paula.mcgrew@gmail.com

Marching in the Footsteps of Dreamers

On March 24, 2017 I stood on a stone outside of the Lincoln Memorial that identified the very place where Martin Luther King, Jr. had stood on August 28, 1963 when making his famous “I Have A Dream” speech.

I stood there trying to imagine what that must have been like for the 250,000 or so people who were there that day. Each one had a story. Each one had challenges, frustrations, and dreams of their own.

But, there or not, many people were inspired to dream – and still are being inspired to this day. Dr. King’s words were timeless.

At WVWC, there have been many people inspired to dream and to help others to make their dreams a reality. In no way is this a full list, but merely a few examples to celebrate Martin Luther King’s vision and influence. The list would be extremely long even if it were possible to document the influence of Dr. King on each of these persons.

Robert Hunt, who was blind, taught history from 1959-1989. Students were often amazed to find that Dr. Hunt was an avid and talented bowler! He never let his blindness define who he was, and took students to Selma in 1965 for the March. One of the students wrote his thoughts about this trip. These young men from a small school in West Virginia were actively involved as volunteers. Dr. Hunt may not have had his sight, but he had the vision to take these students to volunteer at this important march.

Alfred Leon Moye, a junior, was elected Community Council President in 1959. He also ran track, sang in the choirs, acted in plays, sang in a quartet called the Chordials, and all this while being the top chemistry student at the school multiple years. At a time even before the Civil Rights Marches were being held, he managed to rise to the top. He has excelled in many areas of leadership throughout his life, including serving on the board of trustees for his Alma Mater from 1988-2013.

Lastly, I would like to mention a young sociology student from Ohio State University who rode the midnight bus from Columbus to Washington, D.C. to be present for the “I Have a Dream” speech in August of 1963.

Olson, Reginald Murmurmontis — Reginald Olson

Reginald Olson went on to become a United Methodist minister, professor of Sociology and Social Work at West Virginia Wesleyan, and a passionate worker for peace and justice. He taught at the college from 1979-1988, and during that time established the West Virginia Wesleyan College Peace Award which he personally presented to the first four recipients:

1985 (April 13) Senator Jennings Randolph for his work to establish the United States Institute of Peace
1985 (November 11) Jimmy Carter for the Camp David Peace Accords
1987 (November 10) Retired Admiral Eugene Carroll, Jr. of the Center for Defense Information
1988 (May 13) United Methodist Council of Bishops for their letter, “In Defense of Creation: The Nuclear Crisis and a Just Peace.”

Reginald and his wife, Barbara, were activists, pushing for openness and reform within the United Methodist Church and worked to change the church’s official policy that homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching. They advocated for a fully inclusive and loving church for people of all sexual orientations and gender identities at four international General Conferences between 2000 and 2012.

Peace. Honor. Respect. Justice.

Dr. King’s words were, indeed, timeless. We need to know them, study them, and remember them today. We need to keep marching.

It’s About Time

There is a concept that I refer to often. It is that of the perspective of time. We draw on our own experiences and memories when looking at a person, place, or event. These things shape how we see the world.

Atkinson

Through the years, Atkinson has served as the heart of the school.

The place where people had shared experiences of learning, worship, celebration, and mourning.

The place where faculty and students became a true community, and the place where that community grew to love the school.

The place where millions of memories were made although those memories will be very different depending on the perspective of time!

1906-1922 The Auditorium

1922-1967 Atkinson Chapel

1967-2008 Atkinson Auditorium

2008-2018 That strange building that is closed up.

1906-1922

When the administration building was built in 1906 (or College Hall as it was known at the time), it included a beautiful gathering space for 1,500 people. A place which was referred to from 1906-1922 as the auditorium.

Although it was certainly used for the required Chapel services, Atkinson was also the place which was used for drama productions, recitals and concerts were given by students and famous people alike, and many notable people came to speak.

For example, on Saturday, May 20, 1916, Helen Keller spoke in Atkinson Chapel. According to local papers, she received a standing ovation at the end of her speech, which she could neither see nor hear. She could, however, feel the vibrations in the floor so she knew her talk had been well received.

When President Wallace B. Fleming wrote our Alma Mater in 1918, it would have premiered here. And, through frequent singing of it, everyone would eventually have known all the words.

1922-1967

1922 it was renamed Atkinson Chapel in recognition of George W. Atkinson’s service to the college as a trustee and of his public service to the state of West Virginia. He also gave a gift of $4,000 that year – $3,000 of which was to be used to purchase a pipe organ for the chapel.

From 1922-1967 it was referred to mainly as Atkinson Chapel. Any of the students from that time would remember it as the place where they attended chapel services, lectures, concerts, thuses (pep rallies), and pretty much anything where the entire student body gathered. They inagurated presidents (from Doney to Martin).

The chapel services were required, and there were assigned seats. Roll was taken by student work-study workers. Not all services were strictly religious in nature, however, and some of these gatherings were addresses by presidents, deans, or faculty of the college. Some were nationally recognized speakers on topics relating to Liberal Arts Education or Social Justice.

Here is an example from October 1926

20th Paul Chrissman, Professor of Philosophy and Psychology, spoke on “Human Nature”
25th Thomas W. Haught, Professor of Geology, spoke on “The Last Leaf”
26th Ruth Raw, Professor of English Composition, spoke on “Following the Crowd”
27th Lewis H. Chrisman, Professor of English Literature, spoke on “Esau’s Example”
28th Nicholas Hyma, Professor of Chemistry, spoke on “Cheating”
29th Ralph C. Brown, Professor of Biblical Literature, spoke on “Elections”

1936 production of “The New Henrietta”

1967-2008

After Wesley Chapel was built in 1967, it was mainly referred to as Atkinson Auditorium – although at times the terms chapel and auditorium have seemed to be interchangeable.

The space was still frequently in use for theatre productions and some concerts. Those of us who attended in the mid 1970s might remember this as the place we all had to gather and watch Starry Starry Night with all of the freshman Humanities classes.

Although Atkinson received some renovations in 1953, by 2008 it was needing some serious repairs.

2008-2018

In 2008, after the completion of the Virginia Thomas Law Center for the Performing Arts was opened, the doors of Atkinson were closed. It was mainly used for storage for a full decade before recent activity to bring it back to life. Generations of Wesleyan students arrived and left without ever seeing inside Atkinson.

2019

Atkinson Returns — Photo by Tom Schoffler

This week, Tom Schoffler (Associate Professor of Musical Theater, and member of the class of 1997) was able to take his students back into Atkinson. He wrote on Facebook, “Today, for the first time in a decade, actors worked in Atkinson Auditorium!”

Comments began to fly………….

Alumni are rejoicing! (Reliving their own memories.)

Students are rejoicing! (They have been curious about this place.)

Long-time faculty are rejoicing! (They have missed the energy of the place.)

New faculty are rejoicing! (They are excited to experience this part of campus that has been closed to them.)

It’s about time!

Giants Among Us

Giants

When we think of Giants, what is the image that comes to mind?

Is it the Giants of folklore, like Paul Bunyan or John Henry? Or maybe Goliath, of Old Testament fame? Maybe some sort of mysterious huge person at the top of a beanstalk – or the Jolly Green Giant in the commercials.

At any rate, we are likely to think of someone who is very large.

Dictionaries use words like superhuman, exceptional, extraordinary. They talk of people who have great abilities, influence, power, or importance.

Ordinarily Extraordinary

Most of the Giants that I have discovered at West Virginia Wesleyan were not huge in physical stature, but there are many who have given exceptional love and service to the school. There are many who have had great influence, not because they were trying to be Giants but because they simply were (are).

Some of these names you have heard. Some of these names are on buildings. Other names have disappeared from common knowledge over the course of time. One such example is Thomas W. Haught (formerly known around campus as “Our Tommy”).

Thomas W. Haught came to Buckhannon as a student at the West Virginia Conference Seminary in the spring of 1891 — just months after the school opened its doors. He completed the Classical Course in 1894. Because the school did not offer college level degrees in those early days, he went on to get his A.B. degree at West Virginia University in 1896.

In the fall of 1896, he returned to teach Science, English, and Mathematics. From 1899-1901 he felt the call to further his education and went to study at Harvard University.

Fall 1901 brought him back to teach at his first Alma Mater once again. That fall a new art teacher also arrived on campus, and a courtship began between “Our Tommy” (as he was known by his students) and Miss Helen Wetmore. They married in 1903 much to the delight of everyone on campus. In the very first edition of the Murmurmontis they were literally on the same page.

Salaries were low, and in 1905 he reluctanly accepted an offer to administer the State school in Keyser – now known as Potomac State – a position he held until 1908 when he finally returned to Wesleyan for good.

He taught until his retirement in 1941, and then World War II made it necessary for him to continue teaching during “the emergency” of 1942.

Beyond the classroom, Thomas W. Haught served the college in many other capacities through the years:

Librarian 1901-03
Dean and Registrar 1910-26
Acting President Three Times (1913, 1922, 1925)
Dean 1927-30
Countless Committees

Recognized by Other Giants

Upon his death in 1957, others wrote about the gigantic things that Thomas W. Haught had done.

Here are a couple of highlights, but please Click Here to read this booklet.

Lewis H. Chrisman stated:

No name looms larger in the history of West Virginia Wesleyan College than that of Thomas W. Haught. No individual has made a greater contribution to the life of the institution. He belongs to its past, its present, and its future.

Roy McCuskey (former student of Thomas W. Haught) wrote an article titled, The Contribution of Thomas W. Haught to Wesleyan College. It begins:

And, James Stansbury closed his article, which was entitled The End of an Era, with these words:

But even with all of the things above, he is most of all a Giant in my eyes for the legacy of the written word about all that took place throughout those sixty-six years. Through his writings, he has given us our history. All of us who seek to know about the early years have consulted his work numerous times. They (we) are standing on the shoulders of this Giant named Thomas W. Haught.

Auld Lang Syne

It is New Year’s Eve. This is the evening of the year when we are most likely to look both back and forward.

We are all very likely to hear — and to sing — Auld Lang Syne this evening at least once. What does that even mean? Roughly translated, those three words mean Times Gone By. The song is about remembering friends and experiences from the past and not letting them be forgotten.

The first verse of the song asks,

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

And never brought to mind?

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

And auld lang syne.

Dreamers And Giants

On New Year’s Day last year DreamersAndGiants was launched to help us look back at those who have Dreamed West Virginia Wesleyan into being and those whose Dreams have kept us moving forward. Some have truly attained the status of Giants in this endeavor. Click here to learn more about the inspiration for such a venture. It has been a great first year, and much has been accomplished. There is still a LOT to do!!

DreamersAndGiants.com exists with the hope that we will all become better acquainted with the history of West Virginia Wesleyan and those who have been here in “Times Gone By.” During the past year, besides curating the stories on DreamersAndGiants.com, I have had the honor of teaching a course on the subject to a total of 70 students.

One of them had this to say:

Knowing that Wesleyan has a long good history makes it feel comfortable in the fact that it will continue down the road. Hearing that we made it through all the wars and the Great Depression and survived doing well makes me feel confident about the future of the college.

As we prepare to ring in 2019 this evening at midnight, I look forward to making more lists, collecting more stories, sharing more pictures, and writing more blog posts to share to help us all become more acquainted with WVWC.

I join former president Scarborough in his New Year’s wish from 69 years ago:

Christmas Eve

Campus is quiet today.

The students have finished their games, concerts, plays, readings, exams, presentations, and all manner of group activities for the fall.

The faculty and staff have finished lecturing, mentoring, encouraging, and at times nagging the students for the fall. They have graded the papers and exams, have turned in their grades, and are spending time with their families.

Soon it will all begin again. As it has since 1890.

There is more to be taught and learned, more to be written and read, more games to be played, more music to be made.

But for today Campus is quiet.

Merry Christmas to all of the Dreamers and the Giants of West Virginia Wesleyan College – Past….Present…and Future.

Perfect Gifts and A Letter to Santa

Do you have your Christmas shopping finished yet? How about a few suggestions, tips and advertisements from local stores in Buckhannon through the years? And some hopes and dreams and a letter to Santa from Wesleyan Students?

1900

A quality photograph is always a good choice. Or some school supplies!

Christmas Ads Hode Clark and Bon Ton — From Seminary Collegiate December 1900

1901

Shoes, slippers, umbrellas……or maybe a Mandolin.

Hats are popular, or other Gents’ Furnishings. And money saved on every purchase at Levinstein’s.

Or, you could have headed on down to John H. Fisher across from the Court House to pick up a High School Spoon or an Ink Well. This is a Jeweler, Optician, and Engraver with much to offer the shopper.

1904

But, while doing your shopping, don’t forget to think of others as well. Buckhannon has long been a place where generosity lives as you can tell from this ad in the Pharos in December 1904.

1934

During the Great Depression, the Pharos included an article urging students to look around them to see who might be needing some compassion and Christmas cheer. Still great advice!

1942

This letter from student Angeline Saunders in 1942 shows that all along students have had many of the same thoughts and requests of Santa Claus. Hers, however, does show that World War II was impacting her life at the time. The print is small on this image, so I will transcribe the letter below.

Only three more weeks, and Wesleyan’s students can already hear the sleigh bells ringing (also the drone of the buses and trains) and hear the booming hearty laughter of one Mr. Chris Cringle, alias Santa Claus. Wash your faces, children, and don’t worry about the consequences. Santa Claus knows everybody and in spite of all camouflage, never forgets a face. Yes, sir, Wesleyan students are awaiting eagerly the arrival of the old philanthropist from the North Pole, and a co-ed has taken time off from her busy daily routine to write a letter to him telling him of her immediate needs, omitting those non-essential things. Here it is:

Buckhannon, W. Va.

Tuesday, 9:30 p.m.

Dear Santa Claus:

It’s been such a long and trying year, that it seems ages since I last wrote to you. I’ve been having a pretty hard time, too, and I’m really going to need help from you in order to survive. I’m being convinced more and more that in college, too many people believe in the theory of the survival of the fittest. Need I say more? You are the only one I can really appeal to. There are a few things I want to you to give me for Christmas, things that only you can give.

First of all, I want you to give my professors soft, kind hearts and heads (or am I asking for the impossible?). Anyway, make them stop giving me so much work to do, and realize that I am really working myself to the bone and I can do only so much and no more. Make them feel sorry for me, and start patting me on the back instead of bawling me out when I’m not prepared.

Because, really, Santa, I can’t help it. I study harder than I should, but my schedule has so many osophy’s and logy’s in it that I’m in what a philosopher would call a dilemna. Well, what I want you to do in some way is to take me out of this bewilderment. Fix it up so that I get it a little easier, make me a little bit smarter (am I being tactful?) I want to be warmed by the fire of learning but I don’t want to be left holding the torch.

There are a few things I would like for you to do for my personal comfort, too. I understand that you have a mechanic who rigs up strange devices and can remedy almost anything. Please have him go around to all of the rooms in the dormitory and either fix the alarm clocks so that they go off at once, or fix them so that they don’t ring at all. (That’s best). It’s hard enough to have to get out of bed at the crack of dawn at the jangling of your own clock, but to have it followed by twenty-five others equally as jangly is anything but funny. And while he’s in the dormitory, have him check the showers while he’s there. I complained to you of this last year, but they’re acting up again. They’re hot when they should be cold, scalding warm when they should be nice and warm, and most of the time just freezing. You’ll really have to have this remedied if you expect me to be alive to write you another letter.

Send me, in or out of a box, a nice, big handsome boy friend. It doesn’t matter where you find him as long as you don’t send one of your Eskimo cronies. He doesn’t have to be smart, just good-looking. I don’t expect to have this wish granted because of the government priorities.

Make me a true friend who will be able to laugh at those rotten jokes that my friends insist on telling and going into hysterics over, make me stop being the inspiration for moron jokes, and don’t let me be a guinea pig for life’s experiments anymore.

I suppose you’re tired of my I-wanta complex, but I’ve really been a good girl. I have been behaving, have said no mean things to anyone, and am in bed by 10:00 o’clock every night except Saturday, then I go to bed at 10:30. In addition to that, I do two good deeds for people every day, and I still have my girl scout badge, and can sing the Indian scout song.

I really feel that I can count on you for these wishes. See, I’m not asking for simple things that anyone could grant, I’m asking for essential things. The only material thing I ask for is a booklet on “How To Knit In Ten Easy Lessons”. What with the war and everything, a girl has to have something to take her time up with. However, if you’re out of stock, as I imagine they’re in demand, send me a copy of “Live Alone And Like It”. That should serve the purpose.

Well, I guess I’d better quit, before I wear out my welcome. I will leave you, on Christmas eve, a Coca-cola and a bar of Baby Ruth candy, because the advertisements say you like them best, also a razor blade in case the trip is hard and you need a shave. I will not forget you, please do not forget me.

I hope you do not mind other people reading your mail. They will not tell anyone anything, so don’t worry. I’m looking forward to seeing you, and I hope you appreciate the fact that your reindeer don’t use tires or run on gasoline. You might run into difficulties.

A hopeful Helper, Wishful Winona.

P.S. In case the Pony Express up in the North Pole delivers this too late, I will celebrate two Christmases. You go right ahead. WW.

Happy Shopping!

Voices from the Past: President Carl Doney Writes “To the Student”

President Carl Gregg Doney Was Inspirational in 1910

In the 1910 Murmurmontis, President Doney wrote a letter “to the student.” He begins by congratulating them on being college students and then proceeds to explain the qualities of a student and the opportunities and responsibilites that are involved.

Since the font is quite small, I have transcribed this letter into a more readable format.

Doney Letter to the Student Murmurmontis 1910 — President Doney’s Letter to the Student from the 1910 Murmurmontis

I congratulate you upon being a college student. A college student is no ordinary person. He is a chosen vessel. He has chosen himself by virtue of his love and appreciation of scholarship and ideals and inner power. He has chosen himself to be discontented with average attainment. A vision somewhere fell upon his life and he has gone out to realize it.

A student is an investment. A hundred generations lay their treasures at his feet asking him to take them up and to possess them. A grateful and expectant nation has expended wealth untold to make him possible; and parents lavish love and hope and prayer and sacrifice upon him. Home and business and church and state are under burdens which he must learn to bear with strength and courage.

You should clearly tell yourself why you are here. Motive always counts; and with you it will be either a high-souled melody to make life a glory or a dull discord to drive you to unworthy tasks. Your motive must lie outside a selfish interest. The self-centered man has chosen a poor sun for his universe; it can neither hold his planets in their proper orbits nor light them on their way. You are here to make a big success of life; and that is well, provided you measure success with the right yard-stick. You must know that greater problems await you than ever engaged a former generation. If you solve them merely to obtain applause or wealth or ease the black line of selfishness will mar your monument; if you truly serve your generation by the will of God and for love of men your statue will be pure and white.

You should know that knowledge means consequent power and this is to be interpreted in terms of responsibility. Each year you will find yourself camped upon new heights. If you are true, you will use these captured bulwarks for still finer conquests, making your strength a servant which promotes the good of all.

You should get the spirit of your College. A college has a spirit as you have a personality. No college whose spirit is sordid or unchristian is worthy to be your alma mater; leave it; go where the ruling purpose, the thing which the college most wants to give you, is to have you live out the life that is brave and clean and strong. I think that is the spirit of Wesleyan. I am sure it is the spirit of every teacher and nearly every student; and you will play yourself false not to allow it to become your spirit, too.

Do not starve your spiritual nature. Character is the cornerstone of every lasting structure and character does not grow out of neglect. It is nurtured and brought to light in Jesus Christ. It would be a poor outcome for you if with all your getting of knowledge, you did not give your deepest feelings and best thoughts to the culture of that which is fundamental. Make up your mind that here in Wesleyan you will fully realize yourself, that you will be educated to a rich, full, strong life of which the world shall get the benefit.

The Inspiration Continues Today

The following is written by Paula McGrew and her WVWC History students in response to President Doney’s letter.

Each fall I have my First Year Seminar students to read this letter. Over and over it has been a powerful inspiration to them as well. They use words like inspired and motivated, and some even indicate gratitude that he wrote it and that I made them read it. Some of the sections that they highlight every single year include:

You should clearly tell yourself why you are here.
Make your mind that here at Wesleyan you will fully realize yourself, that you will be educated to a rich, full, strong life of which the world shall get the benefit.
A college student is no ordinary person.
The self-centered man has chosen a poor sun for his universe; it can neither hold his planets in their proper orbits nor light them on their way.
A student is an investment.
You should know that knowledge means consequent power and this is to be interpreted in terms of responsibility.
That the spirit of Wesleyan is the desire of all of your faculty members to have you live out the life that is brave and clean and strong. I think that is the spirit of Wesleyan.

Doney, Carl Gregg 1910 — President Doney, 1910 Murmurmontis

President Carl Gregg Doney’s Message For the Ages

At the end of each semester, many of my faculty colleagues find that some students have fully embraced the opportunities to learn and the responsibilities of using that knowledge. They are also often frustrated by those students who have not taken advantage of the opportunities before them.

I encourage us all to take a look at President Doney’s Letter to the Student. The one that he wrote in 1910 and that still speaks to students today. It is timeless and powerful.

Click here to read more comments from students about how they are inspired and motivated by these words. Names have been withheld, but these are all actual submissions from students in the years between 2019 and 2024.

Sing We Now of Christmas

Some people start the Christmas season in August, or at the very least during the week of Thanksgiving.

Lessons and Carols 2018 (Photo by Dewayne R. Lowther)

For me, though, it can never really be the Christmas season until the Festival of Lessons and Carols at WVWC. There is just something about the music, the chapel itself, the organ cranked up and many voices joining together as we sing, “O Come All Ye Faithful” or “Joy to the World.”

Although there were musical celebrations and concerts from way back in the 1890s, and for awhile it was a combination of the Hanging of the Greens and the music, the present form of this program began in earnest in 1980.

Early Years

There have been choir concerts, band concerts, orchestra concerts, and every combination of these things through the years to celebrate the birth of the Christ Child. The joy and the sense of community at these celebrations has been around for a long time.

Here are some examples from Christmas 1961, shown in the January 1962 issue of the Sundial. This was the first year for a special group of choir members, the Wesleyan Chorale, under the direction of Irma Hopkins Collins.

Hanging of the Greens

During Christmas of 1961, another Wesleyan Christmas Tradition was born. For many years both the Hanging of the Greens and the Lessons and Carols were combined into one program, although that is no longer the case.

The January 1962 Sundial also explains this tradition and provides us with an accompanying photograph.

Climaxing the Christmas observances “The Hanging of the Green” joined the list of traditions at Wesleyan on December 12. This enactment of an ancient English custom involved the legend of the hanging of the green as well as the relating of the significance of the laurel, mistletoe, holly, and ivy in the folklore of the English people. A wreath including the four Christmas greens was presented to James Stansbury, assistant to the president, who accepted it on behalf of President Stanley H. Martin who was ill.

Festival of Lessons and Carols

From 1980 until his retirement in 2013, Dr. Larry R. Parsons directed an Annual Festival of Lessons and Carols. It was inspired by the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at King’s College, Cambridge – which is celebrating 100 years of this tradition this year.

The music has been beautiful, haunting, expressive, and joyous in this format for 38 years, always done with care and hard work. From year to year the styles of music have changed – sometimes with organ and piano only, other years with brass or woodwind choirs or harp or chamber orchestras, cello, or violin. But always the choirs are well prepared and present a gift to the assembled crowd.

Always the traditional readings have been included. The readers have changed from year to year, generally including campus leaders from all areas of the community. Lists of participants reads like a Who’s Who of Wesleyan through the years. Click here to see details of this beautiful tradition.

The traditions have been carried on by R. Daniel Hughes and his choirs. He is including other area choirs from the community as well.

Importance to Choir Members

The preparation of this music has been something that choir members through the years report being very challenging, incredible amounts of work, and one of the things they fondly remember most about their college years.

In fact, this particular year, two Choir Alumni came back to Lessons and Carols with choirs of their own students. Barbara Wygal Lutz, 1978, and Jeremiah Smallridge, 2007 (each a choir Giant in his and her own right) directed their students (who were absolutely amazing!) Barb’s group travelled to Buckhannon from Greenbrier East High School, and Jeremiah shares his talents and joy for music at Buckhannon-Upshur High School.

Barb Wygal Lutz and her Choir — Barb Wygal Lutz, ’78, and her Choir from Greenbrier East High School

Lessons and Carols Buckhannon-Upshur Choir — Jeremiah Smallridge, Class of 2007, and his Buckhannon-Upshur High School Choir

Importance Beyond Our Campus

This year the program was shared via Facebook Live so that those who are not in Buckhannon could see and hear this important tradition. As of this writing 1,670 people have been reached by the video post and there have been over 1,000 views. That number keeps rising, making this accessible in a wonderful 21st century kind of way. Comments on this feed have come from ecstatic alumni, parents of singers, and many others who were not able to be here in person. For those of you with Facebook, check out WVWC Creative Arts to access this video.

Many pastors who are alumni of the college report that they have similar Christmas programs in their churches, inspired by their experiences here.

Campus Christmas Tree 2018 — Lauren Weaver and President Thierstein Light the Campus Christmas Tree

Following the Festival of Lessons and Carols we gather around the Campus Christmas Tree for the official lighting ceremony. This year was unseasonably warm and void of snow — but that is certainly not always the case!

Sing We Now of Christmas

With participants from across time, and with participants elsewhere, we bring in the Christmas Season on campus.

This year marks 50 Years of Christmas Celebration in Wesley Chapel, 38 Years of Festival of Lessons and Carols format, and the 100 Year Anniversary of King’s College at Cambridge celebrating in this way.

Now it can be Christmas!

Death By Obsolescence

The Beginning

The West Virginia Conference Seminary opened on September 3, 1890.

The very next week, on September 11, 1890, the Literary Societies were formed.

Thomas W. Haught tells us that President Hutchinson and the faculty, “took the roster of students and divided it into two lists, equal in number, assigning all students to one or the other. There were practically no requests made by students for permission to change from one group to the other, and both groups at once set about organizing by adopting names, consitutions, and electing officers.”

LIterary Societies Chrestomathean and Excelsior — Read more about these early days in Thomas Haught’s book, pages 168-169

Society A and Society B became Chrestomathean and Excelsior.

Chrestomathean (from the Greek) A useful selection of literary passages for those with the desire for learning
Excelsior (from the Latin) Higher, Always Upward

In the Seminary Building, each of these societies had a Hall, which they decorated elegantly, and which included a raised platform and a piano. In the same manner as societies at Oxford and Cambridge, the societies at the West Virginia Conference Seminary were places where intellectual issues of the day would be discussed and debated and where cultural activities would thrive.

Chrestos in Session 1912 — Photo from 1912 Murmurmontis

You may be wondering what kinds of intellectual issues were discussed. Here are some examples from 1891:

March 27, 1891 That the right of suffrage shall be extended to women.

April 10, 1891 That the Railroads and Telegraph lines should be owned by the government.

April 17, 1891 That the Steam Engine is more beneficial to mankind than the Printing Press.

May 1, 1891 That the Pulpit wields a greater influence for good than the Printing Press. (It would appear that the negative argument prevailed here.)

May 7, 1891 That the Negroes have a greater right to complain of ill treatment at the hands of the U.S. than the Indians. (It would also appear that the negative argument prevailed in this one.)

1890-1910

For the first 20 years or so the school maintained a very strict environment for the students. Strict religious and social rules prevailed:

No Dancing, No Smoking, No Plays, No Dating

Therefore, these meetings were the only forms of co-educational social contact beyond the classroom and the chapel services.

Boys and girls took great pride in displaying their intellectual and oratorical skills to impress each other.

Excesior Society 1908 — Murmurmontis 1908

They spent a lot of time together- at meetings, and preparing programs and debates. In many cases romances flourished. Here are a couple of examples of couples who met in the Chrestomathean Literary Society, and who were later married for many years.

Edward Boetticher became a Methodist pastor after his graduation in 1926, and served as a Trustee of the College from 1949-1965. Here is a related story about Edward and Gazelle: In the Footsteps of Giants.

Charles Aubrey Jones, Seminary Class of 1904, is well known to modern-day Wesleyan as the person who donated our large and valuable collection of materials on Abraham Lincoln. He was also the editor of the very first Murmurmontis (yearbook) and stayed in close contact with the school throughout his life. I had the honor to meet with Charles and Ireta’s daughter, Betty, when she was in her 90s. She told wonderful stories of Mama and Daddy and the love they had for Wesleyan and for each other.

Leadership Opportunities

The officers of these groups wielded a lot of power,and had many opportunities to grow in their leadership skills. They planned and presided over the weekly programs and the meetings. Officers changed each term:

For this particular year these were the dates:

Fall Officers (September 3, 1902 through November 11, 1902)
Winter Officers (November 12, 1902 through March 1, 1903)
Spring Officers (March 6, 1903 through June 4, 1903)

Many of these leaders became leaders of the school in later years by serving on the Board of Trustees or on the Faculty. Or even President of the College! Here are a few names that may be familiar.

After 1910

There were an increasing number of students at the school, making the groups much more difficult to maintain. The first year the school was open, there were a total of 201 students. By 1910, there were 408 on the roster.

There were also increased opportunities for socializing, more speciaized groups for students to join, and greater social freedom.

Athletics were on the rise following the building of the Gymnasium, and students would often have to miss meetings for practices or games. There was the Athletic Association, and teams: Football, Baseball, Track, Basketball, Girls Basketball.

Christian youth organizations, such as the Y.M.C.A and the Y.W.C.A. were gaining in popularity both here and in the region, and the school also had a Homiletic Club.

Choirs and eventually bands began to appear.

There was even a Co-Ed German Conversation Club by 1912!

Debating Societies were formed, and Intercollegiate Debating was gaining popularity throughout the country. On the Wesleyan campus were two: The Wesleyan Debating Club and The Webster Debating Club.

Sororities and Fraternities started forming at Wesleyan in the early 1920s.

And the Pharos and Murmurmontis staffs were both Co-Ed.

In other words, Student Organizations were specializing. Debate, oration, music, drama, and social interaction were being done in new ways. Many of these things became part of the curriculum of the school as well.

In a two part series of articles for the Sundial in 1961, William C. Seifrit (Assistant Professor of Speech 1959-1964) described the history of the Literary Societies from their beginnings up through the 1920s. Please click here to read these wonderful articles:

The Meaning of ——- “Chrestomathean and Excelsior” (Part 1) pages 4-8

The Meaning of ——- “Chrestomathean and Excelsior” (Part 2) pages 4-7

Voices From the Past: Thanksgiving Thoughts

Chrisman, Lewis Herbert 1947 — Lewis H. Chrisman 1947 Murmurmontis

Thanksgiving Thoughts, by Lewis H. Chrisman (November 1947)

The request to write a few words of Thanksgiving greetings for the West Virginia Wesleyan College Bulletin causes memory to throw the light of other days around me. In these times of comparatively easy transportation, the Wesleyan campus on Thanksgiving is a rather lonely place. Students can get home easily, and practically all of them take advantage of their opportunity.

This was not so back in the administrations of Dr. Fleming and Dr. Cutshall. Then the whole college community remained in Buckhannon. In the morning most of us went to church. The rest of the day was spent in lazy comfort. Then came the climax, which was a traditional dinner in the Agnes Howard Hall. My only painful memory of the occasion was of a nefarious and unsuccessful attempt being made to compel me to carve the turkey at the speakers’ table. Those of later generations are warned not to picture this company assembled in the present dining room. In those days the girls of the Agnes Howard Hall dined in the large room on the first floor on the side next to the Administration Building. I often think of that crowded room on Thanksgiving evening with the heavily laden tables and the happy company. And I am sure that these memories are shared by many others of that college generation.

Since those days much water has passed down the Buckhannon. Wesleyan has gone through some hard storms and successfully weathered them. Other generations of students have come and gone. Wesleyan men, and some women, have journeyed to the ends of the earth at the call of war’s rude tumult. Yet the life of the college at Buckhannon has moved steadily on. Some of us for almost thirty years have faced students in the same classrooms. It may be hard for Wesleyanites of other days to imagine the chapel packed with students to the top seats of the balcony, as is now the case. We must though, remember that the Wesleyan of yesterday is the Wesleyan of today. The past, the present, and the future march hand in hand.

Although we no longer gather in the Agnes Howard Hall on Thanksgiving Day, there is still no better time for us to relive the experiences of the past, to remember those who made college life richer and brighter, and to renew our allegiance to the great moral and spiritual verities which undergird the universe.

Chrisman, L. H. (1947). Thanksgiving Thoughts. The West Virginia Wesleyan College Bulletin, 40(8), p.2.

Chrisman, L.H. (1949). Our Thanksgiving Heritage. The West Virginia Wesleyan College Bulletin, 42(9), p.3.

Lewis H. Chrisman

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Atkinson

1906-1922

1922-1967

1967-2008

2008-2018

2019

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Giants

Ordinarily Extraordinary

Recognized by Other Giants

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Dreamers And Giants

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1900

1901

1904

1934

1942

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President Carl Gregg Doney Was Inspirational in 1910

The Inspiration Continues Today

President Carl Gregg Doney’s Message For the Ages

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Early Years

Hanging of the Greens

Festival of Lessons and Carols

Importance to Choir Members

Importance Beyond Our Campus

Sing We Now of Christmas

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The Beginning

1890-1910

Leadership Opportunities

After 1910

In other words, Student Organizations were specializing. Debate, oration, music, drama, and social interaction were being done in new ways. Many of these things became part of the curriculum of the school as well.

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Thanksgiving Thoughts, by Lewis H. Chrisman (November 1947)

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