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Show Class of 1948 Reunion Janet Storey Sessions Helen Keller, a great lady who could not see or hear, once said that if she had three days to see, that on the very first day, she would want to see the people whose kindness and companionship had made her life worth living. How fortunate we are that we can see our friends whenever we choose, especially on occasions such as this. After fifty years have gone by, I suppose that we have all run the gamut of life's experiences. We have brought children into the world. We have had successes and undoubtedly times of sadness, illness, and hardship. We have traveled and learned and taught, whether we thought we had or not. And death has probably come into our lives. But I am very grateful for all these experiences. In spite of all the difficult things, we are fortunate people. Albert Schweitzer wrote that in gratitude for your own good fortune, you must render some sacrifice in your life for other lives. I am sure that each of us has done that. There is a certain sweetness in the cherishing of memories that just living a life cannot take away. I, for one, have been sustained by the memories that I have of you and of my days at Weber. It was a special time for me. It was an unusual time for all of us. It was a time of sacrifice, a time of war and of parting, but for each hardship there came some good. Because there were so few of us, there was a special closeness, a special time of happiness. The campus was small and friendly. We had special relationships with teachers, with each other, and with President Dixon, who knew us all personally. We even had a basketball game or two. I can still see the faculty members versus the students playing their hearts out. I can remember knitting stockings, as I sat on the balcony of the Gym Building. Supposedly, these stockings were for the war effort. And speaking of that, I know of a very young man of today who said that if he could find somebody to knit him a pair of stockings, he would marry her. I don't remember that any of us had that sort of an offer. I remember a roller-skating party, a hike or two, and the unforgettable Polygamist Prance. And there were war bond drives and even queen contests, and once in a while, we really did study. Do you remember the time when Laurence Burton and company took their rendition of Hamlet to Box Elder High School, only to have one of its English teachers protest to President Dixon, and we couldn't do that Hamlet anymore? Years later I found myself in the same L.D.S. Ward as that English teacher in Brigham City, and he had a perfectly delightful sense of humor. I couldn't understand why he didn't like our rendition of Hamlet, but he did have a great reverence for Shakespeare. Another memory is Dr. Miner's photography class. It was more fun than spring flora of the Wasatch. There was only one man in that class. Maybe he had as much fun as we did wandering all over town, including the cemetery, taking pictures with pinhole cameras. We went to Ogden High School one day to an assembly, where we were supposed to take pictures. We were armed with a large press degraphic camera. None of us knew how to operate it, but we had a great time. From that photography class I have a scrapbook full of pictures. Years ago, when I was just a child, my mother talked constantly of her days at Weber Normal School. She happened to be a member of a class that took a flagpole and placed it on Mount Ogden. She would never let us forget that. Many years later when my husband went to Weber, it was called Weber College, and some of us rather irreverently referred to our days at Weber as being at Dixon's "dorm for dames." Nevertheless, aren't we happy that our grandchildren and great grandchildren can go to a fine Weber State University with many scholarships, great traditions, a sports arena, a fine arts center, a musical theater, and great programs? It is really wonderful. William F. Kirk once wrote " 'Twas a glorious game from the opening bell / Good plays, bad plays, swirls pell-mell. / The speed of it burns my tears away, / But I thank God that he let me play." Janet Storey Sessions 120 Class of 1954 Reunion Dexter Farr President Thompson, Administrators, Faculty, Fellow Classmates, Emeriti Alumni, Alumni Directors, Staff, and Friends: I am so glad you were able to attend the Weber State University Emeriti Alumni Banquet this evening. It has been a pleasure to visit with members of the Weber College graduating class of 1954, reunited to celebrate their inauguration into emeritus status of the Weber State University Alumni Association. May I just take a moment to say thanks, thanks to each of you here this evening and how much I appreciate all the effort of the Alumni Staff, Emeriti Alumni Board, and the 1954 Alumni Class Committee in making this evening such a great success. You are special people. This campus is certainly different than it was forty years ago, and yet the spirit, friendship, and pride are still evident. I am certain that memories from this night will bring a lump to my throat and a tear to my eye. I realize that the older I get, the more important are the memories, nostalgia, and warmth of remembrances. I appreciate the opportunity of representing the final graduating class, the class of 1954, from Weber's lower campus and recall some great memories of forty years past. But, first of all, I would like to take you back to Weber during the time when most of the graduating class of 1954 was being born, around 1933-34. In 1931 the Utah State Legislature passed House Bill 101, creating Weber College as a state junior college. It changed hands from the L.D.S. Church to the State of Utah on July 1, 1933. The buildings transferred to the state as a free gift were the Moench Building and the Gymnasium Building. President Tracy in one of his reports before transfer of the college on July 1, 1933, indicated that the Alumni Association had purchased approximately $90,000.00 worth of property, land, and residences on the campus block for the benefit of the college. Most of these structures were later purchased by the state. It was interesting to note that one of the ways the State helped support Weber College was a bill which Senator Ira Huggins of Ogden introduced on February 21, 1933 -Senate Bill 115, which would tax a 31.5 gallon barrel of beer at $ 1.00. It was estimated this would raise about one million dollars for the Ogden area each year. The tuition and registration fees per quarter in 1933-34 were $10.00 and $20.00 respectively, but if paid in advance annually, only $65.00. In conjunction with these low fees are some familiar names and their annual salaries: Leland H. Monson, English, and Guy H. Hurst, business: $1,600; Ralph S. Gray, chemistry; Merlon L. Stevenson, mathematics; and Roland C. Parry, music: $1,500; Reed K. Swenson, gymnasium, and Thatcher Allred, dramatic art: $1,400; Clarisse H. Hall, registrar; Eva Browning, librarian; and Orson Whitney Young, zoology: $1,200. Back in the 30's students were expected to attend daily assemblies, and eight reasons were given why they should. I kind of chuckled at the eighth reason: "They prevent depreciation of our organ, piano, and other musical instruments by constant use of them." Of course, a few years later assemblies changed from daily to weekly. An interesting note found in the Weber Herald, the college paper, pertained to the football coach, Reed Swenson. It stated that when Coach Swenson came to Weber last fall, he asked to see the football equipment. He was shown one jersey, one pair of pants, and one shoe. When he asked where the other shoe was, he was told not to be so extravagant; there was only one punter on a football team, and he punted with only one foot. Another interesting note: an article with a picture of Orson Whitney Young appeared in the Ogden Standard-Examiner, where he was advertising for twelve cats for his class in comparative vertebrate anatomy. He stated that the embalmed ones cost $3.00 each, more than the school could afford. The article stated that the Humane Society had endeavored to make Dr. Young release two dogs, and a lady called the paper saying that her cat was missing and could anyone stop Dr. Young. How times have changed. Now let me bring us up to 1953-54 and some memories of our class. It was an exciting time in Ogden, the end of the Ko- A very special dance 121 |