conference it was touched up by the placing of a colored transparency of the college in the frame with a light behind it for display in the collegeis booth. At the hanging of the Golden Cords in 1936 President M. L. Andreasen said, For a long time I have been thinking that Union should adopt the slogan, 'The College of the Golden Cords,' and that a piece of cord should be sent out to every missionary who has gone to a foreign field. With this should be sent the college seal or some such token together with a few words expressing the fact that we here are praying for their success and safety. Our field is not merely around the college, but it reaches out over the worldf' l Andreasen revived another Morri- son administration slogan, U 11 i 0 n Never F orgets Her Ownf, An interpretative painting of the Clock Tower, another Union College tradition, replaced the old picture of the administration building in 1949. Carl Watts, then physical education teacher, devised a winch so that a student standing in the wing of the gymnasium stage could lower the whole device and the cords could be hung by the students standing on the floor. This replaced the climbing of ladders to hang the Golden Cords. It soon became traditional for the senior and junior class presidents and vice-presidents to hang the cords as the president of the college read the names and their respective fields of labor. Along with this, those hanging the Golden Cords wore the school col- ors of black dress clothes with a red carnation. The la r g e s t number of Golden Cords hung at one time was 46 in 1947. The Hanging of the Golden Cords has been held at varying time, includ- ing the beginning of the school year and when alumni would come through Lincoln for a last farewell before leav- ing for the mission field. Once the Missionary Volunteer Society t ook charge of this solemn program during the Andreasen administration. According to Dr. Everett Dick, Un- ion College historian, some years in- dividual cords were not hung, but one cord sufficed for a couplef, Having the ceremony in conjunc- tion with the annual Alumni Home- coming Weekend, last of April-first of May, was started in 1940. Union College is the College of the Golden Cords, a college dedicated to inspire her students to Service, a life of service in a mission field. Many mis- sionaries have left the arms of Union College to serve in foreign countries- 906 to be exact. But every student who leaves the arms of Union College leaves as a missionary to that plot of earthis life in which he holds influ- ence' CContinued on page 111