University of the South - Cap and Gown Yearbook (Sewanee, TN)

Page 15 text:

the meaning of ' ' Our feeling for Sewanee is no less ardent, however. We, too, have been touched by that irresistible, magnetic genius of the Mountain, and we have re- sponded in our own way. The ' never- failing succession ' seems rather commer- cial from our increasingly critical religious viewpoint, but there ' s not one among us who isn ' t daily thankful for the benefits of this succession, such as the new Library and the better dormitory facilities. We bitch about the Administration, but usu- ally over very minor points. The only serious bone of contention is required chapel, but I understand that ' s nothing new. We don ' t play Vandy anymore, but W L is going to have their hands full both on the field and in the stands come- next Homecoming. And we still love our matrons and our dogs! ' ' Most of your old professors have gone, but kindred spirits have taken their places. Our faculty probably publishes more than previous ones, but the primary emphasis is still on teaching.I ' m also happy to say that the intimate flavor of faculty-student relations which prevailed in your dav pre- vails in ours. The devotion to the liberal arts is stronger than ever, and today we are in excellent company when we ex- pound Sewanee ' s philosophy of education. Though the Sewanee Man by nature shuns statistics, surveys, and polls, it is comforting to note the rank given Sewanee by these pragmatic perversions of pure mathematics. We may still have to prove that the best space scientists majored in Greek, but that part of our great academic struggle is of small consequence. All this sounds very much like the Sewanee of my day. he replied. But there ' s only one thing bothering me. and that ' s this expansion program. It seems to me they ' re moving too fast: I ' m afraid some of the essence of Sewanee will be lost in the transition. II

Page 14 text:

all) to learn

Page 16 text:

My response was almost immediate. It doesn ' t seem likely that anything essential which has been preserved over the thirty years which separates our respective Sewanee experiences, in spite of an in- crease from 150 to 800 students, is going to be lost in the next ten years with an influx of only 400 more. And we are not in a period of transition. The word im- plies a change from one situation to an- other, from Sewanee to a ' New Sewanee ' . This just isn ' t going to happen. What we ' re going through right now is a period of fulfillment. The best word to describe the process involved in this fulfillment is not transition, but escalation. For the first time in her history Sewanee has the means at hand to fulfill her destiny, which she must do if she is to remain true to the trust of the Founders. This demands in part paying heed to Cardinal Newman ' s charge for a university to be ' an Alma Mater, knowing her children one by one: not a foundry, a mint, or a treadmill. ' I am confident in Sewanee ' s ability to ab- sorb more children and still to know them ' one by one. ' In short, sir, 1965 was an exciting time to be at Sewanee. Things were happening and happening fast. All around us we could see the Founders ' dreams taking on flesh and stone. Nineteen sixty-five was indeed a year of fulfillment. Remember that genius of Sewanee we mentioned earlier? he asked. Yes, sir. What do you suppose it is? Well, Hegel would probably have called it a geist. Dr. Guerry characterized it as a ' vision of greatness. ' In my opinion, he said quietly, it is nothing less than the Holy Spirit. Alma Mater, Sewanee.