Tag Archives: William H. Hoerner

‘Colgate Thirteen’ is organized (p. 306)

Posted on June 21, 2012 by | Comments Off on ‘Colgate Thirteen’ is organized (p. 306)

of the English Department and coach. Despite the limited facilities of the Little Theater in the Administration Building and later in Lawrence Hall, Masque and Triangle, the dramatic society, staged some notable productions under his direction. The actual performances were usually given in the village “opera house” or movie theater.

Under the leadership of Professor Hoerrner and, after his retirement in 1934, Professor Thomas Roberts, the Glee Club received wide support and held to its customary high standards. Its quartet made the first commercial recording of Colgate songs in 1926 and in 1929 for the first time the Club gave a joint concert with a girls’ chorus, the Skidmore Glee Club. A smaller and more informal singing group, the Colgate Thirteen, was organized in July, 1942, “to spread Colgate spirit through song.” Beta Theta Pi inaugurated its annual intrafraternity song contest in the spring of 1930. The first of a series of student musical comedies was produced in 1935.

The highlight of the debating program was probably the team’s successful trip to English universities in 1924. Cambridge and Oxford teams visited the campus on their American trips. Able students and effective coaches-Carl A. Kallgren, ’17, Ralph E. Kharas, Lawrence A. Appley, and Jasper (Jack) V. Garland-combined to make excellent records.

The YMCA, renamed successively Colgate University Christian Union and Colgate Christian Association, played an active part in student religious life, especially under the sponsorship of Dr. Alton and Secretaries Shotts and Gregory. After the latter’s resignation in 1933 students with some faculty assistance took greater responsibilities. The Association arranged in 1936 for the first of the all-campus Mother’s Day weekend programs which Beta Theta Pi had inaugurated in 1933.

The two honorary senior societies, Skull and Scroll and Gorgon’s Head, in 1925 vainly attempted to merge as the Mercurius Society in an effort to eliminate campus politics in selecting members. Seven years later, however, they succeeded in consolidating as Konosioni which emphasized service to Colgate as well as recognition for athletic and other attainments. Acknowledgment of freshman and sophomore campus leaders came with the formation of the Maroon Key Club, a junior honorary society, in 1931.

Fraternity life was in its heyday in the 1920’s and ’30’s. Two were added to those already on campus-Theta Pi Delta, a local group

Comments Off on ‘Colgate Thirteen’ is organized (p. 306)

Posted in Chapter 14, p. 306, The Cutten Period 1922-1942, timeline

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

p. 277 – The Bryan Period, 1908-1922

Posted on June 14, 2012 by | Comments Off on p. 277 – The Bryan Period, 1908-1922

tradition, one of its most violent aspects, lasted until 1919 when the faculty abolished the institution because of increasing intensity of the conflict, the dangers involved, and the money and time squandered. After a freshman accidentally drowned in the “proc” rush in 1919 this contest was replaced the next year by a frosh-soph tug-of-war. Under-classmen faithfully observed the pre-Moving-Up Day customs such as
burying the hatchet in Taylor Lake and smoking the peace pipe. On occasion their exuberance got out of bounds as when some of them in 1915 sheared the “flowing locks” of a villager and were hailed into court, or in 1921 when they burned the Whitnall Field grandstand and in 1922 the horse sheds behind St. Mary’s Church. The behavior of a minority reflected to a degree a relaxed attitude to law and order found throughout the country following World War 1.

Campus leaders wrestled with disciplinary and other problems in the Student Association and the senior honorary societies. The latter, in imitation of those established in American colleges as early as the 1890’s, were composed of those students who were outstanding primarily for extracurricular achievements and service to the University. The first, Skull and Scroll, was organized in 1908 for “the guardianship and promotion of the fair name of the college” with Professors Hoerrner and Whitnall as honorary members. The second, a rival, was Gorgon’s Head, founded in 1912 “to encourage the growth of manly character, scholarship, and College spirit”; Professors Alton, Allen, and Brigham were its sponsors. Distinguished off-campus recognition came to a Colgate undergraduate when Whitney H. Shepardson, ’10, son of the Academy Principal, and member of Skull and Scroll, was named the University’s first Rhodes Scholar in 1909.

To the five existing Greek letter fraternities six were added to meet the needs for social life, dormitory accommodations, and eating facilities brought about by the increased size of the student body. The Iota Chapter of Theta Chi was chartered in 1912 and Alpha Zeta Zeta of Lambda Chi Alpha in 1916. In 1917 three received charters-New York Delta Gamma of Alpha Tau Omega, founded as the Madison Club in 1902; Delta Upsilon of Sigma Nu, founded as Theta Delta Sigma in 1914; and Delta of Kappa Delta Rho. The last of the six, New York Zeta of Phi Delta Theta, originated in 1907 as the “Owl Club” which became Sigma Alpha in 1908 and was chartered in 1918. There had been only one house on the campus constructed for a fraternity,

Comments Off on p. 277 – The Bryan Period, 1908-1922

Posted in Chapter 13, p. 277, The Bryan Period 1908-1922

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

p. 275 – The Bryan Period, 1908-1922

Posted on June 14, 2012 by | Comments Off on p. 275 – The Bryan Period, 1908-1922

Taylor Hall, Home of the Academy Fraternities, A1000-69, Folder 2, p275

12:00 evenings. Among the “Y’s” other activities were: a reception for freshmen which was primarily for orientation purposes, publication of the Hand Book which had expanded in size and content by 1922, and a student employment service for those who needed odd jobs.

Professor Hoerrner’s vigorous leadership gave new life to musical activities. The Glee Club flourished, an orchestra was begun, and occasionally in the fall, a band was organized, primarily to play at the football games. Informal singing of college songs continued to have a widespread appeal. New ones were written and Songs of Colgate, a 30-page compilation by Robert G. Ingraham, ’13, was published in 1912 and a revised edition came out in 1916.

Dramatics, too, was a popular activity. Members of the former Dramatic Club reorganized in 1914 as the Masque and Triangle Club with Anthony F. Blanks, Professor of Public Speaking, as their advisor and coach. The old Academy chapel in the Administration Building served as their “Little Theater” and nearly 100 tried out for their first production, She Stoops to Conquer. The organization even induced four professors to give them lectures on English, French, Latin and Greek drama. By the 1920’s Masque and Triangle was sponsoring a playwriting contest and producing some of the prize-winning entries.

Colgate debaters enjoyed a heyday during the Bryan period when interest in public speaking was especially keen. Enthusiastic student and faculty support comparable to that for athletic contests, the many able undergraduates who competed with each other to make the

Comments Off on p. 275 – The Bryan Period, 1908-1922

Posted in Chapter 13, p. 275, The Bryan Period 1908-1922

Tagged , , ,

p. 271 – The Bryan Period, 1908-1922

Posted on June 14, 2012 by | Comments Off on p. 271 – The Bryan Period, 1908-1922

rhetoric and public speaking. For brief periods he had the assistance of Anthony F. Blanks, a Vanderbilt alumnus, Lionel D. Edie, ’15, and Clarence J. Myers, ’20, immediately after they graduated; and Carl A.Kallgren, ’17, who had outstanding success coaching the debate teams of 1921-27. Other alumni who returned were Robert C. Ward, ’08, and Frederick M. Jones, ’09, to the Romance Language Department in 1908 and 1910, and Clifford E. Gates, ’15, to the German Department in 1915-all studied in Europe, Jones earning his doctorate at Grenoble and Gates at Cornell.

In 1912 the Department of Music was established and William H. Hoerrner, supervisor of public school music in Binghamton, was made Professor. Under his supervision the glee club achieved a remarkably fine standard of performance and a far-reaching reputation. He was also active in arranging for many concerts on the campus by nationally known artists. From 1913 to 1920, Robert G. Ingraham, ’13, was a member of the Music and English Departments. Ford B. Saunders, even prior to his graduation in 1921, was designated organist and joined the Music Department after receiving his degree. His weekly recitals became a significant means for broadening students’ appreciation of music.

With the arrival of Alfred E. Alton in 1911, Biblical Literature became a permanent department of instruction and he developed for his classes a familiarity and appreciation of the Bible as a part of a liberal education. Like his own teacher, the liberal William Newton Clarke, he had a sympathetic understanding of problems of students from conservative backgrounds who found difficulty in adjusting to newer religious ideas. In addition to his classroom contacts, of course, he touched a great number of young men as counsellor and “chaplain,” as noted earlier, and never with cant or pious ways but on their own ground as advisor and guide.

In mathematics and natural science student interest had grown rapidly in the past few years. Dean Crawshaw was disturbed in 1909 that it might lead to a lop-sided program which, of course, the major and minor and distribution requirements arrested. Chemistry under the vigorous direction of Professor McGregory was probably the strongest and most popular department. Additions to his staff included: Arthur E. Wood, ’15, Kenneth S. Daniels; ’18, and Raymond J. Hemphill, M.S.’ ’24. The introduction of an industrial chemistry course in

Comments Off on p. 271 – The Bryan Period, 1908-1922

Posted in Chapter 13, p. 271, The Bryan Period 1908-1922

Tagged , , , , , ,