University of Arizona - Desert Yearbook (Tucson, AZ)

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The Desert What the Alps are to the Swiss, what the Palisades of the Hudson are to the New Yorkers, what the wooded hills are to the Tennesseeans, that is the Desert to the man of Arizona. Perhaps the desert does not mean much to everyone, but to those who can appreciate it, it has great significance. As one stands upon the mountain side and looks out across the vast stretches of sands, dotted here and there with the sahuaro, the cholla, the greasewood, and other desert plants, one can breathe in a peculiar spirit of challenge. There is in it a call from God to respond to the problems that confront man, and —to win! Again there arises from this wonderful expanse a spirit of “bigness.’' When one views this wonderful work of Nature, standing stalwart in its inde- pendence and defiance, all thoughts of creeds, of ancestry, and other props vanish and a man stands face to face with the world as a man, measured according to his true worth and his abilities. The desert is no respector of men. “The survival of the fittest’’ is its only creed. It is this spirit of the desert that permeates the lives of Arizona men and women, and great should be our thanks for such a stimulus. “Arizona’’ is not a University of snobs, snips, and other specimens.’’ Our men and women soon imbibe the spirit of the desert, stand firmly upon both feet, and face the world on their own merits. Those who cannot undergo the test, soon slip away to places where the environment is that of ease and luxury. When a student once gets the real spirit it is there to stay. Yes, it is a great factor in our education—The Arizona Desert.

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The Class of 1915 President, Herbert Aylworth Vice-President, Alice Lawson Secretary, Mabel Carter Treasurer, Esther Curry Modern History began in the University in 1911 and the most note-worthy event was the birth of the class of 1915. As a rule Freshmen are rather a timid and harmless set of individuals, but not so with this class. Tradition demanded that the hair of the Freshmen should triumphantly wave in the hands of the victorious Sophomores. So tradition did its part to the accompanying tune of green paint—but alas—soon well the humble Freshmen retaliated and the Sophomores appeared in barrels. In the organization of the Sophomore class many of our former comrades were missing but others came to take their places and to uphold the honor of 1915. The Freshmen outnumbered us three to one but they had their heads shaved just the same. It was in our Junior year that we made history—created it, and did it rapidly. We were the live wires of the University. The Junior play, “The Man from Home,” is still being discussed. Then came Junior Class Day. Little Junior, marked by a copper plate, will live that we may be remembered through the long years to come. The Junior Prom was the third annual event we started and hope to see continued and the 1914 Annual edited by the class of 1915 was a work of art. Our Senior year has been just as profitable but in a more serious way. We are planning for the future and therefore our seriousness and dignity. We leave the University with life before us. May the future be as successful as the past. The members of the class of 1915 have been found in all prominent school activities. In athletics many of our men wear the Arizona “A”. In society the queeners are there in abundance—and the queened—the Seniors have their share.