First In Line

When the West Virginia Conference Seminary was founded in 1890, new opportunities became available for students in the area. The very first person in line was Roy Reger.

The first student to enroll in the seminary on opening day was Mr. Roy Reger of Buckhannon, West Virginia. Seventy students were enrolled for the first term of ten weeks. The total enrollment for the year was two hundred and one. One hundred sixty-seven students were enrolled in the Classical, Literary, Scientific and Normal Courses. The balance were in the Department of Art, Music and Business. (K. Plummer, 1965)

 

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Many years later, in 1963, portions of a letter from Roy Reger were published in the West Virginia Wesleyan College Bulletin – Sundial which described the early days at the college. You can click here to read the entire thing, but I will also transcribe it here.

One day early in September, 1890, very early in the morning, my father and mother called my two younger brothers and me from sleep and brought us to Buckhannon in the family spring wagon, a distance of eight miles over two high hills, a two hour journey.

Arriving at the Seminary grounds we hitched the horses to the fence by the campus and went across the field to the school building, the first three story building we boys had ever seen.

There my father took me to the president’s office and I was enrolled as a student, by mere chance being the first whose name was entered on the big book.

That was an honor to be more and more (gratifying) with the passing of the years.

Of the students enrolled the first year, West Virginia contributed the overwhelming majority. Most of them had very little money, some cooked their own meals; others who lived near Buckhannon went to their homes over the weekend and brought back with them enough food to last two or three days, others took their meals in boarding houses at which modern day students might possibly eat one time, but certainly no more.

Several of the teachers were from outside of West Virginia and had come to the Seminary with the idea that they were to engage in a noble missionary work in a primitive and backward community.

As our class historian in 1893 said in his class day history, the students had much difficulty in teaching the teachers that this was West Virginia and we were West Virginians, and to be respected accordingly.

The new building was scantily equipped with furniture and had no library or laboratory equipment. When we wanted a piano to use in a literary society program on the second floor, the boys had to carry one down the stairs from the third floor, then carry it back again after the program.

Chairs often were carried by the students from one room to another, especially for any unusually large gathering.

The faculty had a great advantage over the students that first year, and used it by instituting and enforcing very strict rules.

Most of the students were strangers to each other, and constituted a disorganized body in which there was as yet no school spirit or crystallization of ideas and customs, so we had to take what the faculty gave us, and like it.

The big bell rang loud and long every evening at 7:00 o’clock and woe to any student caught out on the street by a faculty member after that hour.

Chapel attendance every day was compulsory, and Professor Trotter carefully called the roll of the entire student body at each session, and a student absent without cause had a more or less unpleasant interview with the president.

Every student was required to attend church every Sunday morning, and a chapel roll call on Monday everyone had to answer “church” or “not at church.” Boys with somewhat flexible consciences who had not attended church sometimes answered by saying “not at” in a low tone of voice and coming out strong on “church.” This is an observation not a confession.

Great stress was laid on religious and spiritual life and every Sunday afternoon a service called “students’ meeting” was held in the small chapel, generally conducted by President Hutchinson. Attendance was entirely voluntary, but was aways quite good.

The social life of the students was centered largely in the two literary societies, as there were no fraternities or sororities. Students were not allowed to attend dances, or go to the theatre. In these societies were developed some splendid speakers, who owed much to their training there.

For some years the societies had a contest at commencement in which the rivalry became so strenuous and consequent feeling so bitter at times that the contests finally were discontinued. Largely as a result of this discontinuance, the societies gradually became less and less a part of the school life, and finally died.

Although the school offered only an academic course, the average age of the student body was considerably higher than the college students of today. Most of them had no high school work and had a very great thirst for an education. Many taught school in the winter, and attended the seminary in the fall or spring term, sometimes both terms, as the common school term at that time was only four months.

Notwithstanding the rules and restraints which at times seemed to us to be too strict, we had a good time had a high regard for the president and most of the teachers, and set up a standard of hard work and scholarship which we hope still exists in our Alma Mater.

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Later Years

After briefly teaching English Studies at the Seminary, Roy went on to West Virginia University and received his A.B. degree in 1898 and then taught for three years at Marshall College before taking a two year teaching position in the Philippines, stationed in Manilla. Upon his return from the Philippines he studied law at West Virginia University, completing the degree in 1905, and opened a law practice in Buckhannon. Eventually he moved his family to Charleston where he worked for the State Department.

The local boy who had never seen a three story building had received an excellent start. He became a teacher, a lawyer, and a leader in state government.  He was the first one in line.