University of Wisconsin Whitewater - Minneiska Yearbook (Whitewater, WI)

Page 15 text:

Although the real homecoming at W. S. T. C. is being postponed until alleno, not quite allealumni can be present for a Vic- torious homecoming, the Fall Festival did serve as a war-time homecoming. The first event of its kind since the homecoming of 1941, many alumni returned to the scenes of their college days to renew as many old friendships as possible. A womenis hockey game in place of the usual gridiron classic drew much interest when the WOWS tangled With the Beloit hockey team. A victory for W. S. T. C. re- vived and carried on the tradition of a vic- torious homecoming game. Still another change in the college scene was the revived interest in dramatics, as amply proven by the workmanlike perform- ances turned in by the Thespians who pre- sented a three-act play as a prelude to the Fall Festival. No longer did the director have to scan the play lists for all-women casts as many of the men tried out for parts and brought them to life on the stage. Due to the energy and enthusiasm of the veterans, a revived athletic program made its appearance on the campus. After a year of quiet, the rafters of Hamilton Gym again rang with student cheers as the basketball season began with a quintet representing W. S. T. C. In the absence of a regular coach for college athletics, Mr. Fred Trewyn, head of the College High Athletic Depart- ment, assumed the responsibility of coaching the college team. A schedule of five home games and four games away kept the team on its mettle throughout the season. Though not a dlrect part of the college itself, yet such an intrinsic part of college life, the popular Goal Post, too, underwent changes. Genial Ben and Ev, Whose friendly greetings made the ttG. P31 a second home to many of the students at W. S. T. C., were missed by the entire student body when they left for the West. Another visible change was the alteration of the second story to pro- vide much-needed eating facilities. The re- moval of the dance fioor was missed by those Who would rather dance than eat, but the need for a co-op was met by Sadie J ones, who managed the mess hall in addition to assum- ing the management of the Goal Post. A flash-back over the year 1944-45 can be summed up in a few short wordsean up- ward trend. Though the years immediately after Pearl Harbor were years of change, this year, with victory in sight, though not yet won, the changes foretell a brighter fu- ture for W. S. T. C. WORLD WAR II VETERANS Top Row: Lotz, Chesnik, J ohnson; Boes, Schrimpf. Bottom Row: Fluaitt, Ryan, Susee, Fuller, Heyse.

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A glance at the college life barometer on the W. S. T. C. campus in 1944-45 shows a slight rise in all those aspects of daily living on the campus which make for a true ticollege life? For the past several years, our alma mater has been struggling against the decline and inertia in college affairs due to the more drastic needs of a nation at war. Faced with a sharp decrease in enrollment due to the departure of men to all branches of the serv- ice, as well as senior students who answered the need for teachers, the iiyoung ladiestt seminary, at Whitewater seemed an almost certain result. But, like the ups and downs on Dr. Lee,s production graphs, W. S. T. C. in the past year has begun its upward climb from its war-time slump. Already signs point to the revival of the traditions which are a part of the memories of every former W. S. T. C. student. Indicative of better times to come are the facts and figures of enrollment tabulated by the Registrars office. The freshman class is shown with superior numerical strength with 123 members. uWith an ever-increasing en- rollment in the freshman class, prospects for future enlarged classes are good. In addition to high school graduates who are interested in continuing their education is a small but growing number of veterans of W. S. T. , C. BEGINS UPWARD TREND World War II Who are continuing their edu- cation at the ttNormalW Aided by the gov- ernmentts program for the rehabilitation of honorably discharged servicemen, twenty veterans of the war enrolled in the fall of 1944. Second semester registration added still more names to the files of active stu- dents. The social season at W. S. T. C., beginning with Freshman Week, sponsored by the W. S. G, A. and ending with the usual hend- of-the-yeartt banquets of the various organi- zations, showed a definite improvement over previous years. Though knitting and writ- ing letters bearing A. P. 0. numbers were still No. 1 on co-ed51 lists of must dot, things, an occasional date did come to mean more than just a dessert fruit. Although most sorority and fraternity formals were still only pleasant memories or wishful dreams, the Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity did succeed in sponsoring a Spring Formal. But let it not be said that social life was lack- ing on the campus. A Phi Chi dance in the early autumn proved highly successful as did the Commercial Club dance in February. Stunt Night, a tradition which has man- aged to survive every year, again was the main topic of conversation as well as the cause of much enthusiasm and hard work.

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BILLY REIDER, well known to all W. S. T. C. students of the past and present is no longer chief engineer of the college. Billy, as he is popularly known by everyone, retired last summer at the age of eighty-two, after serving faithfully at the Normal School since August, 1898. Billyhs presence has been greatly missed this past school year, and he will remain vividly in the memory of faculty and students alike. 12