University of Rhode Island - Renaissance / Grist Yearbook (Kingston, RI)

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Sunset of Our Day The events which comprised Senior Week were telescoped into a few crowd- ed days in this wartime commencement. However, none of the special gradua- tion spirit of mingled joy and sadness was lost. Jeanne Freeman and Joe Daly, as semester directors, were general chair- men of the Senior activities. The plans arranged by them and their commit- tees are as follows: August 25 Senior Movie Party at the Community Theatre. Joe Daly acted as “daddy” to the twenty-eight class members and Miss Reilly. “Father” paid for the bus and theatre tickets, and for sundaes afterward. The pic- ture we saw was “Mr. Skeffington.” September 21, Senior Picnic at Thirty Acres. The committee, Barbara Martin, Janet Joyce, Ruth Atkinson and Ann Hopkins provided a delicious meal, con- sisting of hot dogs, hamburgers, cole- slaw, potato salad, fresh peaches, cake, coffee, and cocoa. Miss Emma Kimball, cafeteria dietitian, assisted the commit- tee. Swimming and games were a part of the program. September 22, Senior Banquet at Lippitt Hall. It has become a tradition for the Senior Banquet to be given by the faculty. Mr. Charles Hall alumni secretary, had charge of the arrange- ments. September 23, Class Day under the Elms. The other semester director, Jeanne Freeman, had charge of this program. She was assisted by Miss Mary A. Reilly, Miss Frieda Kemos, and Dr. Lee C. Wilson. The class day program is as follows: Procession from Edwards Hall to the Elms. Invocation by Rev. Mr. Ernest Allen. Welcome by Joseph Daly, Class Di- rector. Presentation of Gift to Class Adviser, Elsie Martin. Acceptance of Gift, Dr. Mary A. Reillv Presentation of Class Gift to the Col- lege, Jeanne Freeman, Class Director. Acceptance of Class Gift, President Carl R. Woodward. Class Day Oration, “Our Responsi- bilities as Alumni,” Edgar Barwood. Class Prophecy, Barbara Martin and Ruth Wyatt. Class Will, Dorothea Dahlquist and Elizabeth Whitaker. Farewell, Irene Vock. Procession from the Elms to Green Hall for the Planting of the Ivy. Ivy Speaker, Barbara Drummond. Ivy Planters, Norma Bugbce and Louise Anthony. Song of the Class of 1945. Benediction, Rev. Mr. Francis Wyatt. September 23, Commencement Ball in Lippitt Hall. In accordance with State tradition, this dance was given by the Junior class. Marcia Cady and Shirley Lalime, as representatives for the fifth and sixth semesters, were co- chairmen of the dance. Tommy Falle’s orchestra supplied the music for this dance, to which everyone was invited. September 24, Senior Breakfast at Lippitt Hall. Florence Wynne, Lucie Meola, and Elizabeth Whitaker direct- ed the arrangements for the breakfast. September 24, Commencement Exer- c ' ses in Edwards Auditorium. The Commencement program was under the direction of the faculty. 4 23 ►-

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The GRISTETTE January saw five of our class tapped for Sachems, and, indicative of condi- tions on campus, these five were all girls . . . Lou Anthony, Dee Dahlquist, Jeanne Freeman, Margie Harrington and Betty Thresher. In February the ASTP’s left us, and no longer did the windows of Davis and Roosevelt blaze with lights. They were ghost places . . . and the absence of marching feet, khaki, and “Hup, two, three, four” made the campus a dismal place. Scarcely had they gone when the first accelerators of the Class of Forty-five donned their caps and gowns for assem- blies. Thirty-nine of them . . . backed by us . . . and yet it was sad that our class should be divided in that way . . . As those thirty-nine graduated, we be- came “the seniors” of the school. In this year we should have been complet- ing our Junior year . . . and yet in one more semester we, too, would be gone. That June saw the entrance of a large group of freshman boys who were de- stined to put into that one semester the spirit and enthusiasm we had been trying not to lose. An association, Tau Sigma, was formed that summer to re- place the fraternity life which had been discontinued for the duration of the war. The freshman boys went through a Hell Week for Tau Sigma . . . and that Hell Week gave a certain warmth and a sense of happiness to the whole campus ... it reminded us of our won- derful freshman year. Two class representatives, Jeanne Freeman and Joseph Daly, were elected from our class to serve on the Student Board. That semester, too, Elsie Mar- tin was elected President of W. S. G. A., this setting somewhat of a precedent. Betty Whitaker had served as that of- ficer the preceding semester, so that, as in no time before, we had two stu- dents from the same semester holding the same office. Another tradition w’as broken when Jeanne Freeman was elect- ed Moderator of Sachems, an office al- ways before held by a male student. Four of our members, Marian Aldred, Norma Bugbee, Ann Hopkins, and Yvonne Hunter Yare, received the high- est award of honors, in July: that of being elected to Phi Kappa Phi. In Au- gust the Sophomores showed their de- sire to bring back some of the pleasures of normal times by holding a success- ful Soph Hop. That same month we had our Cap and Gown Day . . . only a few more in number than the class which had just preceded us. We walked down the aisles of Edwards . . . and we could see those seniors who had done just that when we were freshmen ... we could see the service flag ... and we thought of our own song again . . . “The cry resounds when we’re around, Let every freshman now proclaim, ' The Class of Forty Five is marching Toward its goal and aim ’ Five short weeks and we were there ... in the midst of our Senior week- end . . . with its Class Day and Com- mencement Ball . . . and finally its Grad- uation . . . the Class of Forty-five . . . one section already graduated . . . two more sections yet to graduate in the following February and May. We tossed our tassels to the left and sang our Alma Mater as minute-old alumni . . . and as we did our minds had many thoughts ... the war . . . the future . . . those boys, our boys, who we had dreamed just three years ago would still be with us, and who were now represented by gold stars and blue stars on the flag to our right. Once away from our Rhody we shall begin to remember many things . . . the campus under a blanket of snow . . . the Elmer’s tune of our freshman year . . . the sound of the train going through ... the glistening of a full moon on Quinn’s roof ... the bell . . . bon-fire rallies and the “Fight song” ... the green of the campus in springtime . . . From these we shall never escape. . . . To honor State and Land and College, Our hearts and minds will ever strive, W e are the best at Rhody, .... IF e re the Class of Nineteen Forty Five. -4 22

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In Sooth We Prophesy September 1, 1954 Kingston, R. I. Barbara Martin The Bronx Dear Barbara: As you know I am director of the Union here at Rhode Island State Col- lege. Things are progressing, but then you must have heard about all the im- p; ovements on campus, such as the new Union which is situated down on the old football field with plenty of terrace space. Wilton lives here with me, of course, and travels back and forth to the tarm every day. My seven little Sunns are all well. The location of the Union is nice ex- cept that, until the new field is complet- ed, the boys still must practice here, and it is quite annoying to have to duck the footballs which fly through the windows. I am writing to you now r to see if you will be able to come to the big reunion of the Class of September, 1944, that we are planning to hold at The Union. I do hope you will be able to come, for from the returns we have already re- ceived, all of the class expects to come. I have heard from Joe Daly who has recently developed a new Greek classi- fication for all living or dead things, plant or animal. He is coming with his wife, Marion Aldred Daly, who assists him in his work when not taking care of their four children. I saw the whole family at their home in Chicago last month while I was attending a Home- Aero Economics Convention. The chil- dren are four lovely boys. Speaking of Home-Aero Economics, that is one of the newest courses here • t State. It is a combination of Home Economics and Aeronautics, and was established by Margery Harrington and Jeanne Freeman. Both are now on the faculty. If you can come to the reunion on September 23, 1954, at The Union on Meade Field, please write back imme- diately. I hope the production of your latest play won’t keep you so busy that you won’t be able to make it. But when you do write, how about telling me tho details of your latest dramatic effort? I read something about it in Irene Vock’s column in The London Times. She is considered to be the leading jour- nalist of the stage world, and I hear, gets a lot of her inside information through Dee Dahlquist who is now playing the feminine lead at one of the London theatres in “Moor or No Moor,” a modern adaptation of “Othello.” Write soon. Loyally yours in State, Skip Wyatt Sunn P. S. Well, what do you know? Just now the delivery boy came with The Union’s most popular drink, and guess who it was? None other than Kay Browning, who found a marvelous source of income when her cows began to give malted milk. September 6, 1954 The Bronx Skip W. Sunn Kingston, R. I. Skip, Darling: Can’t tell you how delighted I was to receive yours of the first! I sim- ply wouldn’t miss the gala affair at The Union. My forthcoming production, “How Brown Is My Suntan,” keeps me rather busy but I shall manage to fly down for the evening. Phi Delta’s gift to drama, Barbara Drummond, is the leading roller. Lynn Henry is still hold- ing down the ingenue. The play, a sophisticated comedy, shows Dr. Alice Reilly’s own touch in the author’s writ- ing, who is none other than our Eng- lish major, Margaret Maher. The play is adapted from Ethel Allen’s autobi- biography. It was last year’s best seller, and Ethel is still trying to get out of Narragansett, but just can’t tear herself from the surf. -■4 24