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KALAMAZOO
COLLEGE
ALUMNUS
July, 1955
Volume XVII
Number 3
Editor, Marilyn Hinkle '44
Publi shed qu a rt e rl y b y the K a lama zoo Col le g e Alumni A ssociation and K alamazoo Col le ge, K alamazoo, Mich.
P res id ent of th e Alumni As sociation :
Albert V a n Zoere n '23
Me mber of th e Am e ri c an Alumni Council.
Ente red as seco nd cla ss m att e r January 18,
1940 at th e P os t Offi c e a t K a lamazoo, Michi&'an, und er th e act of M a r c h 3, 1879. Pub.
hshed qua rte rl y , Januar y , April, July, and
Oc tober. Sub sc ri pti on ra te: One dollar pe r
year.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
2
COMMENCEMENT
FROM PRESIDENT HICKS
THE FOURTH "R"
FREDERIC GROETSEMA
LIVING WELL IN A DANGEROUS
WORLD -WILLIAM G. POLLARD
BREAK GROUND FOR UPTON HALL
FUNCTIONS OF EDUCATION DEPT.
10
NEWS FROM THE CAMPUS
11
SPEAKING OF BOOKS
14
'INTERESTED IN KALAMAZOO
HISTORY?
18
3 FROM K
19
BASEBALL DIAMOND UNDERWAY
19
SPORTS NEWS
20
CLUB NEWS
21
ALUMNI NOTES
22
LOOKING AHEAD
JUNE 17-26 BAPTIST WOMEN'S HOUSE
HOUSE PARTIES
JUNE 26-JUL Y 2 CONFERENCE OF
YOUTH AND ADULTS OF
EPISCOPAL CHURCH
JULY 5-9
STATE JR. BOYS AND GIRLS
TENNIS TOURNAMENTS
JULY 11-13 JC TENNIS TOURNAMENT
JULY 17-24 CAMP FARTHEST OUT
JULY 25-30 NA T'L BOYS AND JUNIORS
TENNIS TOURNAMENTS
SEPT. 15-16 FACULTY CONFERENCE
SEPT. 18-21 NEW STUDENT DAYS
SEPT. 22
REGISTRATION
SEPT. 23
CLASSES BEGIN
OCT.
12
HONORS DAY
OCT.
15
HOMECOMING
Page 2
ALUMNUS
41%
OF SENIOR CLASS
TO CONTINUE STUDY
A percentage of the seniors equal
to the record high of last year, 41 % ,
will continue studies in graduate
schooL Samuel Allerton will enter
Harvard for work in physical biochemistry under a National Science
Foundation Fellowship; William
Baum has a scholarship to continue
work in public administration at
Kalamazoo College; Mary Jane Beattie, Cranbrook Art Academy; Marshall Brenner, Bowling Green State
University in clinical psychology,
teaching assistantship; Emerson
Campbell, University of Wisconsin
in pharmacy; Burtis Crooks, Colgate
Rochester Divinity School; Don
Davis, University of Michigan Medical School; Duane DeVries, Michigan State University in English, research assistantship; Lawrence Dieterman, University of Oklahoma in
chemistry, teaching assistantship; Arleigh Dodson, Michigan State in biochemistry, research staff member;
Stanley Dunham, in government at
Kalamazoo College; Sivert Glarum,
Brown University in chemistry, National Science Foundation Fellowship; Theresa Hansen, Louisiana
State University in English, assistantship; Elaine Johansen, University of
Wisconsin in zoology, assistantship;
Marion Johns, Michigan State Uni-
versity in education; Philip Kellar,
Indiana University in medicine;
Kathleen Lathers, New York School
of Social Work; Susan Laycock,
Ohio State University in speech correction, assistantship; Shirley Lostutter, Smith College in English; Jerome Ludwig, University of Cincinnati in organic chemistry, research
assistantship; Mary Jean Mertz, Colgate Rochester Divinity School in
religious education, scholarship; Gordon Noble, St. Louis University in
teaching of chemistry, DuPont fellowship; Irene Olson, Western Reserve University in nursing education; Fred A. Sauer, Detroit College
of Law; Charles Seifert, University
of Michigan in medicine; Robert
Stelle, University of Michigan, in
medicine; Bruce VanDomelen, University of Wisconsin in nuclear physics,teaching assistantship; Lee VanHaaften, University of Michigan Law
School; Wilbur Vary, Michigan
State University in political science;
Bertram Vermeulen, Garrett Biblical
Institute; Margaret Wong, St. Louis
University in bio-chemistry, fellowship; Marcia Wood, Cranbrook
Academy of Art; Gene Wright, University of Michigan in education; and
Thomas Wylie, Kent State in clinical psychology.
The delight/ttl storybook fantasy , "The Wizard of Oz," provided the theme for this year's annttal May Fete, which was charmingly presented
on May 13 . The cover picture, taken in "blue
Mztnchkinland" finds Miss Anneliese Frey as a
Munchkin, Miss Phebe McLean as the tin woodsman, Miss Irma Grissom as the scarecrow, and
Miss Nancy Higdon as Dorothy. Miss Higdon,
who arranged the choreography, was co-chairman
of the pageant with Miss Donna Houghtby who
directed the music and the chorus.
The selection of the traditional Qzteen of the
May went to Miss Marcia Wood of Kalamazoo .
Reigning with her over the May celebration were
the members of her court, the Misses Mary jane
Beattie, Sara Horn, Marion johns, Mary McDonald, Fleurette Kram, and Gretchen Bahr.
MAY
FETE
Queen Marcia
COMMENCEMENT
Degrees were conferred upon
eighty-three graduating seniors at the
119th annual Commencement at
Kalamazoo College on Monday
morning, June 6. Opening with an
impressive procession of graduating seniors and faculty members in
academic regalia down the sloping
hillside from Stetson Chapel, the
ceremony rook place under the aged
oaks on the campus quadrangle.
One of the nation's eminent scientists, Dr. William G. Pollard,
executive director of the Oak Ridge
Institute of Nuclear Studies, delivered the Commencement address, "Livving Well in a Dangerous World,"
the complete text of which appears
in this issue of the Alumnus.
Degrees were conferred by President Weimer K. Hicks. Receiving
his degree summa cum laude was
Samuel Allerton. Other honor graduates included Mary Jane Beattie,
DraytOn Plains; Don Davis, Dowagiac; Sivert H. Glarum, Wyncote,
Pa.; and Bruce H. Van Domelen,
Shelby, all with magna cum laude
honors. Receiving their degrees with
cum laude honors were Howard J.
Hirschy, Kalamazoo; Martha Hoard
Smith, Plainwell; Donna Houghtby,
Batavia, Ill.; Elaine Johansen, Lincoln Park; and Gordon E. Noble,
Vicksburg.
Bachelor of arts degrees were also
awarded to Rafael A. Bendek, Jack
A. Bowen, Marshall H. Brenner,
Robert R. Casler, James R. Cramp,
Eugene F. Czarnecki, Donald Dayron, Duane DeVries, Lawrence ].
Dieterman, Jack M. Doyle, H. Stanley Dunham, John P. Gideon,
Thomas A. Gilman, Stanley W.
Glass, Nancy ]. Higdon, Timothy
D. Lemon, Daniel B. McFadden,
Mary Jean Mertz, Charles ]. Morello, Harry T. Phillips, Frederick A.
Sauer, Jr., Robert E. Stelle, Lee VanHaaften, Bertram W. Vermeulen,
Marcia ]. Wood and Thomas G.
Wylie, Kalamazoo; William C.
Baum, Three Rivers; Emerson W.
Campbell, Madison, Wisconsin;
Robert L. Copeland, Watervliet;
Patricia A. Corby, Williamston; C.
Burtis Crooks, Jr., Oaklyn, New Jersey; Richard ]. Davis, Arleigh R.
Dodson, Marion J. Johns, Judith H.
Robertson, and Ingrid Scharenberg,
Detroit; Alice Dudley, Clearwater,
Florida; Gladys Lyon Fox, Dowagiac; Irma M. Grissom, and Malcolm A. Jamieson, Royal Oak;
W adei ]. Halasa, David C. Kimball,
and Robert L. Timmer, Grand
Rapids; Theresa A. Hansen, Elmhurst, Illinois; Robert L. Haymans,
Berkley; Arthur E. Hill, Jr., and
Frank A. Minto, Birmingham; Sara
]. Horn, Grosse Pointe; Billy N.
Howlett, Mary A. Killeen, Susan T.
Laycock, Mary Lou Schofield, B.
Thomas Smith, Jr., Wilbur B. Vary,
and Ronald A. Ware, Flint; Philip
E. Kellar, Gary, Indiana; Shirley ].
Ketchen, Stephen E. Styers, and
Gene R. Wright, South Bend, Indiana; David ]. Larson, Plainwell;
Kathleen M. Lathers, Ypsilanti; W.
Shirley Lostutter, Ft. Wayne, Indiana; Jerome H. Ludwig, Coloma;
Mary C. McDonald, Scarsdale, New
York; John C. O'Brien, Vicksburg;
Irene T. Olson, Waukegan, Illinois;
Gene F. Orsolini, Chicago; Catherine A. Rutherford, Portland,
Maine; Charles L. Seifert, Battle
Creek; C. Stuart Siegel, New York
City; Mary C. Steiner, Wooster,
Ohio; Don C. Steinhilber, Berrien
Springs; and Margaret Wong, Kamayut, Burma.
Receiving master of arts degrees
were Wilfred E. Law and Walter E.
Scott.
Four honorary degrees were presented at the Commencement exercises. Receiving the degree, Doctor
of Divinity, were the Reverend
Charles R. Bell, Jr., minister of the
First Baptist Church of Pasadena,
Calif., and the Reverend Frederic
Groetsema, minister of the NewtOn
Highlands Congregational Church
in NewtOn Highlands, Mass. Dr.
Bell is a leader in the affairs of the
American Baptist Convention and
and gave the Baccalaureate address.
Dr. Groetsema is a graduate of Kalamazoo College in the class of 1931.
He has twice been honored by the
Freedom Foundation for the excellence of his sermons. Four years
Recipients of honorary degrees on June 6 ore shown with President Weimer K. Hicks. Left to right, Dr. Leland I. Doon, Pres. Hicks, Dr. William G. Pollard, the Reverend Charles R. Bell, and the Reverend Frederic Groetsema.
ALUMNUS
Page 3
ago he was guest lecturer at Cambridge University in England. Leland I. Doan, president of Dow
Chemical Company, received an
honorary Doctor of Laws degree;
and Dr. William G. Pollard, the
Commencement speaker, received
the degree, Doctor of Science. Dr.
Doan has been given credit for a
large part of the development which
has made the Dow Chemical Company's expansion the greatest in relation to its size of the six major
chemical companies in the United
States.
Awards to members of the senior
class for outstanding achievement
were presented by Dr. Harold T.
Smith, vice-president, as follows: the
Cooper Prize for the greatest contribution in speech competition, Stanley Dunham; the William G. Howard Memorial Prize for excellence
in economics, Don Steinhilber; the
William G. Howard Memorial Prize
for excellence in political science,
William Baum; the Kalamazoo College Athletic Association Medal for
combining high scholarship with
athletic prowess, Jack Bowen and
Arleigh Dodson; the Stone Prize in
education, Gordon Noble; the Clark
Benedict Prize in mathematics, Samuel Allerton; the James Bird Balch
Prize in the field of American history, Marion Johns; the Florence E.
Grant Award to the senior woman
who has best combined academic
achievement with participation in
campus activities and has contributed
most significantly to the life of the
college community, Mary Jane Beattie; the Hammond Prize in philosophy, Shirley Lostutter; the Hodge
Prize in philosophy, Duane DeVries
and Bruce VanDomelen; the John
Wesley Hornbeck Prize for achievement in physics, Howard Hirschy
and Bruce VanDomelen; the James
Hosking Memorial Prize in essay
writing, Burtis Crooks; the Oakley
Prize for the highest record in the
entire course, Samuel Allerton; the
Upjohn Award for excellence in
chemistry, Samuel Allerton and Sivert Glarum; the Alliance Francaise
Award, Gordon Noble; and the A.
B. Hodgman Prizes in tennis to members of the tennis squad making the
greatest academic improvement,
Thomas Smith and Thomas Wylie.
Page 4
ALUMNUS
Baccalaureate
The Baccalaureate sermon was delivered by the Reverend Charles R .
Bell of the First Baptist Church in
Pasadena, Calif.
Kalamazoo Co 11 e g e graduates
were cautioned there are no shortcuts
for achievement of sound moral and
spiritual values. Commenting that
"every choice leads to some value"
and "every seed bears its kind," the
Reverend Bell told the graduates :
"It is a dark day in any person's
life when he or she seeks some value
without paying the legitimate price
for it. So it is in life that the man
who wants to make of himself a
worthwhile person must pay the
price for that accomplishment. He
must bring discipline, devotion, and
loyalty to his daily task."
The Reverend Bell, who observed
that "our generation is bent on the
achievement of an economic utopia,"
commented that "as we have worked
our way toward that goal it has
been found on more than one occasion that the old law of cause and
effect seems to stand in our way.
Confronted by such set-backs the
temptation has come just as often as
we have been defeated to meet the
situation with some artificial remedy.
"Thus much of our present prosperity is being pyramided," he cautioned, "not upon the creation of
wealth- which conforms to the law
of cause and effect- but upon a
vastly increased debt- which is an
artificial remedy.
"We are, if we would be honest
with ourselves," he declared, "seeking short-cuts to the goal which is so
earnestly desired."
He said he had no lack of sympathy "for the harassed governments
of the world which are trying to
feed and clothe their people by
(Coufinued
Oil
Page 18)
Alumni Day
Kalamazoo College alumni reminisced en masse on the campus during Commencement week end.
An open house for all alumni was
scheduled from 3:00 p.m. to 5 :30
p.m. on Saturday afternoon, June 4.
It also served as special reunions for
the classes of 1915, 1930, and 1935.
Reunion plans were arranged by
Mrs. Leland Kerman, Amos Bogart,
and Mrs. Robert Aldrich. Assisting
hostesses were members of the Faculty Women's Club under the chairmanship of Mrs. L. J. Hemmes. The
class of 1945 observed its tenth anniversary at an open house in the
home of Dr. and Mrs. Ward McCartney.
The alumni dinner, held in Welles
Hall that evening, brought back to
the campus two outstanding alumni.
Dr. Maynard Owen Williams '10,
retired head of the foreign staff of
National Geographic, presided at the
dinner; and the Reverend Frederic
Groetsema '31 was the program
speaker.
Three members of the class of
1905 were able to attend the dinner and were presented with fifty-
year pins by President Hicks. They
were Cleora Davis Gagnier of Kalamazoo; Sidney Strong of Plymouth,
Michigan; and Miss Xenia Mason,
Adrian, Michigan.
Alumni from at least eleven different states were on the campus for
the week end. Some of those traveling the greatest distance were Elsie
Herbold Froeschner '35, Bozeman,
Montana; Mildred Welsh Shackleton '15, Maplewood, N. ].; Earl
Belcher '15, Westfield, N. ].; Dr.
'30 and Mrs. Donald Larsen, Ken.t
sington, Md.; Helen Hudson '18,
Duluth, Minn.; Dr. '45 and Mrs.
Forrest Strome (Edith Hoven '45 ) ,
Rochester, N. Y.; and Beatrice
Brown Markillie '24 from St. Petersburg, Fla.
On Sunday morning, alumni joined senior majors and faculty members for the traditional departmental breakfasts. On the Friday evening
preceding the Commencement activities, the music department presented
a recital in Stetson Chapel, featuring
three College alumni, Betty Baker
LeRoy '43, Helen Brink Lincoln '52,
and Stanley Farnsworth '54.
I
FROM
PRESIDENT HICKS
Bricks and mortar do not make a
college. Neither can an educational
institution be evaluated primarily on
the basis of its public relatiom program nor its capacity to remain in
the limelight. In the final analysis,
the true greatness of a college will
be determined by the quality of the
professors on its faculty. It is they
who ignite the spark of learning in
the minds of students. It is they who
present thought-provoking ide as
which stimulate youth tO seek deeper
insights. It is they who guide and
assist as students crystallize their
own understanding of life and gain
a fuller meaning of an education.
At Kalamazoo, this experience has
been aptly called "A Fellowship in
learning." Generation after generation, that fellowship has been successful in its goals in direct proportion to the great teachers who have
lectured in Bowen and Olds, or have
led seminars on Faculty Row.
But may I be more specific. Kalamazoo College has earned an enviable reputation in the sciences.
Our superior achievements in these
disciplines were substantiated by the
Knapp and Goodrich study entitled,
ORIGINS OF AMERICAN SCIENTISTS, in which Kalamazoo
ranked second among the colleges of
America in the production of scientists. Nor has our recognition in
this field waned, as evidenced by the
National Science Foundation Fellowships in chemistry won by two
of this year's graduating class. Since
less than twenty of these national
grants were awarded this year tO
undergraduates, one can understand
our pride in this recent honor.
Why these signal accomplishments ? Surely it is not a question
of physical equipment, or our biology record would not approach the
achievements in chemistry and physics. Instead, the record is a direct
tribute to the great professors who
have inspired succeeding generations of students in these fields.
lemuel Smith in chemistry, John
Hornbeck in physics, and W. E.
Praeger in biology, along with other
capable but lesser known teachers,
have built in the sciences a tradition
for sound scholarship and learning.
They, roo, have been the inspiration
for Allen B. Srowe, Frances Diebold,
and others who have carried on with
the enviable tradition. Suffice it to
say that Kalamazoo's academic standing is primarily a tribute tO a host
of great teachers who have given unstintingly of their time and talents to
mold the thinking and ultimately
the lives of the undergraduates.
Recognizing the logic of this reasoning, the Board of Trustees, under
the able leadership of Dr. Richard
U. light, embarked three years ago
on a program of bringing new, experienced professors tO the campus
whenever an opening appeared tO
supplement the creditable work of
the current faculty. Special grants
were secured tO finance the program.
Four of these special appointments
have been made. It is fair tO say
that the impact of the new program
has already been felt. Others are
still tO follow who should add increased vitality tO the leadership in
the classroom. In the process the
entire campus morale has been
elevated and salaries have jumped
proportionally. However, if our College is to secure and tO hold the
superior teacher, our salary scale
must advance tO a still higher level
than the present one. In the year
195 5-5 6, salaries at Kalamazoo College will be higher than in all but a
few of the midwestern independent
colleges. Notwithstanding, they are
still inadequate. To obtain and retain
the best, we must pay the best both
in cash salary and in the fringe benefits which lead to a happy environment.
We have already taken a step forward. However, simply to be near
the tOp is not enough. We must
dare tO lead. Kalamazoo College
must continue its constructive program which will reward great
teachers tO an extent far beyond its
competitOrs. Each year education is
losing thousands of its best men to
industry, primarily because of the inadequate level of its monetary rewards. Under the leadership of
a foreward-thinking and imaginative Board of Trustees, Kalamazoo is
determined to pay its faculty commensurate with their abilities.
Such a far-sighted program has its
attendant problems. Reserves have
been obtained to guarantee the immediate future. The enrollment
cycle also indicates that still higher
levels can be reached on the present
sound budgetary basis. However, this
bold move which we propose cannot be sustained indefinitely without
additional financial undergirding.
No institution can remain indefinitely in the foreground without a
sizeable endowment. Even with the
Wallace legacy, our tOtal endowment reserves will not reach three
million dollars. The majority of our
competitors will have twice the previously-mentioned tOtal. Accordingly, this places an increased burden
upon the Annual Fund. The many
loyal expressions of the immediate
past justify the vision expressed in
this article. To accomplish our
"great teachers program" we shall
need a continuance of the generous
response of the present. In fact, we
shall need tO find many new friends
who believe in the program.
The road ahead for the independent college will not be smooth. Innumerable obstacles beset the future. Perhaps none is more menacing than the problem of faculty
salaries. Yet in a nation that is moving rapidly toward a state educational system, the private college
cannot justify its existence unless it
attracts the best professors that
money and fringe benefits can buy.
Our college will never be great unless it has a great faculty. We must
dare to lead. Is there a more effective way to further our "Fellowship
in learning?" For each of you, can
can there be a better investment?
Kalamazoo College is looking
for a public relations minded person who might have a particular
interest in admissions, or in sports
publicity, and wishes to learn the
college field in general. If this
type of work appeals to you,
please contact Dr. Hicks at an
early date.
ALUMNUS
Page 5
GROETSEMA
SPEAKS
ON ALUMNI DAY
Tbe Revermd Frederic
Groetsema, Kalamazoo Collrge
graduate of 19 J I, is
minister of tbe Newton
Highlands Congregational
Cburcb, Newton Higbland, Mass.
A recent visitor to our home, Prof.
A. Victor Murray of Cheshunt College, Cambridge, remarked that on
this his third visit to our country he
noticed a new mood, one he
described as a "new seriousness on
the part of the American people."
Certainly one expression of that
mood is the renewal of interest in
religion. By and large one might
say that it is the result of the social,
economic, and political changes
caused by the depression and the
Second World War ... thus proving the old adage that "it can be no
other than a maleficent horizontally
propelled current of gaseous matter
whose portentous advent is not the
harbinger of a modicum of beneficence," which, in turn, is Ben Cerf's
way of saying, "It's an ill wind that
blows no man good."
One particular aspect of that re-
Page 6
ALUMNUS
newal of interest in the things pertaining to religion interests us especially now, the place of religion in
education. More particularly, the
place of religion in higher education. The interesting thing about
this current movement is that it
comes from young people and
young adults themselves. They are
reminding us that the day of "reading, 'riting and 'rithmetic" ... or
in college terms, the day of "skills,
ability to communicate, and techniques" as being adequate for the
good life, is past. They have discovered the need for a fourth basic
ingredient for life if it is to be meaningful, and they are demanding that
we, the churches and the colleges, do
something about it. Students, I find,
are not always articulate in the expression of this need they now sense
... but it is there and the colleges
and churches are growing more and
more aware of it.
There are several reasons why this
task is uniquely that of the colleges.
The task of teaching anything like
religion in the public school is very
difficult if not impossible. Th~
troubled course of released time
programs likewise, points to the college as the place where this challenge can be best met. The sharpness of the division of opinion among
high school teachers on this subject
was brought home to me when I
recently was asked to be one of a
group of lecturers to a large group
of high school teachers, and the subject assigned to me was, "The Ethics
df Teaching;'' During my talk I
suggested that if the teacher caught
a pupil cheating, she was under
moral obligation to do something
(Continued
011
Page 12)
POLLARD
SPEAKS
AT COMMENCEMENT
Living Well in a
Dangerous World
Dr. William G. Pollard,
distin guished clergy man
and scieu tist of Oak Ridge,
T enn. , is Exec utit·e Director
of the Oak Ridge In stitut e
of Nuclear Studies.
You who are graduating from college today stand as much as any
graduating class in history has stood
on the brink of the unknown. Every
commencement has the quality of a
great turning point in the lives of
those involved, and so is by nature
always a plunge into the unknown.
Yet this quality varies greatly from
generation to generation. It is the
distinctive feature of this midpoint
of the twentieth century that this
sense of uncertainty and insecurity
about the future, this quality of
stepping forth into the dark unknown, has become acute. The
world has become a very dangerous
place indeed. You who are now
launching forth into it are doubtless
all keenly aware that it is your special lot to lead your lives in an age
of storm and tragedy. If this is indeed a primary concern with you,
then it becomes a matter of first
importance to know whether there
is a way to live well in such a dangerous world.
When I speak of our contemporary situation as a "dangerous
world" I have a great deal more in
mind than the obvious dangers of
atomic warfare on the one hand or
the threat of Communist aggression
on the other. These are real and
pressing dangers to be sure, but there
are many others besides. Among
them all the most terrible and the
least easily recognized are the spiritual dangers which now beset us on
every hand. These threaten our eternal destinies, the end and purpose for
which we have been brought into
existence, and not, as in the case of
the more obvious physical dangers,
merely our present finite perishable
lives. It is, I am convinced, a dawn-
ing vague awareness of these other
more terrible threats, much more
than A-bombs or H-bombs or Russian intransigence which leads us to
think of the present time as a "dangerous world."
Contemporary life and history i~ a
bundle of paradoxes and dilemmas.
Brutal facts have come more and
more to dominate our thought. The
old familiar foundations which we
have so confidently relied upon to
sustain us are shaking, if not actually
crumbling, beneath us. We have
been so very sure of our capacity,
through a scientific approach to
every problem, to become masters of
our fate. What, we would ask with
an obvious inability to conceive of
an alternative, could stand in the
way and prevent our taking over the
world in which we find ourselves
and running it to suit ourselves? Yet
ALUMNUS
Page 7
now a brooding doubt about the
reality and feasibility of the whole
enterprise hovers over everything
that we do.
The deep paradoxes of contemporary life confront us on every
hand. It was not so very long ago
that everyone by and large was
firmly convinced that there was no
social disorder which could not be
cured by a combination of reason,
mass education, and science. The
unshakable dogma behind this belief
was that every social evil which besets mankind- war, crime, injustice,
poverty, and greed- was nothing
more than the result of ignorance,
superstition, and prejudice. Only
these, we thought, and surely the
ingrained good will of men will assert itself and carry human society
forward to a new and better life
from which every such abuse had
been eliminated. Yet the generation
which most trusted in this doctrine
of man has nevertheless witnessed
cruelty, tyranny, and black oppression on a scale which dwarfs the
most violent and brutal episodes of
all previous history. How are we to
reconcile the brutal facts of contemporary history with the doctrines
which by and large have sustained
the scientific approach tO the study
of man?
Again consider how unquestioning
a reliance men have come to place
in the power of science to give us
mastery over the world of nature.
Science has seemed so straightforward, sure, and confident of success
at every turn. We marvel at the
startling record of the triumphs of
medicine in which one disease after
another has succumbed to its mighty
advance. Most people feel confident
that, given only the necessary effort
and money, each of our remaining
major ills will likewise ultimately be
brought under control through medical research. So it is also with all
the other sciences. Physics and chemistry have filled our world with many
new and remarkable wonders and
have harnessed one natural force
after another to the service and bidding of man. Surely there is nothing in sight which can limit the
power of science. With it man has
seemed well on the road tO the ultimate goal of a complete and absolute mastery over the sum total
of things.
Yet again the generation which
has most trusted in science has nevertheless been witness to misery, fear,
and destruction on an unprecedented
scale. The supposed mastery over
nature which science seemed so
surely tO offer us moves farther and
farther away like a mirage. We find
ourselves desperately needing to
train more and more scientists in
order to cope with all the new problems which past triumphs of science
have left in their wake. As fast as
we find ways to deal with old
diseases, new strains emerge tO take
their place which are ever more and
more resistant and difficult to control.
Overpopulation ominously threatens
tO outstrip all of our advances in
scientific agriculture. As new and
more powerful sources of energy are
discovered tO replace those we have
been so rapidly exhausting, the more
does the dark threat of tOtal annihilation loom over us.
In the related field of technology
and industry we also find ourselves
trapped in another terrible dilemma.
We have been justly proud of the
genius of American technical knowhow and productive capacity. We
have congratulated ourselves on the
fantastically high standard of living
we have been able tO achieve. Little
did we suspect, however, that in
building the vast and intricate structure of the American industrial economy we were really building around
ourselves a prison from which there
would soon be no escape. Already
we are beginning to become aware
of the well nigh intolerable strains
tO which this economy subjects
human life. Each year it spews out
an ever-increasing volume of wreckage in the form of nervous breakdowns, ulcers, psychoses, alcoholics,
divorces, and other derangements.
Yet whatever the cost in harried lives
unable to stand up under its unrelenting demands, there is no longer
any possibility of turning back. We
all must go on desiring and purchas(Colltimted
011
Page 15)
A TOUCH OF IMMORTALITY
"To place your name by gift or bequest in the keeping of an active educational institution is
to be sure that the name of the project with whic.0 it is associated will continue down the centuries
to quicken the minds and the hearts of youth, and t 0tts make a permanent contribution to the welfare
of humanity."
-Calvin Coolidge
FORM OF BEQUEST: "I give, devise, and bequeath unto The Kalamazoo College, a corporation
organized under and by virt11e of the laws of the Sta:e of Michigan and located in the City of Kalamazoo, in said State, the sum of ________________________________________ dollars."
During the Commencement week end, a new brochure dealing with wills and bequests
appeared. The brochure is designed to pay tribute to the many individuals whose legacies
and memorials have made possible the financial undergirding of the College. It also
presents a graphic picture of the changes that have taken place in philanthropy during
the last quarter of a century. These changes make it paramount that all of us re-evaluate
our own stewardship toward Kalamazoo College and all other charitable institutions.
Page 8
ALUMNUS
BREAK GROU.ND FOR UPTON HALL
The start of construction of the
new Louis C. Upton Science Hall to
house the biology department at
Kalamazoo College was signalized at
a formal groundbreaking ceremony
on the campus site, May 23 .
President Weimer K. Hicks termed the event "a significant occasion
in the physical expansion of our campus."
The new building is an integrated
phase in the expansion in the program of Kalamazoo College, marking a new era in its long history tracing back to 1833.
The ground breaking for construction of the new science hall, named
in honor of the late Louis C. Upton,
founder of the Whirlpool Corporation and who had been a member of
the Kalamazoo College board of
trustees, was given a personal touch
with participation in the event by
members of his immediate family.
His brother, Frederick S. Upton,
now executive vice president of the
Whirlpool Corporation and a trustee of the College, spoke in behalf
of the Upton family and the Whirlpool Corporation, saying "We are
happy and proud of the honor Kalamazoo College has bestowed upon
Louis C. Upton."
Commenting that one of Louis C.
Upton's greatest interests was in
youth, Frederick S. Upton said his
brother "was never too busy to help
young men and women whenever he
could" - that the new science hall
"symbolizes in a very true manner
one of his greatest interests.
"Our wish is this- that the science hall will serve the college and
young men and women as well as
did my brother serve you and other
institutions throughout his life,"
Frederick S. Upton said.
Robert Upton, son of the late
Louis C. Upton, turned the first
spade of dirt symbolizing the start
of construction of the Louis C. Upton
Hall to the east of Olds Science Hall.
In the response on behalf of Kalamazoo College, Dr. Richard U.
Light, chairman of the board of trustees, said the new building exemplifies "the wide vision of an American man of business" who did not
stop with personal success but
broadened his service to interest in
others, particularly in youth.
Both President Hicks and Dr.
Light viewed the new Louis C. Upton Science Hall as a particular tribute to Miss Frances Diebold, head
of the department of biology, who is
credited with building up that department at the College.
Dr. Light said, "Miss Diebold epitomizes the good teacher in American
education. Her achievements have
attracted national fame."
The new Louis C. Upton Science
Hall, together with the R. E. Olds
Science Hall, will give the College
complete rounded facilities in three
basic fields of science- biology,
chemistry and physics - fields in
which Kalamazoo College has received top recognition in the nation.
President Hicks explained the
plans for the building were given
their motivation through a legacy
from the late R. E. Olds, the Lansing
automotive industrialist. This was
followed by funds set aside from the
development program campaign of
1951-52 for which contributions
were made by alumni and friends
of the College "from the city, all over
the nation, and from all parts of the
world." The planning then remained dormant until last summer when
gifts to finally realize the project
were made by Mrs. Louis C. Upton,
the Whirlpool Corporation, and
their friends and business associates,
as a memorial to the late Louis C.
Upton.
The above scene pictures the ground breaking ceremony. Taking part were, front row, left to right, Robert Upton with spade, Dr. Hicks,
Frederick S. Upton, and Dr. Richard U. Light. Second row, Cameron Davis, contractor; Miss Diebold; Merrill Taylor; the Reverend Charles K.
Johnson '32 who offered the prayer; and William A. Stone, architect.
ALUMNUS
Page 9
SOME
FUNCTIONS
OF THE
DEPARTMENT
OF
EDUCATION
By Gerald L. Bodine
Head of Deportment
The Department of Education
serves students at Kalamazoo College through its work in course offerings, counseling, certification, and
the placement bureau.
Most of the courses in education
are designed as liberal cultural
courses, and except for student teaching, are open tO all students whether
or not they expect tO teach. The
program of teacher education upon
completion of required course work
and student teaching leads ro the
Elementary Provisional or Secondary
Provisional Certificate.
The first step involves pre-teachi n g experiences (working with
young people) and the Introduction
tO Education course with planned
observations. It is hoped that this
course will open up the whole field
of education tO the student and will
help him gain a clearer picture of
what he would like ro teach and at
what grade level.
The second phase of the program
consists of work in educational psychology and methodology. It is in
this time sequence that the prospective teacher begins tO formulate his
own philosophy of education.
The program is culminated by the
Page 10
ALUMNUS
student teaching experience and a
study of problems in teaching. This
culminating experience includes actual teaching, observation, evaluation,
discussion, and a report tO the total
group involved.
Counseling plays an important
part in the program of teacher education. Prospective teachers should
know where they can make the
greatest contribution. They should
be encouraged tO think seriously
about the grade level and subjects
in which they wish tO teach. Conferences are held with students before they are given the all-important
student teaching assignment. This
assignment can do much in getting
the prospective teacher started with
a good attitude rowards teaching.
Certification requirements are kept
on file for states other than Michigan. This material is used in helping students plan their programs for
meeting certification requirements
elsewhere. The placement bureau assists seniors who are recipients of
provisional certificates tO obtain
teaching positions. This service is
also available tO graduates of the
College possessing teaching certificates and seeking advancements of
an educational nature. Teaching
credentials are kept on file and are
sent ro superintendents of schools
when requested. Credentials are also
available tO the superintendent when
an interview is arranged for him
with a prospective teacher on campus.
Graduates of the College are
teaching in most sections of the
country, the positions ranging from
kindergarten tO college or university
teaching. On an administrative level,
positions held are the supervisor,
principal, superintendent, department head, and college president.
Recent graduates connected with
education in some manner are located in such countries as Turkey,
Jordan, Gold Coast, Japan, Netherlands, and Sweden.
In Michigan, the college where
the student receives his degree becomes the sponsoring institution for
purposes of teacher certification.
Kalamazoo College graduates indicating a desire ro teach are assisted
by the Department of Education in
planning programs to meet certif-
ication requirements. Graduates possessing a teaching certificate from the
State of Michigan but planning to
teach elsewhere have the necessary
forms sent to the Department of
Education for evaluation and recommendation to the proper school officials. Recipients of the provisional
certificate after three years of successful teaching and a planned program of additional course work are
eligible for a permanent certificate.
It is the responsibility of the Department of Education tO send out the
necessary forms and evaluate the
work completed, and, if favorable, ro
recommend permanent certification
to the State.
New equipment is planned for
next fall. Some of this equipment
includes globes, maps, educational
recordings, added volumes in Mandelle Library, and other audio-visual
aids.
The Department is proud ro be
involved in this time-honored tradition of supplying effective teachers
for the schools of America.
Pictured at the right are four of the Kalamazoo College seniors who received teaching certificates. Miss Marion Johns is shown
with her kindergarten class; Gordon Noble
did his practice teaching in chemistry; Miss
Catherine Rutherford worked as a visiting
teacher; and Miss Marcia Wood's field was
art. Miss Rutherford has accepted a teaching position in Dowagiac, and the other
three students will continue with graduate
study. Gordon Noble received the Dupont
Scholarship at St. Louis University for special
study geared to the teaching of chemistry.
Other seniors who received the Michigan
Secondary Provisional Teacher's Certificate
were Donald Dayton, Stanley Glass, Irma
Grissom, Sara Horn, Donna Houghtby, Shirley
Ketchen, Mary Jean Mertz, Frank Minto,
John O'Brien, David Petrilli, Martha Hoard
Smith, and Gene Wright. In addition to
Miss Johns, the Michigan Elementary Certificate was awarded to Susan Laycock and
Mary Lou Schofield.
Miss Monica Evans, who will begin her senior year in the fall, has
been awarded a National Science
Foundation Scholarship to continue
her work in biology this summer
through the University of Michigan's
course at the Cheboygan biological
station. For the past three years,
Miss Evans has been the recipient of
the Boston Alumni Scholarship.
Miss Maryann Terburgh of Kalamazoo, who will begin her junior
year in the fall, was named Kalamazoo's 1955 Community Ambassador.
She is spending most of the summer in France under the Community
Ambassador program which is a part
of the Experiment in International
Living, designed to acquaint American young people with life at the
family level in foreign lands.
The spring banquet of WRA
featured Miss Hester Bland, health
consultant for the University of Indiana, as speaker.
Richard Bowser, Niagara, N. Y.,
will head the Kalamazoo College student body next year. Other
Senate officers include Miss Nancy
West, Newton, Mass., vice-president;
Miss Barbara McCabe, La Grange,
Ill., secretary; William Haring,
Grosse Pointe, treasurer; and Miss
Anneliese Frey of Kalamazoo, Miss
Dorothy Young of Oak Park, Ill.,
Duane Arnold of Jackson, and Richard Brown of Milwaukee as members of the judicial board.
Miss Gretchen Bahr, Waukesha,
Wis., will head the Women's League
next year, and Daniel Metzger,
Greenville, has been named president of the Men's Union.
~enior,
Mothers of "K" College students
were feted at the annual weekend
program of Mothers' Day. An open
house at the home of Dr. and Mrs.
Hicks, a special banquet and style
show in Welles Hall, and a musical
program in Stetson Chapel were on
the agenda.
ALUMNUS
Page 11
GROETSEMA
(Continued /rom Page 6)
about it. There was literally a storm
of protest from the younger half of
my audience. "We are not policemen" . . . "They will get caught
eventually" ... "That is your job"
. . . "That is the parents' job" . . .
"We teach English literature, not
morals or ethics or religion." The
older teachers, on the other hand,
agreed with me that the teacher
must share with parents and the
churches some responsibility for the
ethics and morals of the young
people in their classes ... and, must
assume some personal responsibility
if she does nothing about deviations
from good ethical conduct in her
own classroom. Then too, and this
is the best reason of all, the college
student is at that stage in life when
he should be making up his own
way of life, including his own religious faith. Often he is testing his
independence for the first time.
But having thus dropped this
matter into the lap of the colleges, I
hope no one is under the illusion
that the colleges are of one mind
that this is their opportunity. One
Harvard Dean expressed himself
when asked what he thought about
the coming of Paul Tillich, George
Buttrick, and Douglas Horton and
others to help with the revival at
the Divinity School and Yard. He
paused and remarked: "Resuscitating a corpse is always a grisly business."
Now in a sense most of our colleges and universities were churchrelated in the early beginning. Our
founding fathers recognized the need
for an educated ministry . . . and
that need brought with it another,
an educated layety. But these ancient beginnings have been largely
lost sight of as attested to by the
legendary janitor at a great Eastern
University who was asked about a
lovely Latin inscription on the wall
of the chapel. The inscription ends
with the words: "Christo et Ecclessia." He looked at the inscription
for a long time, then said, "Well,
I don't rightly know, but it has
something to do with down with
Yale."
If there has been reluctance on
Page 12
ALUMNUS
the part of some in collegiate circles,
there has been an overzealousness on
the part of some churches to get
their hands on the college again,
especially upon that part of policy
which has to do with teachers and
teaching material. Churchmen have
not been above using filthy lucre as
a means to get control of schools
when the latter were in financial
straits. One such small school has
fallen under the grip of a conservative church and to show their rebellion, the faculty have a unique
secret society which meets for no
other purpose than a glass of beer
once a week. They call themselves
the "Anonymous Alcoholics." Yet,
in spite of reluctant educators on the
one hand and overanxious churchmen on the other, the growth of departments of religion in colleges
and universities across the nation in
the last twenty years is little short
of amazing.
It looks like a celestial marriage
counselor has been at work. For
prior to this time of renewed and
re-awakened interest in religion, the
relationship between many of the socalled "church-related colleges and
the churches" has been, if not an
actual divorce, then certainly a time
of legal separation. There are
many factors involved on both sides,
but we are glad that the separation
was never permanent. And the overarching interest in young people on
the part of both the church and the
college is the strongest bond binding
them rogether roday.
Reviewing quickly the causes, as
I see them, which have been at work
upon the students, causing them tO
set their faces in the general direction of some sort of spiritual guidance and reassurance:
1. The economic depression which
has taught us among other things
that money as such does not guarantee either happiness or stability of
life or character.
2. The experience, first hand, or
of having members of the family
involved in World War II and
the Korean conflict has brought
home the dangers of unleashed technology and national ambition. It
has been brought home that peace
is also a good that must be strug-
gled for and sacrificed for. The
Arom bomb itself epiromizes the
great choice humanity must make
between a great new power that can
be a blessing to men, or a terrific
destructive force.
3. The youth of the country, due
to Service experiences, discussions
that have breached denominational
lines, plus the discovery of the Bible
as a new and interesting Book which
can still speak tO our needs, has
brought to the fore a generation of
young people interested in finding
a faith by which to live, and a church
home where their intellects are
stimulated and their hearts tOuched
and inspired to live lives of service
and usefulness.
This brings us then to this fact:
that we have a generation, many
thousands of whom are truly looking for a personal faith which will
enable them to live a satisfactory,
and satisfying and meaningful life.
There is one more confession I
must make on behalf of the Protestant churches by and large which
emphasizes the fact that the colleges
have a task tO fulfill in this area of
student life. It has been impressed
upon my mind over the years, especially when I have been the discussion leader and counselor at the
International Religious Education
Conference at Northfield that the
average Protestant church has done
a very poor job in the field of religious education. At Northfield one
meets the cream of our Protestant
youth fellowships . . . from New
England, New York and Pennsylvania. The lack of any real knowledge of our faith, of the implication5
of our faith in the very life of democracy, the lack of any real knowledge
of the Bible, especially from the
modern critical viewpoint is nothing
less than appalling. One gets the
impression that up through high
school the average Protestant youngster has been spoon fed a traditional
religion in such a way as to keep it
apart entirely from the world of
scientific truths into which the
youngster must go eventually. Apparently there is little attempt to
prepare the youngster for the questions which modern criticism and
modern science rai~e for the religious
person. This utter disregard for its
real task as a teaching institution, is
nothing less than criminal on the
part of Protestantism generally. The
miracle of our time, is that in spite
of this poorly done job of educating
our children in the faith, they still
come to church after finding out
how we have neglected their real
education. This is perhaps the greatest reason of all why the churchrelated college is a must for our way
of life. Churches have a long way
to go before they can feel that they
are real partners in this enterprise
of maturing religiously motivated
adults.
How then is the college to meet
this challenge? And at the same
time resist any attempt on the part
of the churches to take over and
dictate policy as to teachers and curriculum?
1. As a parent and as a minister
I look to the church-related college
to provide an atmosphere wherein
the Christian faith is not just tolerated, but where it is respected and
revered as the tap root of our spiritual, political, and social freedoms.
In this atmosphere I feel that our
faith should be openly discussed;
these discussions, where possible,
sympathetically led by competent
faculty leaders. The atmosphere will
also provide for opportunities for informal worship, Christian Service, on
campus, in the churches and other
community institutions.
2. I look to a school where religion is not only a subject for informal discussion, but also a very definite part of the formal discipline
of study. No man ~hould consider
himself educated who is not fully
aware of the spiritual roots out of
which we grew as a people. This
entails a study of the Bible from a
rigorously critical point of view, a
study of the Christian faith as it
stems out of its Hebrew background,
and finally, a study of our faith as
it meets and comes into conflict with
other world religions.
3. In addition to these disciplines,
one informal and one formal, within
the faculty there should be men and
women of such Christian character
( and I mean that in its best and
broadest sense) as to be examples
within the classroom, in social life,
and in their homes of what we mean
by gracious and rigorous Christian
living. To these teachers as well as
to those of us who have had professional training in these matters, I
would like the student to feel free to
come for personal counseling and
guidance as he builds hismaturefaith.
And finally, I would hope that
the college will, as a result of some
such program, send forth young men
and young women, whose spirits
have been nurtured in an atmosphere of mutual trust and mutual
search; whose minds have been disciplined through study; whose spirits
have been touched by living examples of the Christian Spirit at its
highest and best in human life and
thought . . . These young people
could and would become our religiously motivated leaders, our community leaders, our church leaders
. .. These people are the folk who
carry the load . . . in our common
life; These have a deep sense of
community responsibility. These are
never content to be housewives,
teachers, doctors, research people,
business men, or clergymen alone
. . . They are aware of what Elton
Trueblood calls our second vocation.
These are they who have discovered
that whosoever would save his life
must lose it in self forgetful servICe .. •
I have of course been talking
about Kalamazoo College. I have
been talking about the contributions
made to my life and thought by such
men as Dr. Bailey who used to tell
me that all the Spanish he taught
me didn't amount to a pinch of snuff
in a whirlwind . . . how true . . .
but I do remember the very first
Spanish words he taught us, "Padre
nuestros, ca estas en thealos." I
have been talking about Dean
Severn whose course in the life and
teachings of Jesus was better than
anything I ever had in Seminary. I
have been pointing to the atmosphere of devotion to truth created
here by men and women who within
themselves epitomized that devotion
and made it real. "Fellowship in
Learning" is more than a catchy
phrase. I have been talking about
Dr. Preager, whose sympathetic
GRANTS RENEWED
The Dow Chemical Company and
the Standard Oil Company have
again provided scholarships for Kalamazoo College chemistry students
for next year.
Senior winners of the Dow grants
are Steward Stafford of Jackson
and Miss Donna Ullrey, Berwyn, Ill.
The awards this year are renewals.
Both winners held Dow scholarships
during their junior years.
Junior winners are Donald Garwood, Cassopolis, and Miss Susana
Seward, Lewiston, Maine. All four
grants are for $500.
Jurgen Diekmann, Ludwigshafen,
Germany, a senior in chemistry, has
been given the Standard Oil award
which is also for $500.
understanding in my own problems
in shedding my fundamentalist shell
and growing into that new life of
appreciation of the world of nature
as the great work of Creative Intelligence . . . I have been talking
about L. ]. Hemmes whose guidance
and counselling not only helped me
here as a student but also helped me
so much in the final selection of the
Christian ministry as a life work and
vocation. I have tried to thank him
and Frances Diebold and others who
have meant a great deal to me personally ... but they are hard people
to thank! They consider this part
of their job, while we who receive it know it to be service rendered above and beyond the call of
duty. We have been in this atmosphere I have described. We have
seen these lives given in dedicated
service. We have been in homes
where mutuality and respect for
others is so real that we have never
forgotten it.
It's great to be an alumnus of a
college so distinguished as ours in
the fields of science, the humanities
and arts, but we must also take pride
in, and point to the fact that Kalamazoo College is a college that has
ever, and continues to place great
emphasis upon the fourth "R" in
education. In fact, we have a school
which has never given up the idea
that it is basic to all true knowledge
and is the only motivation for any
real pursuit of truth.
ALUMNUS
Page 13
"SPEAKING OF BOOKS"-
Dr. Arnold Mulder
When Somerset Maugham observed his eightieth birthday he had
some things to say about his work
as a writer. "I guess there will be no
more novels and short stories," he
said to reporters. "Besides, I have
exhausted all my themes, and try as
I will I can't think of a plot. I'm
not as inventive as I used to be."
At 80, that is not surprising.
Many writers arrive at that point
much earlier. Often, like Maugham,
they keep on writing, but usually
they have nothing more to say.
As a matter of fact, considering
writers as artists not as human beings, those are the lucky ones who
die physically before their minds
run dry. Dickens was only 58 when
he died in the full flush of his
powers, and Thackeray was only 52,
young enough to be still at his best
mentally. Everybody knows, of
course, that the greatest of them all
in English literature, namely Shakespeare, was only 52 when he died.
But in his case there was so clearly
a diminution of literary power that,
even if he had lived 20 years longer,
the chances are that his reputation
would not have been enlarged by
later work.
Then, of course, there was the
poet Shelley, who was under 30
when he died, and there was John
Keats, who was only 26 at the time
of his tragic death. In both cases
death probably came too soon; the
chances are that both of them would
have produced more great poetry if
Page 14
ALUMNUS
they had lived on to at least middle
age.
Yet, it is impossible to be certain.
There is the case of Wordsworth,
for instance. He lived to the ripe
old age of 80, but if he had died at
50 his reputation would have been
just as great as it is now; during the
last 30 years of his life he wrote
voluminously but, in the words used
by Maugham, "he had exhausted his
themes" and was mostly warming
over old stuff.
Writing is a queer business and
it does not conform to any known
rules or regulations for success. The
greatest writers often run dry. Old
Anthony Trollope, British novelist
of the Victorian era, even believed
that every novelist should quit at 50.
He himself kept on writing novels,
but he felt that they lacked the
stingo that great fiction should have.
Nor are there any rules and regulations that a successful writer can
communicate to a beginner. Dozens
of books are published each year
purporting to give the aspiring
writer a blueprint for a writing
career, and there are hundreds of
writing clubs. Many of them doubtless have value in stimulating the
enthusiasm of the young writer, but
that is about all they can do.
Somerset Maugham himself, when
he was turning 70, wrote a book
called The Summing Up in which
he handed out wholesome advice.
Along with other successful writers
he had been bombarded with pleas
of would-be authors to give them a
formula that they could use to become successes. His book boiled
down to the bitter truth that there is
no such formula.
Many others have testified to the
same wholesome but unpalatable
truth. Mary Heaton Vorse gave perhaps the best answer to all such
questions. Appealed to by a young
writer to tell him how to become a
successful writer, she answered:
"Apply the seat of your pants to the
seat of a chair and begin to write."
That's about all that anybody can
say. If a person has anything to say
he will get it said- provided he
keeps the seat of his pants applied
long enough to the seat of his chair.
That is, provided he has the gumption to work hard- and to work
alone, without applause.
DR. MULDER TO AUTHOR
COLLEGE HISTORY SINCE 1933
Kalamazoo College is beginning
work on a publication bringing its
history up to the present day in preparation for the 125th anniversary
celebration in 195 8 of its founding.
Dr. Arnold Mulder, professor
emeritus of English, has been appointed the college historian and
will author the account of the history
of the college since 1933.
This will bring up to date the
"Centennial History of Kalamazoo
College" published in 1933 as part
of the centennial celebration in that
year and authored by Dr. Willis F.
Dunbar and the late Dr. Charles T.
Goodsell.
Plans also are being made to
have a special college library history
room which will be maintained in
Mandelle library as soon as the
new biology building is completed
to make more space available.
RECENT BOOK GIFTS
TO MANDELLE LIBRARY
Three recent gifts to Mandelle library have added to its holdings. Dr.
Richard U. light, chairman of the
Board of Trustees, presented the library with eighty volumes from his
collections. Included among the·
books was a rare set of James Cook's
voyages.
As an example of how an alert
alumnus can help us build the library, Kenneth Hunt '39, a member
of the faculty of lyons Township
Junior College in laGrange, Ill., had
150 books in various fields of science
rent to Mandelle.
The third gift was made by Dr.
Stewart Crandell '03, Battle Creek,
who on a recent visit to the campus,
dropped off several books in the field
of religion from his personal collection.
POLLARD
(Coutiuued /rom Page 8)
tng ever more and more material
things. Unless our advertising men
can find ways tO keep us in a continual state of dissatisfaction with
what we have and make us urgently
desire a great variety of new possessions, the whole vast structure will
collapse about our heads with fearful
consequences. We dare not stop buying year after year each new model
of autOmobile, television set, washing machine, and gadget. The alternative is mass starvation. The wheels
of our production machinery turn
relentlessly ever faster and faster
and the appetite of this vast mechanism is insatiable.
It is not uncommon nowadays to find
these paradoxes and dilemmas of our
contemporary existence frankly recognized and discussed. Mostly to be
sure we are still urged to cling to the
old hopes and confidences. We are still
taught to trust in the innate goodness
of men and the possibility of eliminating social evils through informed and
enlightened mass education and political action. We are still taught to trust
in the power of science to save us. But
no longer is there the old ring of
enthusiasm and confidence in such proposals. They are made instead with an
air of desperation in which, although
the modern methods of science and
reason seem admittedly powerless to
solve our problems, they are still presented as the only realistic and trustworthy alternative open to us.
Our predicament is comparable to
that of a man walking through the
woods along a path which a while ago
he was sure would lead him to his
home but who suddenly finds himself
lost in a wilderness. His original pathway, which before seemed so clear and
reliable, has now become overgrown
and difficult to follow. Frightful suspicions begin to assail him, but he
steadfastly beats them down because
he could not bear it if they should be
true. In order to keep up his courage,
he tells himself over and over that
this is just a temporary impasse. Soon
the path will lead out of the wilderness
and become clear and definite again.
Yet what if, instead, it should just keep
on getting worse and worse and
plunge him deeper and deeper into
this wilderness? At this point he
reassures himself by recalling that long
ago he had investigated the other possible paths and satisfied himself that
they really do not lead anywhere. How
could he have been wrong then? Surely the only sane and sensible thing to
do is to keep resolutely along this one.
Yet if this is right why does the wilderness keep on getting worse with every
step and give no promise of any improvement as far as one can see ahead?
Could it possibly be that some one of
the old and previously rejected pathways lying unnoticed close at hand
would really lead him out of the wilderness and bring him home at last?
My message to you who are graduating today is that there is indeed such
an unsuspected pathway, largely rejected by nineteenth and twentieth century man, which if we will only try it
will indeed lead us safely and surely
through the wilderness of contemporary
history. It is, however, so overgrown
that it is difficult to find and hard to
recognize as a pathway at all. And of
course even when it has been revealed,
it is very hard to make the decision to
trust it and follow it and to turn our
backs on the pathway which we have
been relying upon for so long. Nevertheless when one is lost in the wilderness this is the kind of decision one
has to make.
Perhaps the best way to begin the
process of revealing to you the existence of this forgotten pathway is by
way of contrasting it with the more
familiar path on which we have been
walking. Whereas on this path we can
detect only our desires and arbitrary
plans, purposes, and values, on the other
we would find freedom and sacrifice.
Whereas on this path we see only an
inscrutable fate, on the other the same
thing would smile out upon us as our
destiny. Vvhat seems merely good luck
or fortune on this path is apprehended
on the other as the hand of providence,
and what appears impersonally as mere
misfortune on the one presents itself
as judgment on the other. On the present path we merely make mistakes or
become maladjusted, while on the other
we sin. On this path we exalt man and
bend all of our ingenuity to the task of
improving his mastery over an inert
impersonal wor ld whose only significance resides in the fact that it is his
environment. But on this other forgotten path man humbles himself in
deep contrition and seeks for guidance
and mercy.
From these contrasts you can perhaps already see why it is so hard for
men of our century to rediscover and
to choose this old abandoned pathway
out of the wilderness. Is it not the way
of religion rather than science? Surely
mankind has tried it many times before
and found that it really does not lead
anywhere.
Freedom, destiny, providence, grace, judgment, sin, repentance, and humility indeed! What out- ·
moded unscientific notions we have
here. But human values and aspirations, fate, probability, good fortune
and misfortune, mistakes, maladjustment, and mastery of nature; are these
not perfectly straightforward ideas
firmly rooted in the dispassionate objective reality of our existence as modern science has revealed it to us?
Such questions as these serve to emphasize the magnitude of my task. It
is not at all easy to make the point I
am trying to make here, without at the
same time leaving the impression that
I am talking about fatalism, or am
against science, or even that I am advocating a wave of irrationality. All of
these charges and others besides have
been made.
But what they really
amount to is nothing more than an indication of the extent to which we have
become prisoners of the thought forms
and categories of reality of the culture
within which we are immersed.
A very helpful distinction to have in
mind when one is seriously trying to
grasp the profound meanings which
emerge from those contrasts is one
which has been made by Martin Buber.
For man, Buber would say, the world
has a twofold character- the world of
I and It and the world of I and Thou.
The first is the realm of the experiencing self and the world of his experience.
This is a sharply separated world divided into two neatly compartmented
areas of the subjective and the objective. In the first compartment belongs
everything inside the self- namely,
feelings, emotions, and values. In the
other compartment of the objective belongs everything which peoples the
world about him; all the objects of his
experience which he can investigat-e,
understand, use, manipulate, influence,
enjoy, or suffer. In contrast to this
separated world of experiencing selves
and the objects of their experience
stands the world of I and Thou; the
realm of relationships between beings
who meet each other by grace, say
Thou to each other, and give themselves in love.
Science belongs to the world of I and
It for it is concerned with objects of
experience and the ways in which a
knowing subject can understand their
structure and behavior, and can use
such knowledge to control the objects
in the world about him as he wishes.
Religion belongs, on the other hand, to
ALUMNUS
Page 15
the world of I and Thou for it is concerned with the relationships between
pre-existent beings which give themselves out of the depths of their freedom, meet each other across the void,
and fulfill each other in love.
Let us think for a moment of some of
the great words of the human spirit in
the light of this distinction. Take freedom first. What does it mean in the
world of I and It, that is from the
standpoint of science? Here then is
an experiencing knowing self moving
about among the manifold objects of
his experience which for him are simply hes and shes, institutions and organizations, animals and plants, elements
and substances, places and events,
space and time. Suppose this self now
performs any act whatever on the objects about him, and you ask what made
him do that particular act? Must you
not immediately search among all of
the varied constituents of his situation
for the causes for his act? Must you
not necessarily think of an explanation
in terms of instincts and past training,
that is in terms of genetically and environmentally conditioned desires and
drives? Without much reflection it is
not hard to see that in the world of
I and It there cannot be any such thing
as freedom. Whenever in modern
jurisprudence ideas of moral or legal
responsibility have been dealt with
scientifically from the standpoint of
psychology or sociology this fact has
become strikingly evident. How can
one hold an autonomous self responsible for its acts within an environmental world which in its isolation it
can only experience and use?
But now consider such an act in the
realm of the personal, the realm of the
I and Thou. Here we may well quote
a passage directly from Buber. "The
free man is he who wills without arbitrary self-will ... He believes in destiny, and believes that it stands in need
of him. It does not keep him in leading
strings, it awaits him, he must go to
it yet does not know where it is to be
found. But he knows that he must go
out with his whole being. The matter
will not turn out according to his decision; but what is to come will come only
when he decides on what he is able to
will. He must sacrifice his puny unfree
will, that is controlled by things and
instincts, to his grand will . . . Then
he intervenes no more, but at the same
time he does not let things merely happen. He listens to what is emerging
from himself, to the course of being in
the world; not in order to be supported
by it; but in order to bring it to reality
as it desires in its need of him to be
Page 16
ALUMNUS
brought- with human spirit and deed,
human life and death. I said he believes, but that really means he meets."
Perhaps you can see now what a very
different domain of reality this whole
realm of the personal is: Once you have
explored this realm and come to recognize its features and structure and
have realized the extent to which the
primary realities of your own beings
are wrapped up in it, then you will be
able to see with new eyes the deep
meanings of the several other great
words of the spirit which, like freedom,
are also never employed in scientific
discourse. Where in any textbook or
treatise on psychology, sociology, political science, or even history, if it is of
the objective scientific kind, can you
find such mighty words used as belief,
hope, destiny, judgment, grace, providence, sacrifice, sin, or redemption?
What primary living realities of our
existence these words point to, and yet
how quickly they evaporate as soon as
you try to give them any content or
meaning within the realm in which you
have only autonomous selves experiencing, knowing, and using a merely environmental world in which they live
and move and have their being.
Let us now in the light of these ideas
consider the two pathways through this
dangerous world about which we have
spoken. You have all just completed a
college education. The granting of your
degrees, which is soon to take place,
will signify that each of you has arrived at a certain established level in
equipping himself for his role in life.
But let us inquire more deeply into the
purpose and function of our educational
equipment. Too often in this present
age it is, as we have seen, explicitly
thought of in terms of man and his
plans and purposes for himself. Has
your education equipped you to try to
wrest from the world the kind of living you would like to have? Do you
look upon it as providing you with the
means for forging out the kind of
career you desire for yourself? As a
citizen of this great land do you conceive of it as your equipment for joining with your fellow Americans in a
great effort to master the difficult
problems of our history and discover
the correct policies, strategies, and
pressures for insuring the preservation
of her nationhood amidst the growing
forces which oppose her? Is your education meant to equip you to play your
part in all mankind's upward march of
progress in the conquest of nature and
the improvement and security of the
species? Is it in other words meant to
assist you to continue along the famil-
iar path through history which twentieth century man has been following?
If this is indeed the purpose of your
college education, then we must agree
that the prospects look ominous and
foreboding. Instead of the good living
it was supposed to help you make, it
could turn out that the only living you
will be allowed to have is that provided
in a Russian concentration camp. Instead of joining with your fellow men
in an exuberant mastery of history, it
could be that you are really moving
with them toward an annihilating holocaust of H-bomb warfare. These are
hard and violent words, I know. But
who can say what is to come out of
the darkly gathering clouds of contemporary history? Indeed, who can guess
what judgments lie in store for us upon
the haughty pride and self-sufficiency
of modern man, who, seizing upon
science as the sufficient means for his
purpose, has presumed to become the
master of his fate and the captain of
his soul? Let us face up to the realities
of our existence and acknowledge that
this is indeed a very dangerous world
in which to have to live one's life. On
these terms, and from the vantage point
of such a view of the purpose of one's
education, it is hard to see how, except
with extraordinary good luck, anyone
can expect to live very well at all in
our present world.
But now consider the same matter
from our other vantage point. Here
there is the great difference that you
as an experiencing self are no longer
at the center of things with your desires
and purposes. What is to come will
come, but you do not need to know it.
Your concern is with your freedom and
your fulfillment. You can go forth from
here light hearted and expectant, with
a full knowledge of your freedom and
its intended exercise. Your education
is your equipment for the meetings
which will present themselves to you.
With it and all the varied insights and•
understandings of the fabric of the
world which it has given you, you will
be the better equipped to recognize
that which in our history is striving in
its need of you to emerge into reality.
Like a good soldier you do not need
to know what the outcome will be; you
are content to leave that in the hands
of the Lord of history. You would not
think of intervening either and trying
to make things come out the way you
think they should, rather than the way
they are meant to emerge. You would
be outraged at the thought of attempting to master history for that would as
surely destroy your destiny and your
fulfillment as the attempt to master
your spouse would destroy your marriage.
At one time during the battle for
Britain in the last war there was not
a single rail connection between London and the south coast of England that
was not bombed out. It was a desperate moment. Much later when it
was all over someone asked Sir Winston Churchill how he had found the
strength to go on through this dark impasse. Was he not, they asked him,
thrown into despair by the utter helplessness of that moment? "Not at all,"
Sir \Vinston replied, "On the contrary
I found it quite exhilira ting !" These
arc not the words of a planner, a clever
strategist, or one who seeks to intervene in things to make them happen
according to his plan. These are rather
words of freedom and of greatness, of
one who has known destiny and has
thrown himself into history with every
ounce of his energy in order · that the
reality of that to which he has committed himself might be realized. This
is living proof of how well life can be
lived even in the most dangerous world
that can be imagined.
In August of last year, not very far
from here in Evanston, there was a
great ecumenical gathering of Christians. It was, as most of you know I
am sure, the second Assembly of the
World Council of Churches and its
theme was "Christ, the Hope of the
World." A commission on this main
theme worked for several years on the
preparation of a concise yet full statement of it for presentation to the Assembly when it convened. The contrast between the two pathways we
have been considering is sharply and
cogently expressed in this report. We
can do no better by way of summary
than to quote from this excellent statement. In doing so we may also note
that, although what I have said so far
concerns the life of the spirit in general, the fullest, most complete, and
most adequate expression of this life
takes place in response to the revelation of God in Christ. That point will,
I think, be clear as you hear these
sturdy and triumphant words:
"The hope of which we speak is
something different from what men
usually mean when they speak of hope.
In common speech 'hope' means a
strong desire for something which may
he possible but is not certain. What
is spoken of here is something that we
wait for expectantly and yet patiently.
because we know that it can never disappoint us.
"We Jive at a time when very many
are without hope. Many have lost the
ARNETT BEQUEST TO COLLEGE
Through the will of the late Trevor Arnett, Kalamazoo College received a $5,000 legacy. This money
will be used for the upkeep of Stetwn Chapel.
Dr. Arnett, nationally prominent
educator and husband of the late
Mrs. Bertha Stetson Arnett, daughter
of the late Herbert Lee Stetson, former president of Kalamazoo College,
died on May 31 in Ft. Lauderdale,
Fla. He had retired in 19 3 5 after a
long career in educational administration which included service as a
trustee of the Rockefeller Institute
for Medical Research, and with the
Rockefeller Foundation General
Education Board of· which he was
president in 1928. He was also former president of the Foundation's International Education Board and
treasurer of the Institute of Social
and Religious Education.
He was an authority on college
financing and author of several
books on the topic. He served as
auditor of the Baptist Theological
Union from 1901 to 1926, and from
1924 to 1926, Dr. Arnett was business manager and vice-president of
the University of Chicago.
Since his retirement, Dr. Arnett
worked with administrators of three
Negro colleges in Atlanta, Ga. He
hopes they had for earthly progress.
Many cling with the strength of fanaticism to hopes which their own sober
reason cannot justify. Multitudes ask
themselves. '\Vhat is coming to the
world? What is in front of us? \Vhat
may we look forward to?' The answer
to these questions has been given to us
in the Gospel. To those who ask 'What
is coming to the world?' we answer
'His Kingdom is coming.' To those
who ask 'What is in front of us?' we
answer 'It is He. the King, who confronts us.' To those who ask 'What
may we look forward to?' we answer
that we face not a trackless waste of
unfilled time with an end that none can
clare to predict; we face our living
Lord, our Judge and Saviour, He who
was dead and is alive for evermore, He
who has come and is coming and will
reign for ever and ever. It may be
that we face tribulation ; indeed we
must certainly face it if we would be
partakers with Him. But we know His
was an advisor to the boards of At- ·
lama University, Morehouse College,
and Spellman College which has
named a library in his honor.
Survivors include a sister-in-law,
Mrs. James Fluegal '17, and several
nieces and nephews.
COUNCIL ELECTS
Mrs. Ralph M. Ralston was elected president of the Women's Council at Kalamazoo College at the
meeting held during Commencement week end. She succeeds Mrs.
M. Lee Johnson.
Other officers include: Mrs. A. J.
Todd and Mrs. Leslie Vermeulen,
first and second vice-presidents, respectively; Mrs. Dwight Stocker,
secretary; and Mrs. George K. Ferguson, treasurer.
The magazine acknowledges the
photography of )chiavone Stttdio on
pages 11 and 21; the Kalamazoo
Gazette on pa~es 3, 7, and 18; Fred
Sauer '55 on the cover and on pages
6, 9, and 20.
word, His kingly word: 'Be of good
cheer; I have overcome the world.'" *
I hope that these ideas which I have
sketched out for you so incompletely
here this morning may prove sufficient
to give you at least some inkling of the
existence and character of this oth~
hidden path. Once uncovered it does
indeed prove to be the way out of this
present wilderness, and what is even
more important, to lead us on beyond
it to our eternal home. It is the path .
of the spirit and all those who have
found it and taken it bear witness to
the fact that it is really a wide and joyous and thrilling pathway. My earnest
wish and prayer for each of you who
are graduating today is that you may
find it too and so discover for yourselves the great and precious secret of
Jiving well in a dangerous world.
*
The Ecumenical Review, July 1954.
World Council of Churches, Geneva.
Pages 431 and 432.
ALUMNUS
Page 17
'INTERESTED IN
KALAMAZOO HISTORY?
Dr. lvor Spencer, head of the history department, scans historical manuscripts prod.uced
by members of the history seminar through the years, with Catherine Rutherford, Hugh
Mehaffie, and Marion Johns, three of the students who prepared papers on Kalamazoo history
during this past year.
BACCALAUREATE
(Conti mud from Page 4)
means of such manipulation and
regulation."
He questioned, however, that "if
tampering with a basic principle like
this law of cause and effect we may
not be flirting with doom and trading our long range spiritual birthright for a temporary mess of pottage.
"It would, therefore, seem logical
that more attention ought to be paid
to long range values in society," he
said. "The attention we pay to education, religious values, and spiritual
issues cannot help in the long run
but be the determining factor so far
as the future is concerned.
"That we spend more money for
comic books than we do for textbooks and casual luxuries than we do
for church work cannot help but
shape the future," he declared. "People who do that kind of thing for a
long period of time are laying the
groundwork for their own failure."
The Reverend Bell said "there are
few things this generation might
work for which could yield such rich
dividends to the nation and to the
Page 18
ALUMNUS
Christian church as to think through
that issue. In the long run worthwhile values cannot be bought at
bargain counters."
The Reverend Bell, who recognized that "most of our progress
has come from men and women who
were discontent with the way things
were being done," found that at the
same time a strong tendency to discard old ideas "merely because they
are old" represents a dangerous
development in our generation.
He pointed to moral and religious
standards extending through nineteen centuries providing "great accepted ideas" of the Christian church
"as the fundamental principles upon
which this side of man's life must
be built."
They, he reminded, are the "old
way" of doing things providing the
moral and spiritual structure for
sooety.
The Reverend Be 11 cautioned
against a fallacious idea "that only
part of our nature need be developed."
He observed that "many a person
has developed the so-called 'practical' side of his personality. But the
esthetic and idealistic side of his life
If you are struck by the savor of
antiquarianism, we suggest you take
yourself to Mandelle or the Public
Library to delve into the many research papers written by Kalamazoo
College students over the past ten
years. You may be intrigued by
"The Kalamazoo River- a Local
History up to the Civil War," "The
Theater in Kalamazoo," "The History of Prairie Ronde," "The Development of the Public School System," and at least fifty others. They
are local history, to be sure, but
they are also a reflection of those
wider currents that have shaped our
country and our world.
The College seminar program includes a discussion of historical
method and of the history of historical writing, but the research is the
big thing, and the products of the
history seminar hold promise of
worthwhile reading.
has been uncultivated. There are
too many people in the world who
have acquired the social graces, but
who are desolate in the spiritual
realm. On every hand we see these
undeveloped individuals and the imbalance which grows out of their
work.
"It would be sad enough, of
course, merely to know that such
people are living," he said, "but
when one thinks of the influence
they have the tragedy is ever more
staggering. Think, for example, what
such persons do to children when
they become parents. Children need
careful spiritual nurture as they find
their aims and goals in life. They
need more than a father who merely
'brings home the bacon.' They need
a spiritual companion and friend."
Participating in the Baccalaureate
were fathers of two of the graduating seniors, the Reverend George D.
Seifert of the Lakeview Baptist
Church in Battle Creek, and the
Reverend Osgoode H. McDonald,
executive secretary of the Department of Homes and Hospitals of the
American Baptist Home Mission
Society.
BASEBALL DIAMOND UNDERWAY
June graduation exercises at the
University of Texas Medical School
found Kalamazoo College represented by three of its own graduates.
They were Robert Binhammer '51,
receiving a Ph.D. in anatomy; Richard Timmer '53, receiving a M.A. in
anatomy; and Dr. John F. Finerty
'37, their teacher, professor of anatomy at the Medical School. They
made interesting feature material for
the June 1st issue of the Galveston
News in an article entitled, "Three
Young Men from Kalamazoo have
Converged on Med Branch."
Dr. Finerty has been conducting
research on protection from irradiation of white rats by parabiosis
(surgically created Siamese twins).
Binhammer, who had assisted Dr.
Finerty in the research, took up the
project of studying the effects of irradiation on the white rats and
based his dissertation for his doctorate degree on this work.
"White rats exposed to irradiation
suffer similar reaction as did the
people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
when the first atom bombs were
used in World War II," Binhammer said.
There has been a 100 per cent
incidence of cataracts developed
within a year after exposure. Binhammer said there is also a high incidence of tumors, both malignant
and benign. The rats have shown
greater susceptibility to infection,
especially pneumonia. High blood
pressure developed among the irradiated rats and all female rats became sterile. Many of the tumors
were beneath the skin and are associated with the mammary glands.
Some were of the brain, kidneys,
and glands.
Binhammer said, because of the
leukemia (a cancer-like disease of
the blood) and the cataracts which
have developed in the Japanese
atom bomb survivors, it is believed
that the reaction of rats to irradiation is the same as that of humans.
He now plans to investigate
means of modifying the incidence
of tumors and attempt to find a way
to prevent them, he said. He will
To be Named Woodworth Field
A gift from Tom Woodworth,
head of the Graff Trucking Company and a local sport enthusiast,
has made possible the construction
of a new baseball field for Kalamazoo College. Dr. Weimer K. Hicks,
President of Kalamazoo College, announced the receipt of the gift and
naming of the field as Woodworth
Field. In January of 1954, Mr.
Woodworth made another contribution which enabled Kalamazoo College to have baseball once again as
a part of its intercollegiate program.
Woodworth Field will be located
just west of Angell Field, the football stadium, and will be of regulation dimensions in all respects and
will provide seating for approximately 1500 people. The diamond
will have a grass infield and outfield
with dugouts for both teams. A
springling system is also being installed and a fence will enclose the
field.
go to the University of Cincinnati
and become instructor of anatomy.
For his thesis, Timmer investigated the effect of severe burns on
the pituitary gland. The pituitary
gland, which lies in the center of
the head below the brain, is the
source of ACTH which is produced
after severe stress. ACHT stimulates
the adrenal glands which in turn
give off hormones that protect the
body against the effect of stress. In
his investigation, Timmer found that
after severe burn to any part of the
body, the pituitary gland shrinks in
size, due partly to loss of water and
loss of protein material from the
gland.
Dr. Finerty said there is a great
shortage of basic science teachers
and researchers, and for every person graduated there are a number of
posts available. And from the Galveston News, "The Kalamazoo students here all studied biology under
the same teacher, a woman, Miss
Frances Diebold, who her students
here acclaim one of the outstanding
science teachers in the nation."
Rolla Anderson, Director of Athletics, says that Kalamazoo College
is very appreciative and grateful to
Mr. Woodworth for the gift. With
the addition of Woodworth Field,
Kalamazoo College will have one of
the best small college athletic plants
in the nation.
Plans for the new field are nearing completion, and work is expected to start in the near future. The
field will be ready for use next
spring. Kalamazoo College has
agreed that Woodworth Field may
be used by the City Parks Department during the summer months
and will become an important part
of the City recreational facilities. The
City Parks Department will do a
large part of the work at cost.
Alumni Support High
A record total of $21,619,035 was
contributed in 1954 by 791,008
alumni to the support of 3 52 institutions. This represents a gain of
$5,000,000 over comparable figures
for 1953 as reported by the 1954
Alumni Fund Survey published by
the American Alumni Council.
Aside from the response to solicitations for annual alumni gifts, an
additional $40,066,363 came to the
institutions from alumni in the form
of gifts and bequests that were not
credited to the annual alumni funds.
Top honors in the amount and
number of alumni contributions on
the Honor Rolls of 1954 Alumni
Funds established by the American
Alumni Council were taken by Harvard University with $1,233,448 being contributed by 30,402 alumni.
Princeton upset Dartmouth for the
first time in their keen competition
for the distinction of showing the
highest percentage of alumni contributing to the fund.
The fourth honor roll, established
this year for the first time, found
Wesleyan University leading in total
percentage of Alumni Giving to the
Institutions with $7,030,291.
ALUMNUS
Page 19
Names of the recopoents of the Kalamazoo College Athletic Association Medal since
1919 will be engraved on the H. Colin Hackney memorial plaque, given to the College by his
wife and presented by his son, Joe, at a Chapel program on May 25. Shown above, at the
presentation, ore Joe, Dr. Hicks, and Mrs. Hackney . The plaque will honor both post and
future scholar-athletes. The names of Jock Bowen and Arleigh Dodson will find their places
on the plaque as the recipients of this honor, announced at the June Commencement exercises.
Colin ,Hackney was on outstanding athlete during his years on the campus and was
the recipient of the scholar-athlete honor in 1930 at the time of his graduation. In addition
to his Bachelor's degree, he held a Moster's degree from Kalamazoo College granted in 1932.
He was a former president of the Kalamazoo College Alumni Association, and he was widely
known in Kalamazoo church, business, and civic affairs. He died in July of lost year.
SPRING SPORTS PICTURE
The spring sports picture at Kalamazoo College was one of the most
successful in the past decade, as the
College was nosed out by five points
for the all-sports trophy, won by
Albion. The Hornets were in contention right down to the last day,
but failed in their attempt to gain
the trophy when the track team took
a third place and the golf team could
only gain a fifth place ranking.
After a lapse of three years, the
baseball team did an excellent job
under the direction of coach Henry
Lasch, by finishing second in the
Conference with an over-all season
record of six wins and six losses.
Gary Morrison and Ellis Cutler gained the honor of being selected on the
MIAA All-Conference base b a 11
team. The team had only three seniors, so prospects are bright for the
1956 season. J ack Bowen of Kalamazoo was selected the most valuable baseball player.
The tennis team, as it has done
Page 20
ALUMNUS
during the past 18 years, came
through with another MIAA Conference championship. The highlight
of the season was the weekend trip
to Indiana and Illinois as the Stowemen defeated University of Illinois,
4 to 2, and the University of Indiana,
6 to 3. This was the first defeat for
Indiana in twenty matches. Jurgen
Diekmann of Germany was the
MIAA singles champion with the
runner-up being Hornet teammate
Leslie Dodson from Detroit. In
doubles, the Hornets also gained the
first two positions as Bob Casler and
Dave Moran defeated Jurgen Diekmann and Mike Beal for the number
one position.
The golf team was not too successful as it won only three of its
nine matches and finished fifth in
the Conference standings. Albion
again won the MIAA Conference.
Tom Anderson was top man for the
golf squad as he collected 12 1;2
points to his opponent's 11 Yz points.
The track team led by captain
Phil Lewis, raised itself from sixth to
third in Conference standings during
the past year. The Conference track
meet, held May 20, was an exciting
affair for all concerned as Hope beat
out the Hornetmen for second place
by only two points. Albion won the
meet by a twenty-point margin. The
Kalamazoo team received a severe
jolt as its ace trackman, John Frueh,
pulled a leg muscle on his first attempt in the broad jump. By his
absence the team lost a minimum of
twelve points. Phil Lewis was the
only senior on the squad, so it is
hoped that the '56 squad will be
able to challenge for the Conference
title. John Frueh of Grand Rapids
was selected as the most valuable
trackman and was also elected the
1956 captain.
1955 SPRING SPORTS RESULTS
Kalamazoo
Baseball
4- Ill . Institute of Tech .
8-Alma
12- Calvin
14- Albion
6- Hope
3-0iivet
3 -Adrian
7- Hillsdale
5- Tri-State
8- Ill. Institute of Tech.
13- Tri-State
1 - University of Detroit
10
3
4
1
13
2
6
5
7
16
9
11
Track
Kalamazoo
Adrian
Olivet
Kalamazoo
rh ~ nute Field
Kalamazoo
Hope
Grand Rapids Junior College
Kalamazoo
Hope
Kalamazoo
Olivet
Ferris
Kalamazoo
Albion
Kalamazoo
Calvin
91
38'!.
32'!.
81
50
82
55
25
68Y.,
62%
85
42
31
44%
86Ys
102
29
Kalamazoo
98
Hillsdale
Alma
57
Kalamazoo
7
Tennis
6- Calvin
4- Illinois
9 - Chanute Field
&-Indiana
5- Hillsdale
7-Albion
&-Adrian
7 -Hope
9 - Cincinnati
9 - Chanute Field
6-Alma
7- Olivet
S- Notre Dame
6-Wayne
9 - Detroit
Golf
Kalamazoo 13- Adrian
37'!. 11'!. 92'!. 5'!. -
Hope
Alma
Olivet
Calvin
Glenview
Chonute Field
V2 - Hillsdale
! - Albion
1
2
0
3
2
0
1
0
0
0
1
0
4
3
0
A well-attended Alumni Council
meeting on Commencement week
end dealt with several important
items of business.
Ralph Ralston '16, vice-chairman
of the Bequest Committee, presented
the bequests program to the group
and encouraged participation in this
venture which is the chief hope of
future financial security. The new
bequests brochure was distributed,
pointing out the changing picture in
philanthropy whereby the former
large estates are few and support
through a great number of wills,
perpetuating the annual gift, is
needed.
A coming election of one of the
College alumni to serve a three-year
term on the Board of Trustees was
discussed. Alumni are asked to sub-
mit names to the Alumni Office
which will, in turn, be referred to
the Executive Committee of the
Alumni Association for screening.
A mail ballot will then be conducted. A committee consisting of Edwin Gemrich '26, Charles Venema
'33, and Charles Starbuck '48, will
present a covering Amendment to
the Constitution concerning the election for approval at the fall meeting of the Alumni Council. This
committee will also review the Constitution for other revision.
Stuart Simpson, assistant to the
president, told the Council of the
progress being made in the area of
alumni-admissions work and the assistance given the admission program
by many of the clubs and individual alumni.
Albert Van Zoeren '23, president
of the Alumni Association who presided at the meeting, called the Annual Fund Drive to the attention of
Council members, stating that plans
will go forward this summer for
early organization.
ROCHESTER, N. Y. A potluck
dinner on April 27 at the home of
Mr. '49 and Mrs. Bruce Bowman
(Florence Chisholm '49) marked
the spring meeting of the Rochester
Alumni Club. Elected to serve the
Elsie Herbold Froeschner '35 provided the College with an exhibit of here extremely
detailed and interesting biological drawings during the Commencement week end. Asked
what caused her to follow this field, she gave credit to the four years of art she had with
Mrs. A. B. Hodgman and to the work in biology with Miss Diebold. Mrs. Froeschner then
held an assistantship in zoology at the U. of M. and received her M.A. in 1936. Following
study for the Ph.D., she toured museums in Europe and studied art in relation to science.
Her teaching took her to Sweet Briar and the University of Missouri. She now resides in
Bozeman, Mont., with her husba11d and two children, where she has been doing free lance
research drawing for the last twelve years. Her husband, who has a Ph.D. in entomology,
is in teaching and research at Montana State College. Mrs. Froeschner has been working
on the flora of Panama and the grasses of Iowa, in addition to her many other fascinating
subjects. A recent drawing showed a lace bug, found in Africa by a Swedish expedition,
described as a new species by Dr. C. J. Drake, expert of Ames, Iowa. In addition to the
interesting stories behind her work, she finds biological drawings a source of "·c onstant
amazement in the beauty of structure and the intricacies of nature."
club during the coming year were
Forrest Strome x'45, president; Mrs.
Bruce Bowman, vice-president; Miss
Ruth Osterling '54, recording secretary; Miss Alma Wickins x'49, corresponding secretary; and James
Cameron '54, treasurer. Wendell
Discher '49 is the retiring president.
ANN ARBOR. The Ann Arbor
Alumni Club held an evening meeting in the Women's League on May
4. The College was represented by
Dr. and Mrs. Weimer K. Hicks, William Bourne '56, student musician,
and Miss Marilyn Hinkle '44. Paul
Koken '29 was elected president of
the club, succeeding Leonard Elwell
'35; and John Kokinakes '50 was
elecred secretary-treasurer.
DETROIT. The Detroit Yacht Club
was the scene of the spring meeting
in Detroit on April 29. Dinner was
followed by a business meeting and
a talk by Dr. Hicks. Eugene Stermer
'5 1 is the new Detroit president; Joe
DeAgostino '50, vice-president; Miss
Nancy Giffels '50, secretary; and
Virginia Fowler Brandle '49, treasurer. Miss Pauline Redman '35 has
served for the past two years as head
of the club. Faculty guests invited
to the dinner included Dr. Raymond
Hightower and Dr. Richard Olmsted.
PHILADELPHIA. At a meeting trranged by Miss Winfred Johnson
'27, Philadelphia alumni met on
May 18 at the Eastern Baptist Seminary. Dr. and Mrs. Hicks were in
the east for this meeting.
NEW YORK. Dr. and Mrs. Hicks
were also present for the New York
Alumni Club's spring meeting on
May 17. Dinner at the Miyago
Restaurant marked the event, arranged by the club's retiring president, Royal Fisher '06. The new officers are Gordon Kurtz '48, president; Miss Kathleen Flemming '52,
secretary; and Miss Doris Todd '51,
treasurer.
ALUMNUS
Page 21
Deaths
A rthur F . White '95 died at Sand
Point, Idaho, on March 18. He was a
retired clergyman who in 1906 organized the Idaho State Baptist Convention and became its first president. He
is survived by his widow, Anne, and
four daughters.
D r. Harold L . A x tell '97 died in Moscow, Idaho, on May 8. He was one
of twenty-five outstanding graduates
honored by the College at the 1951
Convocation. Dr. Axtell was professor
emeritus of classical languages at the
University of Idaho. His father, Seth
]. Axtell, was professor of Greek at
Kalamazoo College from 1890 to 1902.
Survivors include his widow, Gertrude,
four daughters, and a son.
Ca roline Hopps DeLong of the class
of 1902 died in LaMoille, Illinois, on
June 1. Her husband was the late A.
N. DeLong '01. She is survived by
twin son and daughter, Robert and
Alice 1Ierrill, both of the class of 1933.
The R everend Wesley H. DesJardins
'08 died in East Northfield, N. J., on
March 9. He held pastorates in Holden,
Mass., and Saxton's River, Vt. He was
also an instructor at Vermont Academy
and Navy Y.M.C.A. chaplain in Newport, R. I., and Balboa, Canal Zone. He
was formerly rector of St. Peter's
Church, Rochelle Park, N. ]., and of
St. Alban's Church, Newark, N. J. The
Reverend DesJardins is survived by a
sister, two sons, and two daughters.
D r. Acelia M. Leach '1 0 of Lansing
passed away on March 6 in Hastings,
Mich. She had been in poor health for
the past four years.
Ervene Brooks H annold '15 died on
April 5 in Jackson, Mich., where she
had taught school for many years. Survivors include her daughter, a brother,
and a sister.
P aul M . Tedrow '16, an outstanding
prosecutor and attorney before he was
stricken by untimely illness in 1947,
died in Kalamazoo on May 16. Mr.
Tedrow is survived by his wife, Alice,
a son, Richard '45. and a daughter. :-Irs.
Marilyn Richmond '46.
A nna Hemenway Knapp of the class
of 1917 passed away in November in
Seattle, Wash., from a heart attack.
Dr. Leonard W . Lang '25 died on
:-fay 14 in Detroit, where he was engaged in the general practice of medicine. His widow, :-f arie. survives him.
M arion Olmsted Graff '27 died on
April 9 in Kalamazoo. She is survived
by her husband, Harry, her parents.
one sister, and three brothers, one of
whom is Kalamazoo Municipal Judge
Clark M. Olmsted x'42.
Page 22
ALUMNUS
William J. Hosken of the class of
1939 died recently of an incurable
disease. He had been employed by
Michigan Bell Telephone Company
since leaving Kalamazoo College. He is
survived by his wife, Joan, a daughter,
and a son.
Rufus K. Wyllys, who taught history
at Kalamazoo Coll ege from 1924 to
1926, died in Tempe, Arizona, on April
15. He was head of the social studies
department of Arizona State College
and was author of several books on the
history of Arizona and the Southwest.
He is survived by his wife, the former
Eugenia Dunsmore, who was librarian
at Kalamazoo College from 1920 to
1926.
Engagements
The engagement of Doris Fitzgerald
Drown and William J. Lawrence, Jr.,
'41 was announced on May 29.
Announcement has been made of the
engagement of Miss Carolyn Ann
Yoder to Gus Birtsas '47.
A wedding on September 3 is being
planned by Miss Bernice Van Stelle
x'55 and Gilbert C. Bottger.
The engagement of Miss Shirley A.
Edison '52 and John C. Tanner was announced on April 24. The wedding will
be an event of September.
Miss Jane Mallory '54 and Harry
Wagner have announced their engagement. The wedding will take place on
September 10.
The engagement of Miss Jean A.
Kittridge and Edwin L. Mauer '53 was
announced on May 15. Io elate has
been set for the wedding.
Miss Irene B. Emerson x'55 and
Gerry Mayer announced their engagement on May 22.
The engagement of Miss Ruth L.
Chamberlain '56 and Robert L. Galllagher '57 was announced on May 22.
Miss Marylou C. Howell '56 and
Richard D. Crooks '54 announced their
engagement on June 5. The wedding
\\'ill be an event of spring, 1956.
A summer wedding is being planned
by Miss Carra L. Price and Ellwood
H. Schneider. Jr ., x'52 who announced
their engagement on June 5.
bride of Fred M. Hudson '56 on June
19 in the Methodist Church, Horton,
Mich.
Miss Ellen M. Griner was married on
June 19 to Dr. Stanley L. Michael '51
in the Methodist Church, Schoolcraft,
Mich.
The historic Old Presbyterian Meeting House in Alexandria, Va., provided
the setting for the wedding of Miss
Ann B. Simpson and Lt. Thomas W.
Mulvey x'52 on June 18.
Miss Dolores M. Vrabel and L. John
~\[eyers x'52 were married on June 18
in St. Mary's Church, Kalamazoo.
Miss Mary Carolynn Kersjes '52 was
married to Richard Piechocki on June
18 in St. Augustine Catholic Church in
Kalamazoo.
Miss Evelyn E. Biek '54 became the
bride of Don G. Davis '55 on June 18
in the Federated Church, Dowagiac,
Mich.
Miss Barbara Lutz and Robert E.
Stelle '55 were married, Apri l 9, in the
Alumni Chapel at Michigan State University.
Miss Alice Curtis '55 was married to
Gordon Dudley '53 on April 9 in Kalamazoo.
Miss Marion Johns '55 became the
bride of Ar leigh R. Dodson '55 on June
18 in Detroit.
On May 3, Miss Rachel Quaint and
Dr. Louis D. Mahue x'50 were married
in the Christ Episcopal Church, Hudson, Ohio.
Miss Martha L .Hoard '55 and Fred
B. Smith, Jr., '52 were married on May
21 in Stetson Chapel.
Miss Jane E. Roberts '51 became the
bride of Robb E. Rynd on May 21 in
Stetson Chapel.
Miss Jo Anne Keller '56 was married
to Duane K. DeVries '55 on June 11 in
Windber, Pa.
Miss Naida L. Shimer '54 and Maynard M. Dewey '54 were married on
June 11 in Vvaterv1iet.
On June 18. Miss Mary Lou Scho~
field '55 and B. Thomas Smith, Jr., '55
\\'ere married in Flint.
Miss Jane Townsend was married to
\Viltiam Tindalt x'54 on June 11 in
Plainwell, Mich.
Marriages
Births
:-fiss Catherine Hinkle x'47 ,,·as married to Richard Koppe on June 25 at
the First Congregational Church in St.
Joseph, Mich.
Miss Alice L. Koning '51 and John
B. Owen were married on June 11 it~
Des:-Ioines, Iowa.
Miss Kathleen Folks became the
:-fr. x'35 and Mrs. Philip DeRight
(Ruth Bonfoey x'39) announce the
birth of a son, David Bradley, on April
18 in Kalamazoo.
Dr. '41 and Mrs. Richard A. Lemmer are the parents of a daughter,
Robin Jane, born on April 11 in Kalamazoo.
A son, David George, was born on
April 17 to Mr. x'42 and Mrs. Clark M.
Olmsted in Kalamazoo.
March 25 was the birth date of
David Russell, son of Mr. '48 and Mrs.
Russell A. Strong in Kalamazoo.
Mr. and Mrs. Alan Lincoln (Helen
Brink '52) are the parents of a son,
john Alan, born on March 25 in Kalamazoo.
A daughter, Stephanie, was born on
April 10 to Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Cerganoff (Sybil Widman x'49) in Grosse
Pointe, Mich.
Mr. '51 and Mrs. William G. Clark
announce the birth of a daughter,
Cathy Ann, on March 17 in Kalamazoo.
Mr. x'S-l and Mrs. John A. Murch
(Carolyn Davis x'SS) are the parents
of a son, Andrew, born on March 20
in Paw Paw.
April 11 was the birth elate of Jeffrey
Hamlin, son of Mr. '46 and Mrs. Bruce
:Mason (] oan Stuart x'46) in Grosse
Pointe \Voods, Mich.
Mr. and Mrs. James Swope (Winona
Lotz '45) announce the birth of a son,
John Michael, on May 14 in Kalamazoo.
A daughter, Katherine Rose, was
born to Mr. '51 and Mrs. Frederick W.
Winkler on May 16 in Kalamazoo.
Dr. and Mrs. Donald Van Liere are
the parents of a son, Eric Bruce, born
on May 25 in Kalamazoo. Dr. Van
Liere is professor of psychology at Kalamazoo College.
February 10 was the birth date of
Janet, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John
Basnett (Elinore Hoven '43) in Rochester, N.Y.
Mr. '54 and Mrs. Harrison C. Pearo
announce the birth of a son, Stephen
Michael, on June 2 in Hazel Park, Mich.
A daughter, Laura! Lynn, was born
to Mr. and Mrs. Karl Flessner (Linda
Crandall '54) on May 10 in Kalamazoo.
Mr. and Mrs. Rolla Anderson are
the parents of a daughter, Mary Jane,
born on May 18 in Kalamazoo. Mr.
Anderson is director of athletics at Kalamazoo College.
191 2
S ig rid Johnse n, who has spent many
years in India as a miSSIOnary nurse,
was a visitor on the College campus.
recently.
1919
Dr. Carl H. Chatters was appointed
city comptroller of Chicago, which is
the chief financial office of the city.
Dr. Chatters will continue on the staff
of the newly established Institute of
Government at Kalamazoo College.
1920
Allen B. Stowe was named official
referee for the Davis Cup tie between
Australia and Mexico on July 15, 16,
and '17 in Chicago. It was the first
Davis Cup match to be scheduled in
Chicago since 1927.
192l
D r . W illis F . Dunbar was elected
president of the Michigan Academy of
Science, Arts, and Letters.
1928
Frances Clark has accepted a position
as head of the piano department and
director of a new piano pedagogy program at Westminster Choir College in
Princeton, N. J.
1930
:tllr. x'48 and Mrs. James M. Skillman announce the birth of a daughter,
Ann, on April 26 in Detroit.
A son, Jay Nelson, was born on
April 28 to Mr. '47 and Mrs. Jack
Stateler (Evelyn Kelson '49) in Rochester, N. Y.
Mr. 'SO and Mrs. William F. Emrick
announce the birth of a daughter, Pia
Michele, on April 11 in Oxford, Mich.
Mr. '32 and Mrs. Edward J. Lauth
are the parents of a son, David Joseph,
born on May 2 in Kalamazoo.
May 3 was the birth of David, son
of Mr. '56 and Mrs. David Stuut, Jr.,
(Judith Lyon x'S7), in Kalamazoo.
Mr. '47 and Mrs. Louis Gerstner
(Louise Gwyn '47) announce the birth
of a daughter, Barbara Lynn, on April
30 in Kalamazoo.
Dr. '47 and 1f rs. l~alph 0. Kerman
(Cynthia Earl '44) are the parents of a
daughter, Kaney Ruth, born on May
1 in Kalamazoo.
A son, Curtis John, was born to Mr.
and Mrs. Richard M. Thomas (Betty
Coleman x'45) on :May 16 in Champaign, Ill.
May 25 was the birth elate of Jeffrey
1f ark, son of Mr. '46 and 1f rs. Earl
Risbridger (Doris Snell x'42) in Kalamazoo.
Mr. '48 and Mrs. Louis G. Collins
announce the birth of a son in Kalamazoo.
Mr. 'SO and Mrs. Edwin Phelps of
Richland, Mich., are the parents of a
daughter.
June 8 was the birth date of Tracy
Jean, daughter of Mr. '44 and Mrs. Norman D. Erway (vVilma Fletcher '44)
in Oregon, Wis.
News
1909
Har vey Bouck was one of fourteen
retiring teachers honored at a dinner
given by the Kalamazoo Teachers Club.
Mr. Bouck, who was a language arts
teacher at Kalamazoo Central High
School, has been teaching for 46 years.
Also honored at the dinner was Miss
Mable S tanley '10, teacher of mathematics at Northeastern Junior High
School in Kalamazoo, who has taught
for 45 years.
1911
Claude V. Courter, superintendent of
the Cincinnati Public Schools, received
an honorary degree from the University
of Cincinnati on the fiftieth anniversary
of Teachers College as a component
unit of the University.
Donald J. Black received his M.A.
degree in teaching of industrial education from Western Michigan College.
1932
Dr. Charles K. Johnson, pastor of
the First Presbyterian Church, was
named president of the Kalamazoo
Ministerial Alliance.
1935
Katheri n denBleyker was appointed
chief social worker at the Veterans
Hospital, Fort Custer, where she has
been employed since 1948. She has
helped train graduate students in social
work from Smith College and the University of Michigan at the VA H~s­
pital, and her participation in a national workshop of the Institute of
Mental Health resulted in the publication of a handbook aimed at providing
better services for patients in mental
hospitals.
1941
Robert Maunder is principal of the
new C. W. Otto Junior High School
in Lansing.
Dr. John D. Montgomery, dean of
the faculty and chairman of the department of government and law at Babson Institute of Busine ss Administration, Wellesley, Mass., has been named
a Guggenheim Fellow for 1955. In addition to his connection with Babson
ALUMNUS
Page 23
Institute, Dr. Montgomery has served
as a co nsulta nt to the Operations Research Office of Johns Hopkins University. In that capacity he has spent
t ime in Japan and Germany directing
research and fie ld studies of the effects
of mi litary occupation on those count r ies. Under the Guggenheim grant he
will expan d his studies to include Italy
to complete work on publication of his
"Analysis of Changes in the Elite
Structures of Occupied Countries."
1942
Louis Graff wrote the history-making
n ews r elease on the Salk polio vaccine.
He is science writer for the University
of Michigan news bureau.
1944
Norman and Wilma Erway are building an addition to their home to house
their expanding g lass-blowing business.
Both of them are actively engaged in
the fabrication and design of scientific
laboratory g lass apparatus.
Kendrith M. Rowland has accepted
the position of executive secretary of
the city-county Mental Health Center
at Davenport, Iowa. He fo r merly was
a psychiatric social worker on the staff
of the Winnebago State Hospital, O•hkosh, Wis.
Thomas E. Thompson received his
Ph.D. degree at the midyear Commencement at Harvard University.
The Reverend Paul Carpenter has
been appointed asistant minister of the
Garfield T r inity Baptist Church of
Cleveland, Ohio. He previously served
the Green Mountain Paris h, Montgomery Center, Vt.
1950
Dr. Richard Brown has completed his
Louise Goss has been appointed instructor of music literature and associa te director of a new piano pedagogy
program at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, N. J.
Anne Whitfield was married in London on August 20 to Ph ilip Nordhus, a n
E nglish instructor at Robert College,
Istanbul, Turkey. They a r e returning
to the United States this summer for
Mr. Nordhus to finish work on his Ph.D.
in American literature at the University of Iowa.
internship at Denver Genera l Hospital
and will report for active duty with the
Army Air Force as a medical officer
in J uly.
Bradley M. Allen received his B.D.
degree at the Colgate Rochester Divinity School Commencement exercises on
May 16 in Rochester, N. Y. He was
ordained to the Baptist ministry on
June 4 in the First Baptist Church in
Kalamazoo and will begin his first ministerial assignment in September as associate pastor of the F irst Baptist
Church, Wooster, Mass.
Walter McConner has been working
in Augusta, Georgia, with community
organization in the problems of recreation, since rece iving his Master's of
Social Work degree from Howard University in \,Yashington, D. C.
1949
1% 1
1947
Robert A. Johnson has been named
president of the Kalamazoo Valley Association of Purchasing Agents.
1948
Philip W. Mange, his wife, the for mer Eloise Quick 'SO, and their daughter, Virginia Louise. have left for Brussels, Belgium, where they will remain
for two years . Dr. Mange, who has
been an assistant professor of engineering at Pennsylvania State University
engaged in research in atmospheric
physics, will continue his research and
will assist Dr. ::vt:arcel )Jicolet of the
Belgian Royal 1feteorological Institute
in arrangements for the International
Geophysical Year (1957-58). The geophysical year is to consist of co-ordinated studies by investigators in fortyone cou ntries in various phases of the
earth sciences. 1\Iany of the research
projects for the forthcoming Antarctic
Expedition under Read Adm. Richard
E. Byrd have been planned in relation
to the geophysical year.
Alice Koning has received her Ph.D.
in embryology from Iowa State College.
John H. Leddy was graduated as a
reserve officer from the )Javy's Officer
Candidate School in ~ ewport, R. I. He
completed a four months' course, which
is the same course offered NROTC students over a four-year period.
1952
Roger D. Conklin ha s been assigned
to Fort Huachuca, Arizona, as an
electronic engineering assistant in the
electronic \\·arfare department, following hi s induction into the army.
Jack Wendt has accepted a sales
position with the Bob Erath Sporting
Goods Company of South Bend. He
will have the southern Illinois and Indiana territories.
Robert B . Ketcham received his B.D.
degree from Colgate Roche ster Divin-
ity School, Rochester, N. Y., at their
Commencement on May 16. He will be
associated with the Emmanuel Bapt ist
Church, Ridgewood, N. ].
1953
John Doyle took advantage of his
fur loughs to travel throughout Europe
during his seventeen-month tour of
duty at the Rhein-Main Air Base in
Frankfurt, Germany. He has now been
discharged from the service.
Thomas Hodson is director of Parsons Hall at Indiana State Teachers
College in Terre Haute and is also an
instructor in the social science depa r tment.
Susan Ralston Lewis is getting a new
home settled 111 Kalamazoo, whi le
waiting for her husband to be discharged from the Army.
Essell Blankson, who six years ago
came to America from the Gold Coast
of Africa, is preparing to enter government service in his homeland in th e
Ministry of Labor or the Department
of Commerce. He has been working
for the Kalamazoo Parks Department
since receiving his Master's degr ee in
labor economics from the Univers ity of
Wisconsin last January . Also attending Kalamazoo College during his stay
here, were three other natives of the
Gold Coast. Theo Adjai '53 graduated
in June from Stanford University, Dick
Quarshie '53 is a medica l student at
the University of Saskatchewan, and
AI Bruce-Micah is deceased.
1954
Jane Mallory is employed as Teenage
Program Director of the Pontiac,
1fich., Y.W.C.A.
Joyce Tiefenthal Dillman was awarded a Master of Fine Arts degree fo l'
her studies in painting at Cranbrook
Academy of Art.
Todd P . Graham wa s gTaduated from
the U. S. Military Academy and commissioned a second lieutenant in the
infantry, receiving a B.S. degree.
Karlis Kushevics received his B.D.
degree from the Lutheran Seminary in
).faywood. Ill. He was ordained in
Dixon , Ill. on ~[ay 25, and he has accepted the pastorate of a church in
Bluffs , Ill.
Louis F . Brakeman, Jr., received a
).f.A. degree from the Fletcher School
of Law and Diplomacy at the Commencement exercises of Tufts University, ).fedford, ~Ia s s .