Virginia Commonwealth University - Cobblestone Wigwam Yearbook (Richmond, VA)

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gardens in Richmond. We shall remember the old Southern homes standing as they did in the days of the Confederacy, dignified, stately and rich in southern lore. We ' ll remember the evenings when we hurried from dorm to dorm, from building to building when the air was filled with needles, when the stars hung so low over Shafer Street that you thought you might have hit one with a stone, and the muffled growl of Franklin Street traffic creeping through the first snow. We ' ll remember Byrd Park on autumn after- noons with the swans circling slowly and the smell of burning leaves in the air. These things we shall remember along with the history, the literature, the music, the art, the science, and humor. It has been an opportunity. And though we may not have always made the most of that opportunity, we leave RPI with the profound belief that ours has been a richer life for coming. We go our ways believing that we are better equipped to face the complexities of life. We believe that we have accjuired .some knowledge of the techniques of living. And for all those things we say, thanks RPI.

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Prologue To have been a part of a college in the days of its youth is indeed a gratifying and a novel experience. For in this age when so many educational institutions are measured to a large degree in terms of history and tradition, it is nice to know that perhaps we have been instru- mental in the forming of the tradition of RPI. We who have attended the Richmond Professional Institute have learned, among other things, that the thirst for knowledge can be quenched as satisfactorily in a makeshift classroom as it can in a colossal lecture hall. We have discovered that the quest for an education need not meander around a spacious campus beside ivy-covered walls nor along sorority lane and fraternity row. We have, in fact, discovered that the physical tools are secondary. We have found that the student must first of all have the desire. From the desire comes willingness, and from that is sure to come the mental compatibility of student and instructor. Those are the things that count. And those things we have found at RPI. As we take our leave from this institute of learning, it is encouraging to see new buildings taking shape, new mortar being mixed, and plumb lines being stretched. It gives us a prelude glance into the future of the school. And we believe that we can see RPI fifty years hence; larger, more widely known and recognized, and still growing — still meeting the need of the hour. Of course we shall remember it as the RPI we knew, with Monroe Park for our campus and classes meeting beneath its trees in May. We shall remember the long yellow fingers of the April sun reaching between the leaves of a magnolia tree and stroking a co-ed ' s hair as she sat studying beside the Administration building. We shall remember spring and the

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' Dedication Rounding out her 26th year of work here at RPI, Mrs. Virgie Chalkley is retiring as Hostess of Founders Hall. The ever popular house mother has long been a favorite with students and faculty alike. Always devoted to her work, Mrs. Ch.m.ki.ev ne ' cr forgot her girls — she always put them first. Her gentle nature produced a steadying influence at Founders, as it did around the campus. Her willingness to help won for her the respect and admiration of all who came to know her. Somewhere in the book of trite sayings could be found an appropriate adage to quote here. Yet there is little left to be said, for her long years of loyalty to RPI and its students speak for themselves. Her absence will leave a void not easily filled. So it is with deep respect that we, the staff of the Wigwam, dedicate this annual to Mrs. Virgie Ch.alklev.