Westminster College - Blue Jay Yearbook (Fulton, MO)

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JOHN R. WESTBROOK A.B., Westminster College, A.M., Missouri University. Assistant Professor of Eng- lish. A Week in a Lifelinle Ah, yes, gentle reader, this is the 1931 B L U E J A Y which you are reading. And after your first hasty g l a n c e through the annual to find your pictures, it may be that you are now settling down to read the book from be- ginning to end. Yes, you experience a little anxiety, too-just like the freshman on his first view of college, you feel that this thing may not come up to your expectations. This book, as you can see, has been arranged like the pro- gram of events which unfolded itself before the eyes of the freshman during the course of the year, and we hope that you will enjoy this-our BLUE JAY. With this little apology made, begin reading in the story which unfolds itself in a panoramic view of the college life lived on our campus in 1930-31: lt is September 8, 1930, and some of the old men are back, and 130 selected freshmen fthe cream of the cropj are among them, and so begins the eightieth year. There is a great deal of hurrying and bustling about the campus and the town on the part of the new men, for they must arrange for their sleeping quarters before the evening comes on. A number of them have rooms reserved at Reunion Hall-and the ,others must find locations out in town. However, by seven o'clock all the first rush and worry seems to have subsided, so at seven-thirty all the freshmen assemble at Swope Chapel to hear the President's welcoming address. This ordeal over they are permitted to retire to Washing- ton West Mansion for the faculty reception, given in their honor. The few cynics in the group make the best of this opportunity, believ- ing that it is the only thing the faculty will ever give them. Here the writer feels the urge to philosophize by saying that at the end of the year those men will either have flunked out or dropped their childish cynicism. Thus is the first day spent. But the next morning at nine o'clock all are again back at the chapel and this time to hear the most stirring lecture on the ideals of the college. After severalrnonths in college these 12 oul of 130 IT 7 1 T' Ritter, Yates, Roe, Arbuth t W l Durham, Clark, Linebeck,n.S?11iithi7ETg01?rZ4f011E5Ijl1lZlHZg eight

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men wonder why they had to be subjected to that talk instead of the upperclassmen, who really need it. But now they sit up straight and l i s t e n, popeyed a n d wondering, b e l i e vi-ng-and quite truly--that they can never be like the ideal Westminster man painted by the speaker. But, thank goodness, that address lasts only an hour, and then all the ideals are quickly forgotten as they are herded into the English placement tests, where the little dears are asked the meaning of such awful words as hallucination, radioactive, and megathamolopod, and are then told to punctuate sentences and write a short story. It is too cruel, really gentle reader, but it must be gone through with because it is a tradition. As the youths stagger out of the room they find a sign-if they are observant-on the bul- letin board urging all athletically inclined men EMMETT R. STUBER B.S., University of Missouri. . Coach of Football and Track. to report to the football field that afternoon for foot- ball practice. And so that afternoon at two about sixty of the selected one hundred thirty are found down on the field mauling and pummeling each other in brave but futile attempts to emulate the old m e n w h o a r e back. By three- thirty all the available pieces of clothing have been used and Coach Stuber, who has aged twenty years in the last hour and a half, yells for everybody to line up, and then the fun begins, for nobody is in training. They do push-ups, knee bends, zigzag running, kicking, passing, charging, and then a lap around the field. That night twenty of the sixty quit foot- ball and wonder how anyone can enjoy playing in such a brutal sport. The next morning they are all back again in the chapel, this time to hear the Dean's address. Fosrm N. WILEY Creighton, Mo. Dorm Club, Skulls of Sev- en, Football, 2, 3, Captain, 4, All-State End, 4, Track, 3, 4, W Club. , Top Row-Abell, Patton, Thomas, Bloom, Reeves Second Row-Clark, Morrow, Smith, Holman, C. Porchey, Leech, Yates Third Row-Barber, Crews, Cox, Tolliver, Corder, Rodenbaugh, Farrell Fourth Row-Fisher, McClanahan, Books, McClarol, Warden, V. Porcrhey, Blanton. Wiley,Bell nine