It is May and in 2018 that means it is time for Commencement. Let’s go back nearly a century and have a look at some fabulous pictures from the Commencement of June 1923. In the photograph above we see the members of the faculty and Board of Trustees preparing for the procession into the ceremony. In the center of this image, standing right at the limestone column and facing us is Thomas Riley Marshall, former Vice President of the United States and member of the class of 1873. Marshall served on the Board of Trustees for many years and was the commencement speaker for 1923. Just to the right is a tall fellow in academic regalia, that is President Mackintosh.

 

Another view of the scene. In the picture above we see folks lined up and in the center-left a small group at a bench.

Zoom in and facing us is a very young Lloyd B. Howell, Wabash class of 1909. As you can see, he is not in academic regalia as he joined the faculty a year later, in 1924. A fixture of the 20th century sciences at Wabash, Doc Howell taught for 35 years, until 1959.

Off they go to the ceremony. These pictures are marked with numbers, #1 is President Mackintosh or Doc Mack, as he was fondly known to students.  Beside him is #2 Vice President Marshall. and following closely is the beginning of the alumni procession with the oldest class first.

Across the mall and headed toward the gymnasium. The men in the middle are members of the Board of Trustees, then Mackintosh and Marshall and then the alumni procession in class year order. Back before the Big Bash, alumni reunions were at Commencement.

This is the gym, still fairly new at that point. You may note that surrounding the floor where the crowd is sitting is what appears to be dirt. The gym when built was all a dirt floor. The wooden part was the basketball floor, put down for the season, or special occasions, but which could be removed.

After the granting of degrees and the speechmaking are over, a picnic in the Arboretum was next. Look closely and see the class years attached to the trees, guiding alums to their spots.

 

In the photos above we see the flags hanging in the trees. The large flag at the upper right of this picture is the WWI service flag with a star to note each Wabash man who served.

 

All in all quite a festive scene. So here’s to the Class of 1923 and their big day, 95 years later. And here’s to the Class of 2018, may their years be prosperous and their lives be long!

All best, 

Beth Swift

Archivist

Wabash College

Crawfordsville, Indiana

Maurice Hale Brubaker W1908

In this, the third in a series focusing on The Bachelor’s earliest days, I would like to highlight one of the young men who helped to found The Bachelor and who served as its first Editor-in Chief.

Maurice Hale Brubaker, known to his friends as Hale, was born in Columbia City, Indiana in May of 1886. He graduated from the local high school in 1903 and secured a job with the Columbia City Commercial Mail, while he also held jobs at the local post office and taught school. This drive to achieve and his strong work ethic served him well and in the fall of 1905 Hale entered Wabash College. Seemingly always in a hurry, he finished in three years, despite a very busy on-campus schedule. Not only that, but he was also elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Looking back, over a century later, it appears that Hale was one of those young men who shine brightly wherever they go.

The story of the founding of The Bachelor, in detail, may be found in the previous post. As you may read, several young men were present but I suppose it was not an accident that the founding meeting was held in Brubaker’s room, or that he led the discussion. The founding story also serves to show that in virtually every activity, he was a leader, a man trusted by his fellow students.  No surprise then that he was The Bachelor’s first Editor-in-Chief. Fifty years later, one of those students remembered that of all of the copy that ran in the paper, Brubaker and another student, Ed Ziegner, wrote 90% of it.

To show that Brubaker was acknowledged as a leader, not just at Wabash, but among his peers statewide, we have this item from The Bachelor of April 13, 1908 reporting on the Indiana Press Club’s Annual Meeting, “At the business meeting in the evening, officers were chosen for next year. Those selected were: A. L. Hawkins of Indiana, Pres.; Paul Caldwell of Purdue, vice-pres.; Edward Lockwood of DePauw, corresponding secretary; M. H. Brubaker of Wabash, recording sec.; and George James of Indiana, treasurer.” One of five men to hold office statewide, Brubaker was once again chosen as a leader.

This young man was a leader, he was smart, he could write, and it seems he had other talents as well. From The Bachelor of June 6, 1908 the theater reviewer, we assume not Brubaker, states unequivocally, “M.H. Brubaker, as John Dennell the “Ring” boss, was one of the best characters in the play. Mr. Brubaker was at ease and his enunciation was good. It would be hard to improve upon his portrayal.” Hale was a talented actor!

And less we suppose that all of these activities caused his grades to slump, remember that he finished in three years and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa at Wabash. In addition, The Bachelor of April 4, 1908 adds to our portrait, “M.H. Brubaker and J.W. Macy have received scholarships in the law department of Columbia University.” Now we see a fuller picture of this remarkable student and his time at Wabash.

Brubaker went to New York City and enrolled in the School of Law at Columbia. As he had done here on campus, Brubaker worked hard, joined clubs and helped out where he saw the need. From The Bachelor of December 13, 1909 comes this story, “Maurice Hale Brubaker, ’08, who is attending the Law School of Columbia University, New York, is the business manager of The Civic Journal, a weekly put out by the People’s Institute of that city. The object of the organization and publication is the practical education of Americans in citizenship, the organization of civic clubs for young men and cooperation with all other organizations having similar objects… Mr. Brubaker had been working for the People’s Institute for more than a year past and was in a position to be useful to them in putting out the paper.” Indeed his experience on The Bachelor would have been tremendously helpful to this non-profit.

And, just as today, alumni around the country gather with other Wabash men in their area for food, drinks and remembrance of things past. Brubaker joined the New York group of Wabash men. Here is a snippet from page 1 of The Bachelor of January 27, 1910 about plans to help fundraise for the desperately needed new gym. “NEW GYMNASIUM PLANNED BY ALUMNI Graduates of Classes Since 1900 Hope to Raise Fund for New Athletic Building. Among the most potent workers in the new movement are the New York alumni, chief among whose members may be mentioned Leo Kelley, ’07, M. H. Brubaker, ’08, and B. R. Hoobler, ’01…Contributions already promised from the alumni and their friends form a considerable fund. It is planned that impetus be added to this movement by an elaborate reunion of all of the alumni who have graduated during the last fifteen years, to be held here next commencement.”

The next time there is a mention of this most excellent young man, it too is on page one, written by the men who knew him best, his fellow Bachelor writers. In the edition of December 12, 1910 a column length obituary appeared with distinctive black bars top and bottom, which denote mourning. The column was a fairly matter of fact listing of his achievements and the pertinent facts of a life cut short. On page two of that same issue, in the editorial column below, there is more of a personal sense of loss.

We will never know what this talented young man might have become, but it seems clear that his future was bright. What we do know for sure is that the paper he founded is still strong, over a century later. This is evidenced by a recent piece which carried the headline, “The Bachelor is Best in Indiana” found here: https://www.wabash.edu/news/displaystory.cfm?news_ID=10983 The first line of the piece would, no doubt, make Brubaker very proud, “For the fourth time in the last nine years, Wabash College’s student newspaper, The Bachelor was named Newspaper of the Year by the Indiana Collegiate Press Association (ICPA).”

So cheers to The Bachelor of today, cheers to the founders and cheers to the journalistic legacy handed down from generation to generation. All those earnest young men working late at night, writing and editing away to pull the paper together by the deadline. And for over a century doing it all simply for the love of it and to give the students, faculty and staff of Wabash a paper of excellence.

All best,

Beth Swift, Archivist

Wabash College

The last Dear Old Wabash post was a celebration of the student newspaper here at Wabash, The Bachelor, which has been around for 110 years. In this post, we will look more closely at the club that started the drive for a paper, the founding meeting, and the founders. Here is an account of the meeting that began this venture, told many years later by Harold Hawk, Wabash class of 1911 and later an assistant professor of English at the University of Colorado.

“I remember well the Sunday afternoon The Bachelor was born; at any rate, the afternoon the dream was dreamed aloud and the idea became a prognosis on paper in the form of scribbled notes, complete with name and its first staff. There were many others present, but I remember particularly well Brubaker, in whose room the meeting was held…and Calvin George and Joe Daniels and a fellow called Turnip, whose name I’ve forgotten. Even with six on the bed, there weren’t places enough for us to sit down…Brubaker was in charge.” The Bachelor 04 02 1954 p.3.

Here are pictures of some of those students.

From the editorial page of the first issue of The Bachelor, “With this issue, THE BACHELOR makes its bow to Wabash and her friends. The publication has been undertaken by the Press Club as something of which the college has long felt the want. Other schools of the class in which Wabash belongs have successfully published newspapers and there is no valid reason why the undertaking here should not be successful. The college is too small to support a daily paper but at the same time demands something more than a monthly publication.” The last refers to The Wabash Magazine, a magazine published here beginning in 1857 as a literary showcase, primarily for student writers. The editorial which appeared on page two of the first issue of The Bachelor continues by stating its intentions, “THE BACHELOR will in no sense be of a partisan nature but will endeavor simply to publish the news of the college in an unbiased, unprejudiced manner.”

The new student paper came as an outgrowth of the Wabash Press Club and its members formed the staff. Again, from that first edition, “In March of 1907, the Press Club of Wabash College was organized by the class in English Composition II and its membership was limited to such students as proposed taking up newspaper or literary work…To be eligible for membership a man must be at least a Sophomore and must not be below the average in his class-room work in English.”

In another account from April of 1958 by “Deac” (Henry Harter) Walters, Wabash class of 1909, “There were two men who stand out in my memory as those who were most energetic and should be known as the originators. M. H. Brubaker was the first Editor. Associated with him was Ed Ziegner…Brubaker and Ziegner wrote the paper the first year with the exception of describing sports events, which I took over. When I write ‘wrote the paper’ I mean that they produced 90% of the copy.” Walters continues, “The Bachelor was not started with any idea of a crusade. It was simply to publish the news of the College and matters of interest to the students. I think it has continued to fulfill this purpose.”

Deac Walters was correct in his assessment and 110 years after its founding, The Bachelor continues to publish the news of the College and matters of interest to the current students. In the next post, we will learn more about the man whose vision lives on in the student newspaper he founded.

Beth Swift, Archivist

Wabash College

 

One of the coolest artifacts we have on display here in the Ramsay Archives at Wabash is this printing plate. Featuring a large photograph of Thomas Riley Marshall, this is the plate that printed the first ever issue of The Bachelor, the campus newspaper that is coming right up on its 110th anniversary. This issue was published on April 9, 1908 just as Marshall had captured the nomination of the Democratic party for Governor of Indiana. In the fall Marshall won the election and it was this victory that propelled him on to the national stage and into Woodrow Wilson’s administration.

Also mentioned on this inaugural front page was the competition to represent Wabash to the Rhodes Scholarship committee. Wabash had three men qualified, but the Rhodes people stated clearly that only one man could represent Wabash. A committee comprised of faculty members and delegates from the junior and senior classes at Wabash took a secret vote and chose Claude A. Pifer [W1907] as our applicant. By April 20th The Bachelor was reporting that Pifer had won the Cecil Rhodes scholarship to Oxford, beginning a rare new tradition at Wabash.

Here is the paper that was printed off of this plate.

In addition to the other items of news, the article in the right column is a report on the glee club spring tour of nearby Indiana towns. Reading these reports, one gets the idea that the tours were more exciting than it would appear from the destinations – Noblesville and Anderson are not far and certainly not exotic destinations. Still, there were hotels, friends of the college, alumni and, perhaps best of all to the glee guys, pretty girls in each town. The reports of these tours always include notes of a young man who “lost his  heart” while on tour.

The back pages of this paper are filled with advertisements for local stores, restaurants and services. The Bachelor started off on a strong footing which included significant support from local businesses and alumni. This first issue contained a call to all students to bring forth their news, write for the paper or simply to talk it up so that others would support it.

And 110 years later, the paper is still doing just what it did in the beginning. It highlights the accomplishments of Wabash men, current and past. It reports on immersion trips – large and small. It delivers sports coverage and editorial content in a timely manner.

So here’s to The Bachelor and another 110 years of documenting the life of this college and the lives of her faculty, staff and students.

Beth Swift

Archivist

Wabash College

Our first Archivist – Edmund O. Hovey!

Well, that is what we might call him today. But in 1832 he was a jack of all trades – minister, science faculty, the Advancement department, building and grounds manager and, in his spare time he preserved the earliest bits of Wabash history. Today you can see his archives and read all about the struggles involved in starting a college in the wilderness. And it all comes to your device wherever you are thanks to Lilly library Cataloger Brian McCafferty.  Hovey’s letters and his even more amazing scrapbook are now online and searchable.

From this beautiful old letter from Williamson Dunn to James Thomson of November 12, 1832 we get the following, “If you should determine to procede [sic] in this project either on the Manual Labor plan or otherwise whenever you wish to erect buildings you may consider me bound to make a deed to two acres of land for a site at or about the place you and myself were examining when there last…”

http://palni.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15705coll42/id/1054/rec/27

This letter may be seen at the link above along with loads of other letters detailing the trials and tribulations in the pioneer days of Indiana. Fundraising in the east, reaching the “point of desperation” and triumphing over illness, the death of friends and colleagues and even watching your college catch fire and burn. All these and more are contained in the Hovey Letters collection.

The Hovey Scrapbook is an additional digital project, which may be found here:

http://palni.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15705coll36/id/16/rec/2

This page contains Hovey’s notes on the first meeting where the idea of a college in the Wabash Country was widely agreed upon and the donation of land from Williamson Dunn sealed the deal.

These two projects contain within them the Archives of Wabash College from its founding until Hovey’s death in the 1870s. A real look at events that often feel more like myth. The founding of a college in what was still the wilderness was a brave, bold move and nearly 190 years later, it is still going strong. I think the founders would be pleased to see what became of their humble start.

All best,

Beth Swift

Archivist

Wabash College

 

As the days shorten and the end of the year draws closer, I love to celebrate the holidays to chase away the gloom. So for this month’s post, here is a little gem of a cartoon as drawn by Wabash’s own Don Cole [W1952] for Christmas.

An amazing artist, Cole is credited with creating Wally Wabash, the original. For more on this talented alumnus, go to this link: https://blog.wabash.edu/dearoldwabash/2015/06/30/wally-in-the-army/

 

Happy Holidays from all of us here in the Archives!

Beth Swift

Archivist of the College

Crawfordsville, IN

When the calendar turns to November, our thoughts turn to the most important game of the year. No, not a big playoff game…even bigger! As coaches discover with Wabash football, there are two seasons and the second season is only one game long.  Yes, that’s right it’s time once again for the Monon Bell game!

This rivalry is strong and each year it seems to grow just a little bit more. Let’s look at some past imagery and get ready for THE BELL GAME!

The headline above is from the November 18, 1932 Bachelor. This was the first year that the Monon Bell was the trophy to the winner of the rivalry. Disappointingly, the game ended in a tie. But  here is the article about the bell and its new life as a coveted trophy.

 

This headline, all in red, is from 1951 and states the mission pretty clearly.

Get that Tiger

Keep that Bell

Beat DePauw

 

What a great cover for the game of 1954, played at home.

Looks like we won in 1984! I love the enthusiasm of these students, this was a very happy day for Wabash.

And on that upbeat note, let’s  will close with that famous old saying…

DePauw to H##L

BRING BACK THE

 

Go Wabash!

Beth Swift

Archivist

Wabash College

Homecoming has such a nice ring to it. It is a coming home, it is a return to a place of connection, it also offers a reason to reflect. Homecoming at Wabash College is this and more, it is a chance to celebrate with those who were here and have left. As alums and their families return, the stories they tell of their time at Wabash gives our current students a look into the past at a very different Wabash. A Wabash where Chapel attendance was mandatory, where Saturday classes loomed over Friday night fun. A simpler place where, as our friend Dick Ristine used to say, “They mowed the grass twice a summer, whether it needed it or not.” It was a different Wabash and a different time, let’s have a look at some homecoming celebrations of the past.

This 1912 article was the first call for a proper homecoming celebration. The idea was to personally invite all the former “W” men back to campus for the football game and a banquet. The “W” men were simply what we would today call lettermen, or those athletes who had earned a letter in a sport.

A big feature of homecoming in the early 20th century was the homecoming parade. College parades were a treat for both the students and the town, which was probably a good thing as by the time homecoming was over, there would have been some in town who were less than pleased with the students. Take a look at this next picture to see why this might have been the case.

Each year the freshmen would wander out into the town and gather any old thing they could find that might burn. All of these bits and pieces were stacked high for a bonfire on Friday night before the game. Here are a few more spectacular bonfire pictures.

 

This photograph gives us a closeup view of the contents of the pile. Odd bits of lumber, packing crates, fruit baskets, old tables and the traditional topper – an old outhouse. Always an old outhouse! While we of the future would like to think that all of this junk was donated – a sort of a wooden equivalent of our modern toxaway day – it was almost certainly not true! Freshman would prowl the alleys of town looking for any old thing that might burn and helping themselves.  However this little nugget from The Bachelor of  November 3, 1922 tells us a bit more about the restitution which was required, “In years past it has been customary for the freshmen, in their determination to provide a record-breaking bon-fire, to make away with those old-fashioned shanties which furnished the inspiration for one of Riley’s unprinted poems. In doing this, they frequently were not very particular whose they took. Each time, however, that they have got away with them, they were required to settle with a nice sum of money. It is well to warn freshmen that Chapel collections become monotonous, and that it is better to spend the money in helping to pay for band uniforms.”

This photo shows a later tradition where the freshmen were required to wear their pajamas, chant around a bonfire and attend a pep rally at the courthouse in downtown Crawfordsville.

Here are some great shots of that.

 

 

 

 

 

Chapel Sing is a long lasting tradition that has changed over the decades, here is a quick look at Chapel Sing in the early part of the 20th century.

 

 

And what would homecoming be without decorations? Here are a few really good ones…

 

And one of the earliest efforts…

 

Here are a couple of great old pictures from the early 1920’s. Spirits were high and in the first picture below we can see the band doing its part to add to the festivities.

 

To close this Homecoming hoopla, here are a few great invitations, inviting everyone back to campus. Homecoming is a great tradition and one we embrace with whole hearted gusto!

 

 

 

 

 

Here are two links about Don’s work, both while a student and then afterward as he served in the Army.

https://blog.wabash.edu/dearoldwabash/2015/05/

https://blog.wabash.edu/dearoldwabash/2015/06/

 

I hope you have enjoyed these views of Homecoming over the decades. It is a great tradition and a nice time to welcome back members of the Wabash family.

What else can we say? Oh, I know!

 

All best, 

Beth Swift

Archivist

Wabash College

 

COMMENT from David Morgan – Director of Campus Service here at Wabash regarding the man sweeping the Chapel floor:

One of the many duties of an archivist is is the creation of historical exhibits. Each semester a new one is needed. I usually try to tie them to upcoming campus happenings or historical events on campus. This semester the exhibit is about the glee club, ahead of the club’s reunion this fall. Among the greatest pieces in our archive is an instrument from the era when the biggest musical organization at Wabash was the glee and mandolin club.

To learn more about the man, I turned to the Wabash Magazine of 1909. It was a tradition that each member of the graduating class had a profile created for them in the Senior issue of the magazine. From Hurt’s profile, which was not written by him, we learn several things. His nickname was “Doc” perhaps due to his wish to follow in his father’s shoes. The profile notes that he planned to attend medical school following graduation. Hurt was also athletic and won his baseball “W” when a sophomore. This is an indication of his prowess on the diamond in only his second year. As to his musical life, from the profile, “He is an exceedingly musical fellow and made a reputation over the state as the famous glee club man. He has been a member of the Glee and Mandolin Clubs and the Glee Club Quartette [sic] for the last three years, and was the director of the Glee Club during the past year. On the trips the girls were enraptured by his beautiful countenance and Apollo-like form. Still he has maintained a quiet dignity through it all…”

 

That is really quite a write-up!

 

After he left Wabash, Hurt studied medicine and became a surgeon in Indianapolis. Still, he always kept a special place in his life for Old Wabash. He led a life of quiet dignity, one of service to his community and loyalty to his alma mater. As a measure of his devotion, the family established an award in his name, the Paul T. Hurt Award for Freshman Achievement, first given in 1950. The list of award winners reads like a Who’s Who of Wabash men and is still offered today.

The mandolin in our display is the same at that pictured above in the Glee and Mandolin Club photo of 1908. Here is a closeup of Hurt and his instrument.

 

This beautiful instrument was given to the College nearly a hundred years later, in 1994, by Hurt’s daughter, Nancy Hurt Diener. This is the description of it, “Pear shaped body with light ribbing on bottom; raised wood decoration at bottom of mandolin; lower body is dark wood, upper body of light wood with inlay around edges and in center; neck and peg board are made of light wood on underside, dark wood on top; “3” on underside of neck.  Dimensions: 25 1/4″ x 7 3/4″ (widest part of body).” As it is so distinctive, there really is no question that we have the same instrument.

You may have noticed the handwritten score of “Old Wabash” for the mandolin in the picture of the exhibit above. Here is a closer look.

 

As to Hurt and his mandolin, we have no idea if he kept playing it, but we do know that he treasured it enough to keep it with him and pass it along to his daughter. We also know that she valued it highly and sent it to Wabash for safekeeping, which we have done and will continue to do. It is such a pleasure finding these little threads in the rich tapestry that is Wabash. President Trippet coined this metaphor and I agree that it is a complex and beautiful weaving. So many threads and so many great stories to share!

All best,

 

Beth Swift – Archivist

Wabash College, Crawfordsville, Indiana

 

 

 

For nearly 150 years the Center Hall bell called the men of Wabash. The bell called them to class and it called them to Chapel, as it does yet today. The bell rang in celebration at the end of the Civil War and rang in mourning at the death of a member of the Wabash family. With such a high profile, it is not surprising that the bell has also been at the center of a great many student pranks. One of the most common was to snatch the clapper.

In the photo you can see these two students proudly displaying their prize. There was one student so noted for this feat that it was said of him that at any given time he had at least two clappers in his trunk. William Delbert Funkhouser (W1905, pictured at right) was a lively student and Athletic Association Yell Leader in 1902.  Smart as a whip, this scamp went on to become the beloved Chair of the Zoology Department and Dean of the Graduate School at the University of Kentucky.

The Funkhouser building located on Funkhouser Drive is home to the registrar’s office and student services. Named for our man, the building is a tribute to his immense impact on generations of students. He was as passionate about teaching as he was about pranks and often combined them. A graduate of UK once told me a story about Funkhouser teaching a zoology class. He was explaining the characteristics of a rather nasty snake and would then pull that very snake out of his shirt where it had been coiled around his middle since the start of class. Needless to say, he made quite an impression. Indeed, as I look out over the history of this place I see that the men of Wabash are a spirited bunch, and Funkhouser was no exception.

All best, 

Beth Swift

Archivist

Wabash College