Worcester Polytechnic Institute - Peddler Yearbook (Worcester, MA)

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History of the Class of ’46 The hands of the clock pointed to 2:29. A buzz of anxious whispers rose through the autumn heat, then hushed. “Welcome, Gentlemen, to Worcester. On behalf of the fac¬ ulty and administration I wish you the best of luck and a pleasant journey through Tech. . . . Some of your instructors have asked that I give you the following informa¬ tion: For Thursday your assign¬ ment in Physics will be . . . Math . . .” The chubby, red-faced man concluded the welcoming speech. Freshmen advisers were assigned, and from the EE Lecture Hall poured forth the 209 members of the newly born Class of ’46. That was September 28, 1942. The days that followed were like a ride on a roller coaster . . . get books . . . schedules . . . settle room . . . meet here ... be there . . . and finally, classes. The highlight of the early classes was that first meeting with Dr. Masius. You either came out of his class on top of the world, or crawling beween the cracks in the floor, ready to “pack your bags and leave the Institute”. The Administration restrained to .a certain extent the hazing, fol¬ lowing the wild events of the pre¬ vious year. The dunkings in Insti¬ tute Pond were skipped, as were many of the night forays which made up the more illegitimate part of hazing in former years. How¬ ever, the noon-hour riots still were held; hair clipping and pants re¬ moving were distinctive occasions, marked in the interim by the pester¬ ing and general undressing of the new Freshmen. One October noon, however, the Freshmen, instead of straggling off to class in little groups easy prey for waiting Sophomores, all wait¬ ed inside Sanford Riley and came out all at once against the Sophs. Many were late for class that after¬ noon, and a number of pants lay on Boynton’s proud decks. Shreds of Sophomore clothing were hung in Sanford Riley, and hazing, as such, was discontinued for the season. One of the first steps of organi¬ zation within the Class of ’46 was the election of a Dormitory Com¬ mittee and a temporary Class President. “Footsie” Wotton was chosen for the latter position, while the committee was composed of Irv Versoy, Charlie Schmit, Carl Simon, and Joe Gwiazowski. One cloudy fall Saturday after- The Sophs just passed by

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Class of 1946 September 1942 t June 1945

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noon there occurred the first legal act of Freshman - Sophomore vio¬ lence: the Paddle Rush. During the short time which had elapsed between the opening of school and this event, it was impossible for all the new Freshmen to know all the others. It was suggested, there¬ fore, that a red cross be placed with lipstick on the forehead of each of the 100 Freshmen taking part. The Freshmen lined up on one side of the football field—the Sophs on the other. The battle be- October noon, 1942 Lawton, Secretary; Herb Slaugh¬ ter, Treasurer; and Frank Holby, Historian. Room 303, Sanford Riley Hall It might seem that all this time Tech life was proceeding without knowledge of the war; but it was not. After the night of October 1, when a joint Army - Navy - Marine board at an assembly in Alden, ex¬ plained their various programs, the Class became more and more conscious of an ominous shadow on the horizon. November 9 saw a large number of men sworn into the Naval Reserve in “that thing gan, but it was not until several minutes had passed that the Fresh¬ men realized that the Sophs, appar¬ ently knowing of the idea, had also put red crosses on their heads. The Sophomores won the event by a large margin. But the Rope Pull, which came later, was another story and it was the Sophomore Class which plopped through Institute Pond. After the Chem Lecture on the morning of 14 November, the Class had its first official meeting. The only business was the nomination of candidates for Class Officers. At the close of the elections Carl Simon had been elected President; Dick Olson, Vice-President; Dick Harackiewz (Henry), Loveridge and Hotchkiss in “Polly Was a Lady”