Worcester Polytechnic Institute - Peddler Yearbook (Worcester, MA)

Page 24 text:

Water fights were common occurrences in the civilian dorm. Here Charlie Schmit walked into the middle of a wet scene. On December 15, all enlistments in V-l and V-7 were closed. The distinction between “Navy man” and “civilian” now became more and more apparent. Through the late fall weeks, upperclassmen came to the dorm to eat with the Freshmen. Fraternities weren’t discussed, but everyone knew what they wanted. Rushing had begun. Just before Christmas, 131 Freshmen were pledged to Tech’s nine fraternities. Most of the men began to look hopefully toward the day when they would be living in their Houses . . . but for many, that day was never to come. Christmas vacation, and back to the books again. Classes had been in progress but a few weeks when the fruit of the brown question¬ naires filled out so quietly that fall began to appear in earnest. The Greetings flew like the whirling snow outside, and almost every day another Freshman with his suit- they call V-l”. Draft folders were quietly filled out . . . the handwrit¬ ing was on the wall. Later in the fall came the Tech Carnival. After weeks of labor a script appeared. A cast was formed under the direction of John Hawley, and the Freshman Skit, “Polly Was a Lady”, hit the stage. On the night the play was to be presented, Bob Scott, the Sopho¬ more Class President, was called to the telephone in Sanford Riley. He entered the booth and was quickly whisked away to the fourth floor. He later appeared in the play climbing out of a large trunk. The general theme of the play was about a co-ed Tech. Metzger, Lawton, Slaughter—Paddle Rush, 1942

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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”

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’46 Won. cases neatly packed, his tennis racket, books, and radio stacked by the big clock in Sanford—waited uneasily for the car which was to take him—perhaps forever—from the Institute. The snowfall was heavy that winter, and eventually a thick crust covered the snow. The big winter sport for those who remained con¬ sisted of removing the metal trays from Daddy Locke’s mess hall, and, under the light of a cold moon, climbing with them to the hill on the side of the football field. Using the tray for a seat, the ’46ers would swish and swirl down the hill, across the field, and bounce off the fence on the other side. The Class teams came through that winter with wins in basketball The Commons and Mess night “Dorm Dances”. and swimming, while 42 Freshmen attained honors at mid-year. The Frosh-Soph rivalry ended with the ’46ers winning the always dis¬ appearing Goat’s Head. The draft boards took a terrible toll during the winter months. When Spring appeared again, only 148 Fresh¬ men remained. Meanwhile, Tech was selected as a possible training center by the Navy Department. A wise man once said: “To live a full life, a person should be able to play a musical instrument and speak one language other than his own.’’ The wise man left out one condition: “. . . and live at least six months in the Freshman Dorm.” Although as civilians, no restric¬ tions were placed on coming or going from the dorm, the Freshmen seldom left the dorm at night, for there was so much going on there that it was more entertaining to stay in. The dorm always was an interesting place, but never was it so interesting as during its last few months in civilian hands. Water bags were always stand¬ ard equipment. Some characters bought bags wholesale from sta- Hall were the scene of many regu lar Saturday