This Saturday, we will gather at Cebe Ross Memorial Field for the first football game of the season. Memorial Field….we should remember Cebe Ross. Many have never known of this legend of WVWC athletics. Others may have forgotten, or only known part of the story.
Cebe the Student
This photo from the 1921 Murmurmontis shows Cecil B. Ross as a Freshman in 1919-1920. He was on the Football and Basketball Teams, and a member of the Chrestomathean Literary Society.
The coach of the WVWC football team from 1920-1924 was Bob Higgins (a three-time All American standout player from Penn State who eventually returned there as head coach from 1930-48 and also played professionally for the Canton Bulldogs in 1920 and 1921.) He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954. He certainly must have seen some great potential in young Cebe Ross.
By the 1921-1922 season, Cebe appeared as Halfback and Quarterback and had the reputation of being a powerhouse on the team. The photo caption read:
Cecil Ross, Halfback and Quarter
“Cebe played more or less in all the backfield positions this year. He was in practically every game, showing to especial advantage on the defensive against the University.”
That year the team had great success!
By his Senior Year, this is what was listed under his name.
Upon his graduation, Cebe coached at Buckhannon High School for a few seasons, leading them to a State Championship in 1924, and then returned to Wesleyan in 1925 as Coach of All Sports. That year, he also married his college sweetheart, Mary L. Morgan.
1924 Murmurmontis. Cebe and his future wife, Mary L. Morgan were side by side on the page.
Cebe the Coach
Along with his other athletic duties at WVWC, Cebe coached the football team from 1925-1941, coaching such greats as Cliff Battles (Class of 1933) who was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1968. Battles joined Earle “Greasy” Neal (Class of 1914) who was also inducted to that body in 1969.
During these years, the Bobcats played and defeated such teams as:
New York University
West Virginia University
Navy
Kentucky University
Duquesne University
A Break in the Action
Sadly, football was dealt a major blow when the 1942-1945 seasons were cancelled due to disruptions caused by World War II. During this time, Cebe Ross left Buckhannon to coach at Morris Harvey and to serve in the Navy.
Cebe (Class of 1923) was not the only member of his family to be involved with WVWC.
His older brother, Kelcel (Class of 1920), was also a standout athlete at the school and did some teaching of Physical Education and coaching before leaving to pursue his calling as a lawyer.
Kelcel Ross, 1925
Brother Perce Joseph Ross (Class of 1925) was a successful businessman in Buckhannon, operating the Perce Ross Men’s and Ladies’ Wear Store for many years. He was also a Trustee of the College from 1961-1976 and served in the West Virginia House of Delegates from 1939-1946.
Photo by Howard Hiner
Wife, Mary Morgan Ross (Class of 1923), was the Circulation Librarian and Instructor of Library Science from 1961-1970.
Son, Samuel Morgan Ross, taught Physical Education, and held several administrative positions from 1956-1988.
Photo by Howard Hiner
Sister-in-Law Alice Nason Ross taught Physical Education for Women from 1921-1940. She was married to Cebe’s older brother, Guy Ross ca. 1939.
Alice Nason 1933
Cebe’s Football Legacy at WVWC
Cebe (Class of 1923) coached David Reemsnyder (Class of 1930)
David Reemsnyder (Class of 1930) Coached Hank Ellis (Class of 1943)
Hank Ellis (Class of 1943) Coached Kent Carpenter (Class of 1963)
Kent Carpenter (Class of 1963) Coached Bill Struble (Class of 1977)
Bill Struble (Class of 1977) Coached Current Coach, Del Smith (Class of 2005)
Grab your seat at Cebe Ross Memorial Field on Saturday to cheer on the current Bobcats
Who, by the way, are being coached by Del Smith…who was coached by Bill Struble…………Here’s To Old Wesleyan!
Photo by Sarah Sisson
*Note: It turns out that Paul Price, Coach for Concord University is also a WVWC Grad (1984) and was coached by Kent Carpenter. And Paul Price was an assistant coach who coached Del Smith.
The game was tied at 31 until Concord kicked a field goal with 2 seconds to go. The spirit of Cebe Ross was in high evidence in the stadium that afternoon.
The February 24, 1926 issue of the Pharos tells us that,
Since earliest times of civilization people have built walls around their cities and castles as a means of protection. The gates of these walls required much time and money because they were to be ornamental as well as useful. And then, as civilization advanced, there was no need for these walls and they gradually crumbled away, but the custom of using gates for ornamentation has been preserved to the present day. It is a rare thing to find an institution that does not have a gate somewhere on its grounds.
Of the hundreds of students that daily pass through these gates on Wesleyan’s campus probably few ever give a thought of them.
That was true then, and it is even more so today. In fact, the true stories behind these gates are becoming a bit fuzzy and dim.
Take, for example the Harmer Gateway.
1908
For many years, each class would choose someone they admired and would take the name of that person. The Class of 1908 was known as The Harmer Class after Harvey Walker Harmer.
In appreciation of this honor, and in honor of the class of 1908, he donated the funds for the Harmer Gateway.
The Honorable Harvey W. Harmer was a Trustee of the college from 1906-1937, and a Trustee Emeritus from 1937-1961.
Photo from Bench and Bar of West VIrginia
He was elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates in 1894 and to the West Virginia Senate in 1900. He served on the Board of Regents of the State Normal Schools and for the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and Blind. He was the mayor of Clarksburg, West Virginia.
In George W. Atkinson’s 1919 work, Bench and Bar of West Virginia,Harmer is described as “a safe and wise counselor, a conscientious adviser, and is deliberate in all of his acts; and better than all else he at all times seeks to be just and entirely fair with his fellow men.”
1910 Catalog
1917 view of the Harmer Gateway
1926
On February 3, 1926, Harvey W. Harmer married the former Dean of Women – Florence Warden Stemple. Dean Stemple had been a member of the class of 1908! After receiving her degree from WVWC, she went on to get her masters degree from Columbia University before coming back to her alma mater as the Dean of Women from February 1924 through January of 1926.
Florence W. Stemple, 1926
She is quoted in the January 27, 1926 issue of the Pharos as saying,
It is necessary for someone to build a foundation upon which another woman, who has had special training, can build upon.
She was known as one who gave independence and guidance to the young women at Wesleyan. This just six years after women were given the right to vote when the Nineteenth Ammendment was passed in 1920.
Harmer Gateway 1950
2016
Gift of Harvey W. Harmer
Restored in 2014
In the summer of 2016, the area was renovated and rededicated as part of a collaborative sidewalk project between the City of Buckhannon and West Virginia Wesleyan College.
Benches and plaques were included to honor President Pamela Balch, who was President of Wesleyan from 2006-2016 and Dr. Barry Pritts, who had been Vice President for Administration and Finance for a decade.
New Places, New Perspectives
A gateway leads us to a new place.
You can go through it from more than one direction and with more than one perspective.
Gateways Go Both Ways
Since 2008, this is the way you walk from campus to the Virginia Thomas Law Center for the Performing Arts. The next time you pass that way, give a thought of appreciation to Harvey Walker Harmer (and his wife).
Or, perhaps imagine in your mind’s eye the days when this was the front door of campus, and framed one of our oldest buildings.
Some words have very deep meanings, and we use them a lot.
We sometimes use them so much that we don’t stop to think how powerful they really are. Lifechanging at times.
Already this week I am hearing one of these words multiple times a day, and in the next week or so I expect to hear it spoken, shouted, and squealed. There will be a convocation in which I predict that the word will be used hundreds of times. It will appear on signs, tweets, posts, syllabi, webpages, and will actually permeate the air. There will be hugs involved. That word is……..Welcome!
Proof
Why do I think this will happen? Because it has happened here for over a century — and there are witnesses.
2018 (Already)
Tweeted in August 2018 with the #IChoseWVWC
Multiple teams and groups and bands and organizations have Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages. All of them are sending out messages of welcome to new folks and welcome back to returning members.
2017
Student Leaders in 2017
Here is a photo from Orientation Weekend last year, for example. These students stood at the corner of College Avenue and Meade Street for hours waving to new students and their families as they came to campus. They answered questions and pointed the way. With huge smiles, they shouted, “Welcome to Wesleyan!”
2009
Family Weekend 2009
On Family Weekend of 2009, student Robbie Quarles manned the post for parent nametags. He welcomed them and helped with questions or the directions that they needed. (p.s. he is now the Director of Multicultural Programs and Services and we call him Dr. Quarles as of this summer.) In 2015 he was welcomed back in his new role.
1980s
New Faculty 1980
New faculty are also welcomed!
1950s
Freshman Handbook 1952-1953
This has been going on for decades! Sometimes it is the faculty doing the welcoming. Other times, it is the students.
This handbook, given to the entering students in 1952-1953 includes a welcome letter from the Community Council President which begins:
Greetings and welcome to West Virginia Wesleyan College!
It goes on to say…..At Wesleyan you’ll find that everyone just about breaks his neck to make you feel you belong here. It won’t take you long to find that out. Don’t ever be afraid to ask any of these worldly and wise-looking characters about anything you might want to know. They’ll always be glad to find someone who can answer your questions.
Who Is Welcomed?
New Students
Returning Students
Prospective Students
New Faculty
New Staff
Families of Students
Teams
Small Groups
Whole Classes
Alumni
Artists and Musicians who come to perform
Speakers who come to bring us words of wisdom
Groups and Camps all summer long
West Virginia United Methodist Annual Conference
Living Witnesses – Our Beautiful and Very Old Trees
Original Seminary Building (Burned in 1905) and Trees 1900Nearly 120 Years Later…this tree towers over the Lynch-Raine Administration Building.
Recently, I came across some information about something that I’ve never stopped to consider before: Witness Trees. For example, there are some trees that have been present at key moments during American History. See more about these in an article from the Smithsonian.
The many old and beautiful trees on our campus have witnessed thousands of welcomes, welcomed thousands to campus, and watched many a welcome back reunion. They are our very own Witness Trees.
The Band is Coming! This statement marks the beginning of things. As a small child, I can remember the excitement of standing on the street corner waiting for a parade and the electricity that ran through the crowd as we heard the drums in the distance.
It is August, and a new year is about to begin at West Virginia Wesleyan College. And, next Saturday The Band is Coming! The 2018 WVWC Bobcat Band will be arriving to prepare their show (Music from the Incredibles). The drums will be beating, the sounds of music will fill the air, the flags will wave.
Marching band at WVWC has had an interesting history. Although instrumental music groups the early years of the college were generally more in the form of an Orchestra, the 1915 catalog does begin to include band as well (although not necesarily in marching form.)
1915 Murmurmontis
The 1912 band was organized by Flavius Fay Smith, from Fairmont, who graduated from WVWC in the class of 1916. Student organized. Student led. Student enthusiasm.
With the graduation of Fay Smith, the world in turmoil throughout World War I , and the Great Depression, the band had its ups and downs. The Orchestra kept going strong, as it was part of the curriculum.
In the October 3, 1934 issue of the Pharos, a letter to the editor indicates that there was still a desire and a need for a band.
The competent instructor mentioned in this article is actually C. Lawrence Kingsbury, WVWC Class of 1935, who was an Instructor in the Music Department. (He later went on to get his Ed.D. in Music from the University of Indiana and to become the Chairman of the Music Department there, and also at Marshall University.) Again, students past and present provide great leadership.
1940s
The 1940 Marching Band was led onto the field by Drum Major Ronald Sleeth, future president of the college, and Drum Majorette Gloria Harvey.
WVWC Drum Major and Drum Majorette, 1940
1950s
1950 Homecoming Parade
The 1955 Band had a great time and added to school spirit under the direction of C. Buell Agey, according to the Murmurmontis.
1960
The 45 member band, under the direction of Assistant Professor Owen West presented four shows that year. Apparently Professor West loved to design and name shows.
Half-time in Blue
Salute to the 49th and 50th States
Around the World
Music, Music, Music
Owen West
They had a busy schedule and high hopes.
Pharos 09-27-19601965 Homecoming Parade
The Milburn Years 1970s through early 2000s
David A. Milburn
The 1966 arrival of David Milburn, known to his earlier students as Slide and later students as Doc, coincided with the growing popularity of Jazz Music. This was evident in the selections of music chosen for the marching band shows.
1968
Goin’ Out of My Head
Windy
Up, Up and Away
1969
Joshua
Swing Low
When the Saints Go Marching In
1970
Witchcraft
America
1970 Murmurmontis
In 1970, the October 6th issue of the Pharos tells us that the band is limited due to uniforms. David Milburn says that the 60 member band could easily become a 100 member band if there were enough uniforms.
Even with the shortages of uniforms, the band grew and was very successful. In 1973, they were the Honor Band at the Mountain State Forest Festival. Their sound was described as “Tremendous.”
By 1975, the band was marching 80 people, dressed in a different type of uniform. This was followed by a band for the next few years who took the field sporting jeans and Polo Shirts.
1975 Band
The 1977 season featured songs that brought the crowds at football games to their feet:
Old Days (by Chicago)
Ease on Down the Road (from The Wiz)
Beethoven’s 5th “Rock Style”
The band was honored that year when President Ronald Sleeth (former Drum Major) came by and conducted the Wesleyan Fight Song in the Stands.
35 Year Marching Band Drought
Due to many factors, the band did not field a Marching Band again for many years. It was not due to a lack of interest on the part of students. The music program in general was very healthy and robust, especially in the area of Jazz and Choral Music. The band continued to sit in the stands at football games, although in fewer numbers.
In 2014, the decision was made to revitalize the Marching Band. They started small that year, with 25 students, but have shown steady growth, enthusiasm, talent, and downright passion. This year they will field about 90. Yes, they are still in search of uniforms, but their sound is intense and electrifying. Their show is the music from the Incredibles. And I have NO doubt that the term will be fitting.
Here is a video from their Facebook Page, showing them as the honor band at the Fairmont Band Spectacular last fall. The crowd had just seen 18 excellent high school bands in fancy uniforms. They were tired, and probably all ready to head home. Probaby a 19th band was a bit of a stretch for their patience. But the WVWC Bobcat Marching Band did not disappoint!
The WVWC Band had already had a busy day. They had played pregame concerts, home football game halftime, and pep music in the stands for a home game in Buckhannon. Then they headed to Fairmont, watched (and cheered for) all of those bands, and still managed to be amazing.
The girl sitting in front of me that evening said that she was considering going to WVWC, but only “if the band was any good.” She watched and cheered and got very excited about this performance. Maybe she will be among those gathering for Band Camp next Saturday. I hope so!
I think that Flavius Fay Smith who was from Fairmont, WV (and who organized the first WVWC band in 1912) was probably cheering somewhere in those stands at the Fairmont Band Spectacular as well!
The Band Is Coming!
Photo from Clarksburg Exponent-Telegram
Update 2022-03-04
Logan Lindsey left in 2019 to pursue his dream of performance music. During his time at WVWC, the band was invigorated and grew. New uniforms were purchased!
Ronald Sleeth was the Drum Major for four seasons: 1939, 1940, 1941, and 1942.
Right after that, there is no record of a marching band in the Murmurmontis in 1943 and it was not published in 1944, 1945, or 1946 due to World War II.
WVWC Drum Major, 1942 with Drum Majorette, Gloria Harvey
While at WVWC, Ron Sleeth was active in many areas of campus, showing great leadership along the way. Among his accomplishments and activities Ron was President of his class in 1938, President of Playshop in 1942, sang in the choir, played intramural sports, and worked on the Pharos staff.
After his graduation, he went on to receive his Divinity Degree from Yale University in 1947. He served as a chaplain in the U.S. Navy from 1945-46, and came back to WVWC to teach Speech from 1946-48. He became an ordained Methodist Elder in 1947 before returning to academia to earn his masters and Ph.D. in Communication from Northwestern University. In 1976-77, he came back to WVWC once again to serve as the president of the college. Realizing that administration was not his passion, he stepped down after one year to go back to teaching and writing.
After the war, various others served in student leadership capacity for a year or two, and under such titles a student director, drum major, and drum majorette. Each one had a different story about how they came to be chosen, different leadership styles, and different skills.
Jude Gore
Jude Gore was the Drum Major of the Bobcat Marching band for four seasons: 1974, 1975, 1976, and 1977. Right after that, the marching band ceased to exist for 34 years. There was an upswing (pun intended) in interest for the Jazz Band, and that truly was the passion of David Milburn, professor and director of bands. Concert band and pep bands continued, but marching band did not.
After his graduation, he went on to have a very successful career in Music Education, and kept right on leading students through music for decades to come.
In the fall of 1978, Ron Sleeth and Jude Gore teamed up to direct the band in the stands at a football game. A true meeting of the minds!
2014 — They’re Back!
In 2014, the Bobcat Marching Band returned. It had only 25 members, but they were mighty! Doubling by the second year, and with steady growth each year, they are now marching about 100 and share their vast amount of school spirit with all of us. Since their return, they have been led by Drum Majors Christen Shell (2014, 205, 2016) and Patrick Withers (2017, 2018). This year, Cassidy Hoffman has been tapped for this leadership position.
Band Camp 2019 with Drum Major Cassidy Hoffman
Drum Major 101
Each drum major
must earn and deserve the respect of those they lead
leads the band onto the field and keeps them all going in the right direction
keeps the band literally and figuratively on the same page
plays a crucial role in communication between band and band director
has the opportunity to facilitate change
needs to know music and marching drills inside and out – for all members
They are supportive, enthusiastic, prepared and professional.
They set a good example.
These are great life skills!!!
Here’s to a great year for the Bobcat Marching Band in 2019. Their new uniforms have been delayed in production, but hopes are to debut them later this season. And those who wear them will be taking the field under the leadership of Drum Major Cassidy Hoffman.
In 2014, the decision was made to revitalize the Marching Band. They started small that year, with 25 students, but have shown steady growth, enthusiasm, talent, and downright passion. This year they will field about 90. Yes, they are still in search of uniforms, but their sound is intense and electrifying. Their show is the music from the Incredibles. And I have NO doubt that the term will be fitting.
Here is a video from their Facebook Page, showing them as the honor band at the Fairmont Band Spectacular last fall. The crowd had just seen 18 excellent high school bands in fancy uniforms. They were tired, and probably all ready to head home. Probaby a 19th band was a bit of a stretch for their patience. But the WVWC Bobcat Marching Band did not disappoint!
The WVWC Band had already had a busy day. They had played pregame concerts, home football game halftime, and pep music in the stands for a home game in Buckhannon. Then they headed to Fairmont, watched (and cheered for) all of those bands, and still managed to be amazing.
The girl sitting in front of me that evening said that she was considering going to WVWC, but only “if the band was any good.” She watched and cheered and got very excited about this performance. Maybe she will be among those gathering for Band Camp next Saturday. I hope so!
I think that Flavius Fay Smith who was from Fairmont, WV (and who organized the first WVWC band in 1912) was probably cheering somewhere in those stands at the Fairmont Band Spectacular as well!
The Band Is Coming!
P.S.
The band will once again be beating out the strains to “Here’s to Old Wesleyan.” If you are in the stands, why not sing (or at least clap) along!
New technologies provide opportunities. While some fear them or dismiss them, others embrace them and find ways to harness their potential. Some turn out to be life-changing. At West Virginia Wesleyan College, we have a history of being embracers of new ways to learn and to provide service.
Telegraphy and Railroading
If you had gone into the Administration Building between the years of 1906-08, for example, you might have encountered Harry Francis Brittingham setting up the equipment for his Railroading and Telegraphy class. H.F., as he was known, had worked with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad as a clerk and a car distributor in this booming business of railroads. Someone at Wesleyan realized that there was a great need for educating people to work in this field. Maybe it was President John Wier or perhaps George W. Broyles, Principal of the School of Commerce. This was only five years after Marconi’s groundbreaking wireless transmission across the Atlantic.
From the 1906-07 Catalog
Although this particular book was not published until 1911, Soule’s Practical Method of Training: Telegraphy, Railroading, Express and Freight published by the University Press, Cambridge, USA may have been very much like the textbook used for these classes. And the machines may have looked and sounded much like these:
After 1908, however, we don’t see this particular course mentioned until 1942 when Dr. Nicholas Hyma and Professor William Hallam were training students for defense purposes and military service in World War II. Again, a specific need being met by the faculty and curriculum.
Also In Art
We have also seen innovations used in the curriculum in the area of Fine Arts. From 1891-1901 courses were taught in Crayoning.
West Virginia Wesleyan College offered courses in Crayoning from 1891-1901, which is very interesting considering that Binney & Smith did not begin making what we now know as crayons until 1902 and did not begin marketing them until 1903. Taught by WVWC Giants named Miss Maude McFarland (1891-94), Miss Persis H. Heermans (1894-96), Miss Alice Divine (1896-99), and Myrtle McElroy (1899-1901), art classes being taught at the college were up on the very latest of materials and methods. The company registered its patent for Carbon Black, it’s first breakthrough, on May 26, 1891.
Image from the Oil and Natural Gas Historical Society Webpage
The word Crayon was coined by Mrs. Edwin Binney by combining the French word for chalk (craie) and the Latin root for the word oily (ola).
Resourceful and Relevant
In the November 1964 Profile Newsletter, an alumni publication, several stories show that the technology trend was continuing. All of this in only four pages!
Burroughs Computer Computing, tells of a quarter-million dollar main frame computer which was awarded to Wesleyan — this computer was a “decided rarity in West Virginia” and one of only five awarded in the country! Dr. William R. Willis, professor of Physics, was learning and managing it as well as training faculty and staff to make great use of it.
Wesleyan FM Radio to Operate Soon tells of the educational and cultural benefits to a nine county area – serving more than a quarter of the state of West Virginia.
IN Wesleyan, tells of a “professionally filmed and narrated program is recognized as one of the finest productions of its kind and shows the total College program and facilities in action.”
Wesleyan Tele-Lecture A West Virginia First
And the issue highlights the Nursing Building on the Boards as well as celebrates the fact that the progress in fundraising for what would become Christopher Hall of Science in an article entitled Science Building A Giant Step Closer.
Once upon a time, in a land far far away, a baby girl named Daw-Say was born. Her father had died before her birth, and her mother was desparately disappointed that she did not turn out to be a son.
In another small village in the mountains in the Fukien province of China there was a small boy named Joo-mook. His family was living in poverty, and his parents both died by the time he was five years old.
Each of them encountered Christian Missionaries who changed their lives by making it possible for them to have an education and to come to the United States for more advanced studies. It was two chance encounters – one in Chicago and one in Moundsville, West Virginia – that brought the two together.
Each receieved new names in America. He became James Cheng and she became Dorothy Lee.
The full stories of their early lives are written in a book called Life Has No Ceiling, by Dr. Frank T. Cutright. Although written as fiction, all of the stories and details have been vouched for by both Dorothy and James and by major people in their lives.
1940, Friendship Press
This book includes a great story in the Prologue which takes place in Agnes Howard Hall.
Prologue
If I don’t get a letter by tomorrow night, I am going to call Detroit by long distance and ask him what is the matter — and the charges will be reversed. I’ll teach him to economize on postage stamps!
A group of amused and interested seniors gathered around Dorothy Lee, their Chinese classmate, as she made her spirited threat. The whole student body of West Virginia Wesleyan College had been enjoying their occasional glimpses of this developing Oriental romance. Many of them had seen photographs of the slender, sober-faced Chinese man who was now being threatened with mild revenge. Dorothy’s naive descriptions of him and her comments about him had whetted their appetite for more intimate knowledge.
At supper time that night one of the girs asked, “Has your letter come from Detroit, Dorothy?”
“No, it hasn’t,” she replied indignantly, her usually merry face assuming sterner lines.
“Are you going to telephone him, then?”
“Why, of course. I said I would, didn’t I?”
“We’ll be listening in,” threatened another senior gaily. “I wouldn’t miss the dressing down you’re going to give him for any amount of money!”
“Neither would I!” exclaimed a dozen voices, as the dean arose, signaling that it was time to leave the dining room.
Dorothy tried to escape her tormenters, but they escorted her relentlessly to the telephone booth, insisting that she must leave the door open for ventilation, and then settled themselves comfortably on the stairway outside to await the fun.
Dorothy, seeing that she could not shake off the laughing group, put in her number. She heard the calls along the way–“Long distance…” “Route for Detroit, Michigan…” “Thank you…” “Pittsburgh calling Cleveland…” “Thank you…” –each call punctuated by the buzz or click of connecteions made or broken. And at last the voice of the operator–“Here’s you party. He says he will take the charges.”
“Is that you, James? she said, and at the sound of her voice the huddled girls crowded forward eagerly. They were about to hear the “dressing down.” Then, with a mischievous gleam in her eye, Dorothy went on, “James, I want to know–nu sie-noh-iong-go ci sioh la-bai mo sia pie gie nguai.” And the flow of Chinese was halted only when the operator told her that her three minutes were up! As she walked out of the booth with a demurely innocent face, her disappointed audience eyed her in chagrin.
“We might have known you would fool us,” one girl declared ruefully. “But, what did you tell him?”
Dorothy giggled at their discomfiture and disappeared up the stairs in tantalizing silence. And they never did find out what Miss Lee said to her fiance, Mr. Cheng.
Married on Graduation Day
The couple returned to China to fulfill their childhood dreams of teaching and of helping to reduce suffering among people there. James became a very influential physician – and at one point treated Chiang Kai-Shek, the leader of the Republic of China from 1928-1975. Dorothy and James were invited to his home with a small group of about 18 people to celebrate Chiang Kai-Shek’s return from being held hostage during a regional uprising.
Mary Ellen (born in 1932), Thomas Clement (born in 1930) and Julia B. (Born in 1928)
The Dorothy Lee Scholarship Fund for Overseas Students
As conditions grew difficult through the Japanese occupation of China and the Second World War, the Cheng family lost nearly everything. A group of people from West Virginia Wesleyan College and the West Virginia Methodist Conference Women’s Society for Chrisitan Service went into action to help bring Julia B. (by then ready for college) to West Virginia Wesleyan. The group included such Giants as:
Roy McCuskey (S1905, 1908, College President 1931-1941)
Wallace B. Fleming (College President 1915-22; College Vice President 1938-44)
Edna Jenkins (S1902; Trustee 1943-56)
Lewis H. Chrisman (Faculty 1919-56)
Dr. Thomas M. Zumbrunnen (1919; Trustee 1931-59)
Julia Bonafield (the Missionary who had been the Champion for Dorothy)
Mary Scott (at whose home Dorothy and James had started their courtship)
and Dorothy’s college friend Laura Rector Hedrick (1930 – who became Julia B.’s American Mother).
Julia B. 1946
Julia graduated cum laude from WVWC in May, 1950 and went on to receive her Master’s degree in social work from Columbia University. She became a generous contributor to the Dorothy Lee Fund in order to help other students have the same opportunity that she had been given.
Dorothy and James
The dreams of Daw-Say and Joo-mook came true thanks to the Missionaries who were there when they were most needed, and to the love and generosity of caring Christians from far away. Their dreams were not for themselves, but rather to prepare themselves to help others.
Many other students have benefitted from the Dorothy Lee Fund for Overseas Students since its beginning in 1946. Nearly 100 of them from countries all over the world.
UPDATE: A special edition of the Emeritus Club Newsletter in February 1983 provided information about Dorothy Lee Cheng as well as requested more information. Word had reached WVWC, through Julia Cheng Kurz, that Dorothy died the week after Thanksgiving 1982 in a nursing home in Los Angeles, CA. Here is a link to that newsletter.
Before the days when students gathered and met their friends at the statue of John Wesley in front of Wesley Chapel, there was a time when that meeting point was the sundial in front of the Administration Building. Generations of students have paused there. Seniors pass by it as they line up for the long march down the campus sidewalks to their Commencement. Some think of time as they pass.
The first sundial was purchased and installed in 1907 by William A. Haggerty. A graduate of the West Virginia Conference Seminary in 1897, Haggerty went on to Ohio Wesleyan University, Harvard University, and Boston University before being appointed by President Carl Doney as the first Dean of the College in 1907.
There is a photograph of the second sundial in Our Home Among the Hills, by Brett Miller. At the left of the picture is Dr. Thomas W. Haught who is regarded as a major figure in the making and the recording of WVWC History.
Thomas Haught with the second sundial.
Sundial Traditions
Alumni of West Virginia Wesleyan College have come to associate the word Sundial with the Alumni magazine that helps keep them informed about happenings at the college today — at this time.
What may come as a surprise, however, is that from May 1927 through May 1928 there was a column in the Pharos called The Sundial. This column was intended to be a place where students could write opinion pieces and make their thoughts known. For a time it did work that way until apathy set in and entries became less frequent. When that happened, the editorial staff had to fill that space. In 1930, a new editor and staff tried to revive it, but it didn’t fare any better than it had done previously. Click here to see an example of this column from February 15, 1928.
The topics covered during the run of the Sundial column in the Pharos can tell us much about life here in days gone by. Indeed, reading about what was important to students in early days is almost like a time machine.
Among the topics included were:
Fraternities and Sororities
Popularity Contests
The need for lockers in the Gym, Cloakrooms in Haymond Hall of Science, and the request for rocking chairs to replace the desks in the classrooms
Freshman rules and traditions — which today we would call hazing
Literary Societies
Exams (pros and cons and the problem of cheating)
Chapel (pros and cons and the problem of rude students and faculty absences)
School Spirit and the need for building a community without cliques
The Point System
Are college professors human beings?
World affairs
Sundial Alumni Publication
The first issue of the Alumni Magazine named The Sundial was September 1955. In it, Dr. Thomas Haught wrote a brief history of the Timeless Sundial.
The Sundial Today (2018)
Sundial #4 is in place today, and was given as the Class Gift from the Class of 2003. Once again, the arm has gone missing. It has been said that this makes for a better conversation for young couples who pause there to discuss the mysteries of time.
On May 12, 1991 an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters was presented to Joyce Garrett. I have been looking through the lists of these degree recipients, and gathering the information about them from Commencement Programs.
Lists of Names Mean Little
1990 – Lawi Imathiu, Edwin L.D. Dils, Thomas Conlin, James T. Laney
1991 – Joyce Garrett, James W. Rowley, Ernest L. Boyer
1992 – Robert C. Byrd, George H. Dixon, Chi Kil Kim
Actually, each and every one of these people is impressive and deserving of such an honor. And this is but a sliver of the whole list. The whole list encompasses decades and decades full of names.
The stories behind them mean so much! It is these stories that inspire me to keep digging deeper. It is these stories that makes the lists interesting and exciting.
Joyce Garrett is just one great example of this. Joyce Garrett has been a force for music and for the transformation of lives for decades. In fact, her motto is “Choir is a tool for transforming lives.”
Against All Odds
In 1988, just three years before receiving her Honorary Doctorate at West Virginia Wesleyan, Joyce Garrett was invited to bring her choir to the International Youth and Music Festival in Vienna, Austria – the first all-African-American choir ever to be invited.
Against all odds, they were able to raise $160,000 to make the trip. Against all odds, the 54 students (only two of whom knew how to read music) were able to learn difficult classical music which had to be sung in German. Against all odds, they won second place behind the Latymer School from London (which was founded in 1624). That year, they didn’t even award a third place trophy because there was such a large gap between the top two groups and the scores of the next one.
In an article in the Washington Post this week, John Kelly referred to the 1988 group as, “Rocky meets Pitch Perfect with a bit of Stand By Me thrown in.
Here is a video of that group singing the music from that competition in Vienna and being congratulated by President Ronald Reagan at the White House on August 1, 1988. President Reagan praised the choir, saying,
“Your talent is manifest. Your brilliant performance in Europe was an inspiration to all of us. I don’t need to tell you about the kind of world-class competition you were up against or the fact that a good many of your competitors had plenty more resources behind them that you did, but you did have advantages. First, your talent. Second, your commitment and determination. You practiced endlessly, sometimes in Latin or German, and you raised the money for the trip yourselves. Third, the wonderful people behind you, and here I mean your parents, families, and friends. And most of all you had a secret weapon whose name was Joyce Garrett.”
They Sang in Wesley Chapel
The choir also presented a concert in Wesley Chapel on Feburary 23, 1991.
February 23, 1991
Choir Is A Tool For Transforming Lives
Through the years, Joyce also created scholarship opportunities for her students, and many of them have taken the life lessons, determination, and confidence they gained to go to college and make a difference in the world. Generations of choir members.
Having just “discovered” this amazing lady this week, I found that the choir was having a 30th Anniversary Concert on July 7. Several of WVWC’s Alumni were gathered to celebrate the event.
WVWC Black Alumni Gathering in the D.C. Area (nearly all of these are from Eastern High School and sang in Joyce Garret’s choir)
Dr. Joyce Garrett. Much more than a name on a list.
I just finished teaching a month-long course in WVWC History. We learned about the buildings on campus: when they were built, who built them, who helped to fund them, who are they named for, and more. We learned about some of the Giants who have been here before us, and the work that they did. We learned that some of the people we see every day now are actually doing things worthy of the title of Giant.
Sometimes, as students turn in their assignments, they express things like, “Mind. Blown.” Sometimes they say things like, “I am so proud of MY SCHOOL!” The more they learn about the past of WVWC, the more they tend to appreciate it in the present. They feel connected and grounded in this community.
We (incuding me) are sometimes surprised by what we find, such as this article in the May 9, 1946 issue of the Pharos.
Pharos, 1946-05-09
Stories like this one lead to more questions……where did they meet? What happened later? Her kin being the wealthiest in Tehran, it must have been an interesting time for her to be living here!
[Note: Because I really was curious about these people, I did some further research. They apparently met while both students here. James graduated with the class of 1962 and Shamsi in 1963. Although she was a very successful business woman in the area of Real Estate, she was also known as a linguist (spoke five languages), had medical training, and they both worked at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi. He was 82 and she was 75 when they both were drowned in their home during Hurricane Katrina]. SunHerald, July 8, 2015 and updated January 13, 2016.
Or this one found by one of my First Year Seminar students last fall:
I was stunned. Although I had long heard about Professor Hallam, who began teaching here in 1928, and I knew he taught Mathematics here until he retired in 1973 this was news to me! Never had I heard that there was a time that he spent 27 months preparing pilots who would be deployed in World War II. This article was right next to one reporting the death of a student who had been here for two years before being called into the service. His name was William Watts, and he was from Durbin, West Virginia and was killed in action on January 23, 1945. Read more about him here.
Photo of William Hallam, by Howard Hiner
Personal Connections
During spring semester, one student let us know that she was a direct descendent of Agnes Howard’s sister. One boy found Letters to the Editor in the 1960s Pharos which his grandfather had written concerning the draft during the Viet Nam war — and letters written in response. Mind. Blown. Another girl found photographs of her grandmother being crowned May Queen.
Primary Sources Are Powerful
The primary sources which help us to find these things are available online for all to use. Here is a list of them, and some worksheets that I prepared for the students so that they could learn to use them. Enjoy them! And, you don’t even have to do the assignments and turn them in unless you want to.
Books (Online)
Haught, T.W. (1940) West Virginia Wesleyan College: the first fifty years.[electronic]. Retrieved from Internet Archive. Buckhannon, WV: West Virginia Wesleyan College. Available in the Annie Merner Pfeiffer Library.
An online encyclopedia, and celebration of the people who have studied, taught, and worked at WVWC. This is very much in progress, with more being added regularly. And, fittingly, the students are involved in the process of the discovery.
Brings elements together from all of the sources above in order to tell the stories.
In the making of the DreamersAndGiants.com website, and in teaching WVWC History, I spend a good bit of time reading about the people who have taught here through the years. Occasionally I come across photographs of these people in places that are very familiar to me!
WVWC Faculty 1954-55
The 1954-1955 faculty is seen here in the Annie Merner Pfeiffer Library where I have spent so much time. As a Library Science student, many of my classes were here as well as my work-study. Having worked in this building as a professional librarian from 2001-2017, it is safe to say that I know this building very well. To see a photograph of people like Dr. Ralph Brown, President Scarborough, Professor David Reemsnyder, and Professor Nellie Wilson sitting in that space is quite fascinating for me.
Faculty of WVWC ca Late 1950s
This group of people has always been of the highest academic stock, as a look at any of the college catalogs can attest. Here is the catalog for this particular year as an example. They have taught thousands of students and provided guidance and helped to shape the college as well as those students. They have served on countless committees, developed many new programs, and advised student groups of all kinds. They have hosted students in their homes and taken them on trips that have opened the world. Their teaching was not all done in a classroom.
Faculty in Atkinson Chapel, 1958
President Stanley H. Martin poses on the front steps of the Annie Merner Pfeiffer with the faculty in the early 1960s. Another place that I have passed several thousand times myself, not knowing that this photograph existed. This cloud of witnesses has been here before me.
WVWC Faculty 1971
This 1971 photograph in front of John Wesley, a familiar landmark today, includes some of those very iconic names and some more recent ones like William Mallory, who just retired last year. This is the group that I remember from my college years, and many of these people played a major role in my education and prepared me for my career.
WVWC Faculty Procession ca mid-late 1970s
Time marches on. But the work that they have done is not a thing of the past. It lives on in the hearts and memories of their students. And, sometimes, if you listen closely, they still have much to teach us.
