University of Massachusetts Amherst - Index Yearbook (Amherst, MA)

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We also paid tribute not only to our administrators, but to our outstanding students. These anticipation at the Second Annual All-University Honors Convocation ended amidst screeches of surprise and delight at the tapping ceremonies for the new members of the campus honorary so- cieties (Sophomore Scrolls and Maroon Key, Senior Adelphia and Mortarboard). Extra-curricular activity awards were made and plans for a new honorary society which would be composed of stu- dents who have been outstandingly active in campus affairs were announced. Another important part of the program was the presentation of eight scholarships and the formal citation of university seniors who had been chosen for Who ' s Who in American Colleges and Universities. The senior women clothed in caps and gowns then solemnly filed to the College Pond to float symbolic candles to women of the junior class who waited on the opposite shore. Complete with cheerleaders, pep band and the Statesmen, the selection of Senior Athletic of the Year was announced at the First Annual Sports Convocation. Chosen by the coaches and local sportswriters, the top senior athlete, Joe Faucette, was the recipient of the Samuel S. Grossman Trophy, established last spring in honor of the man who re-organized the Varsity M Club. The trophy will be given annually to the senior who achieves letters in at least two varsity sports and maintains an above-average scholastic record. Other trophies and awards were given to the top athletes in winter and spring sports. Still more sports headlines were made in May when the Uni- versity tennis team captured the 1955 Yankee Conference Championship. Co-eds shed their winter ski suits, mittens and scarves to don Bermuda shorts and chino pants. Summer had come to campus. The trees were clothed in green and new grass pushed its way through the brown earth. Professors and students alike left confining classroom buildings to gather knowledge under the flawless ceiling of blue. On the libe lawn and the shores of the College Pond they sat, discussing Plato and Freud, or Einstein ' s Theory of Relativity, absorbing as much Vitamin D as knowledge during those May classes. and there you are!

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' When the tide rushes in ... Again strains of laughter echoed, this time as we viewed and voted for contestants in the Ugly Man Contest. Curiously enough, the proceeds from voting in this newly established event were sent to the Save the Children Federation. The varied activities of Greek Week were a fitting climax to a very eventful month. Pi Beta Phi and Delta Sigma Chi won academic laurels by achieving the highest scholastic averages for sororities and fraternities respectively. On Sunday afternoon of that week the peaceful, sun- bathed lawn of Memorial Hall was crowded with people listening to the first outdoor Interfraternity Sing. Delta Sigma Chi won first prize in this competition. In the Intersorority Sing and Declama- tion, Pi Beta Phi again swept first place honors. The Greek Ball held in Northampton was high- lighted when nationally known bandleader Sammy Kaye crowned lovely Jane Catron, Queen of the Ball. I And so, in a whirl of excitement and activities, April blended into May and the hopes and plans which had been dreams became realities as they came to pass. 1 or us at the University, May was a memorable month becuase its events were decisive in making 1955-1956 the year of policy building and revision. At a meeting of the Board of Trustees in Boston, two key administrative positions which had been vacant were filled by the appointment of a new Provost and a new Dean of Arts and Sciences. To fill the vacancy created when Jean Paul Mather was promoted from Provost to President last year, the Board chose Shannon McCune, up till then, chairman of the Department of Geography at Colgate University. An on-campus ap- pointment to the post of Dean of Arts and Sciences, Fred V. Cahill, Jr., professor in our Depart- ment of Government, tackled his new job immediately while Mr. McCune would not assume the duties of his new position until September, 1955. These two men would now be key persons in formulating policies and in determining the destiny of our institution. To them we faithfully entrusted the planning of our future.

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And everyone on the campus waited. Each morning as ten o ' clock drew near, a hush fell over the University from the Engineering Annex to the Math Building and from the dormitories to the fraternity and sorority houses. All minds were sharing a common thought .. Axe the Bells going to ring today? One sunny morning the Bells of Old Chapel chimed loud and clear, an- nouncing the arrival of Spring Day, a day of Fun, Sun, Cheer and Beer. The first All-University Picnic found 2500 students migrating from classes to an event- packed program at the pond. We will always have vivid memories of the greased-pole climb, wheel- barrow races, log-rolling contests and the battle of the jazz bands. The highlight of the entire day came immediately after the picnic lunch as the horn of the Blaskomobile heralded the re- appearance of Mettawampe. This bronze Indian statue, the symbol of the University, had been missing from campus since 1951, and was welcomed home with a deafening roar from the crowd. Riding on horses behind Mettawampe, dressed in authentic Indian garb, were two other symbols of our school. Dean Robert S. Hiawatha Hopkins and his companion. Dean Helen Pocahontas Curtis. Suddenly the afternoons at Lake Wyola and Green Pond came to an end. There were no more bridge games, no more mornings spent basking in the sun. Now there were only books, notes and more notes. Finals had come. J. une finals mark the termination of an academic year, and the graduation and maturation of another college generation. For the seniors, four years of studies, friendships and good times would soon be only fond memories. There were those making wedding plans and those frantically searching for employment. Others who were going to continue their education were applying to Graduate Schools; and of course many a senior would have the next few years taken care of by Uncle Sam. Although they were all individuals, all to follow separate paths after graduation, during Senior Week they were one, as togethei they shared in the whirl of activities. Senior Week began with the Senior Banquet, which took place at Liberty Legion Hall in Springfield, with President Mather and Senior President, Ro Reagan, as speakers, while the traditional Soph-Senior Hop was held at the Hadley Legion Hall, where the dance music of Syd Ross orchestra proved a fitting background for a wonderful evening. Alumni Day was brim-full of activities. Registration of alumni began in the morning, and a chicken barbecue was served at the pond, followed by a thrill-packed baseball game with Amherst College. Reunioning classes held banquets in the Amherst vicinity, and the Roister Doister per- formance of My Three Angels was again enthusiastically received.