Worcester Polytechnic Institute - Peddler Yearbook (Worcester, MA)

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way. But replacements filled many of the gaps, so that as we at last lift our eyes and diplomas to the world at large, we see that 238 matriculants yielded, in our case, 197 graduates, for an apparent survivorship of about 82.8 percent. After the brief “Orientation Period’’, which was Oriental indeed to most of us, we Fifty-ites found ourselves active in the business of being Fresh¬ men. Very soon we were able to demonstrate our ingenuity by producing a stellar show for the Tech Carnival. Ably led by Phil Stanier and Rollie Bedard, a large cast did a takeoff on the Henry Morgan radio program to score an easy victory over the uninspired Sophs. The rope pull ended in a draw—indeed, the rope seemed never to have felt real draw before; it broke three times before everyone’s patience followed suit. In the ensuing melee our classmate from Athens was noticed gaily striding toward Institute Pond with a hapless, helpless Sophomore under each arm. Class elections that year placed in office jack Brierly as President; Walt Keyl, Vice-President; Tom Stack, Secretary; Dud DeCarli, Treasurer; Ed Judd, Tech Council Representative; and Hank Baker, Historian. Jack Brierly was awarded the Sktdl Trophy, with George Barna receiving Honor¬ able Mention. Bill Codings on the varsity team, and George Barna, Gerry Fleit, and Jack Adams with the Jayvees, made early basketball debuts. Bill Bowen and Bill Brown joined the Tech mermen, while on the spring track team were Subbiah Muthiah, Charlie Tidball, George Barna, Jack Adams, Bill Brown, and Bart Hastings. Freshmen on the baseball team were Ross Chapin, Paul May, Don Thompson, and Hal Schmucki. The Sophomore year saw our numbers increase from 211 at the outset of the first term to 244 at the start of the second. This year we elected as our officers Jack Brierly, President; “Pee-Jay’’ Brown, Vice-President; Bruce Bailey, Secretary; Paul May, Treasurer; and Bob Atherton and Walt Keyl, Tech Council Representatives. Our second rope-pull looked like a breeze for the first ten minutes, but as the first freshman was ankle-deep in the putrid waters of the Pond, the wind changed, Lady Fortune and heaven knows who else lent the frosh a helping hand, and we experienced our first and last trial by mire. The sophomore-freshman football game was also almost completely ours. The frosh were out played, out-passed, out-gained, and out-classed. Their only forte was in points scored. They won, 12-0. However, in soccer it was

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CLASS OFFICERS Dick, Phil, Jack, P.J., and Les (Jxistoryi of the Glass of iggo Part i—Preamble, or . . . Let’s be honest, Abe. Two score and five months ago the committee on admissions brought forth upon this campus a new class, relieved of liberty and meditating on the proposition that all men are, deflated, equal. Ever since, we have been engaged in a semi-civil war, testing whether that class, or any class so bereaved and so desecrated, could long endure. . . . The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, and it will probably never understand what we have done here. But, for posterity, and anyone else who might be interested, let us delve now into the bygone and review the four frantic years of the Class of 1950. Part 2—The History It all began as October, 1946, had just about completely vanished. Then, 238 eager neophytes first put their noses to the grindstone, soon to learn the wisdom of the motto, “Illegitimus non Carborundum.” Some, with less durable probosci, found the grind too much and left our ranks along the

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different. There, a strong freshman team was held scoreless, while Chun and Ozbas each tallied with one, to give the Class of ’50 a 2-0 victory. While we met with near-victory in the paddle rush, the Tech Carnival was again ours. This time a semi-subtle parody on life at Hypothetical Tech, entitled School Spirit, gave us an undisputed triumph over the freshman attempt at wit. Stu Leonard, as Commodore Jupiter-Pluvius, led the cast to victory. Still without a post-war victory, Tech’s football team this year scored for the first time since 1944. Participating in this gradual comeback were Bob Lanphear and Ray Girard. On the soccer squad were Melnnet Oray, Dick Connell, Mehmet Ozbas, John Margo, Don Thompson, V. K. Chun, and Jim Meiklejohn. Playing Varsity basketball were George Barna, John Converse, and Bill Codings, with George Edwards on the J.V. squad. Bill Bowen and Bill Brown represented us on the swimming team, while Ross Chapin, Paul May, and Don Thompson were the Fifty-ites playing varsity baseball. Frank Sherman, George Barna, Sumner Herman, Bart Hastings, and Bill Brown were on the spring track team. September, 1948. Two hundred twenty-nine of us, and all strangely unimpressed with the fact that at last we were upperclassmen. For, while the frivolities of the Goat’s Head competition were now left to the spirited classes behind 11s, we faced IT—the formidable Junior Year we had heard so much about. It was just that for many, accounting for thirty-two de¬ partures. However, in spite of the pace we were able to keep our heads suffi¬ ciently above the H 2 0 to throw a highly successful stag party, and later to present a wonderful Junior Prom. Owing to the work of Neil Crowley and John Cocker, who headed the Prom committee, this dance, featuring the music of Bobby Byrne, was an outstanding social success. Re-elected to class officers were Jack Brierly, Paul Brown, Bruce Bailey, and Paul May. Walt Keyl and George Barna were elected as our Tech Council Representatives. When Hank Baker was forced to leave school because of illness, Phi! Stanier was elected to take over the job of Historian. During the first term Tau Beta Pi elected Stan Friedman, Mai Horton, and Les Reynolds to membership. Their second-term initiates included George Barna, John Cocker, Dave Danielson, Don Dodge, George Engman, Frank Jurczak, Walt Keyl, and Jim O’Connor. Pi Delta Epsilon elected George Barna, Tej Chaddha, Neil Crowley, Walt Dennen, Stan Friedman, and Subbiah Muthiah, while Skull tapped George Barna, Jack Brierly, Neil Crowley, Stan Friedman, Mai Horton, Ken Muccino, and Harold Schmucki.