Giants With Long Shadows

It is hard to see through the fog. You know something is out there. You catch just a glimpse, but can’t tell what it might be. You wonder.

This photo is one that I took on New Year’s Day 2017. It was the dawn of a new year. The sun was coming up beyond those clouds, but you couldn’t really anticipate what would lie ahead in the future. I remember standing at the railing of the cabin at the Stonewall Resort wondering about that.

As the sun broke through the clouds, the lake and the mountains came into view. The reflections still made me think about how the old and new years seemed to be connected.  A reflection, and yet more than that. The total view seemed to be all as one. It seemed timeless to me.


The past and the present are much like this.

The present is a reflection of the past, and yet more than that.

The future will be a reflection of our present. But, do we even take time to put our own present into focus as we live it? Or are we too busy and distracted?



We Are Part of a Bigger Picture

Writing about the DreamersAndGiants has given me an opportunity to “meet” many of the people who have walked the campus of West Virginia Wesleyan before me. Some have become very familiar to me, and pop up over and over again in various articles that I read or photographs that I see.

For those people, you and I are the future that they couldn’t quite see. They thought about many of the same things that we do. They wondered about us.

Their present is the murky past to us, but they left us some clues through their writing. And, sometimes in that writing they pull things together for us. Sometimes things that we think we have “discovered” are things that they have thought about long before we were born.

Sundial and Admin 2018

Written in 1925, and published in the Spring 1969 Sundial.

Among many other activities at Wesleyan during her student days, Mary Sumner edited the Pharos. She left many clues to help us to understand the college in the 1920s, including this great poem about the Sundial. I wrote a blog about that very same Sundial last year, called the Timeless Sundial.

She married Eugene, who likewise edited the Pharos along with a long list of activities and leadership positions. I also wrote a blog last year about the Gifts of Stories from the Past, which includes a wonderful article that Mary and Gene wrote for the March 1966 issue of the West Virginia Wesleyan College Bulletin – Sundial. It is on pages 17-23.

In this article, Looking Back Forty Years, the Modlins reflected on the college, the students, the faculty, and the culture of the “Roaring Twenties.” They had been there and covered it all — everything from Bobbed Hair and the post WWI Culture to the new road that had been built from Weston to Buckhannon. From the dreams of the students to the faculty who was here to guide them. From the High School State Basketball Tournament to the legendary 1924 Football Season at Wesleyan. They were Giants even in the 1920s, but their Giant Shadows were cast down through the years even further.

Later on, their son Charles, class of 1958, was also Editor-in-Chief of the Pharos. He married Marjorie McCullough, class of 1957. They continued the work of reporting and telling the stories of people and events on campus.

It was my honor to receive a generous gift from Marjorie in 2007 on behalf of the Annie Merner Pfeiffer Library. Charlie had died, and she wanted to do something in his memory. We decided that using those funds to digitize and make the Pharos available to current audiences would be a wonderful way to celebrate and honor his work on the Pharos. When I later found out that this also honored his parents’ work as well, it was a joyful discovery.

Each and every day something new comes to light. Something about Wesleyan becomes a little clearer. New insights are possible.

Photo by Dewayne R. Lowther, ’57

We don’t know what is beyond the mist of time, or around the bend. We don’t know who has walked before us, where they have gone, or who we might meet. But, the reflection of the past is with us in the present and we can learn from it to make our lives richer and to guide us into the future. And, with appreciation, we stand on the shoulders of Giants and in the long shadows of their work to make it so.

Navigating Our Shared History

Compass and Map

My WVWC History Class was on a “Field Trip” this week and looking around in the West Meditation Chapel when I mentioned that the name did not refer to the direction the building was facing, but to Calvin and Mary Lowe West.

Of course, one of the students pulled out a cell phone with a Compass App on it to check and see. This IS the age of the App after all!

It turns out that Calvin West, a devout Methodist, had spent a short time in Buckhannon during his youth before relocating to Florida. He was not a graduate of the college, but was so impressed with the school that he created an endowment fund “The Calvin A. West Scholarship Fund” which has provided hundreds of thousands of dollars to help students fund their education at Wesleyan. His widow kept up the support of the school in his name, and provided further funds for the Meditation Chapel, which was completed in 1967. He followed his heart. She followed his lead.Wesst Meditation Chapel

Others were also involved in making the Meditation Chapel a special place, donating funds for many of the items that are there. Many of these people were alumni or their families who wanted to be part of the growth and mission of the school, and to create something special for the benefit current students. They were both following and leading.West Meditation Chapel details


Navigation Tools

Compasses tell us the direction that we want to go. They help us to know if we are on the right path.

Maps tell us how to get there. They show us the best way to get there. After all, the shortest route may not be the best one.

Our college publications also give us clues.

They tell us about landmarks along the way and the people who have led us. They give clues about where we have been.


Catalogs

For those who haven’t read a college catalog lately, I can tell you that there is more in there than just a list of classes. They help us to take a look at our current bearing (the manner in which one behaves or comports oneself).

Catalogs include:

  • The calendar of important dates and deadlines
  • Statement of Mission
  • A brief history of the school
  • Information about accreditation
  • Procedures and the process for enrolling and graduating
  • Tuition, fees, payment procedures, and financial aid
  • What courses are required for the various programs
  • Descriptions of each course
  • Outcomes for the programs
  • Academic policies and information about withdrawal, transferring of credits, auditing courses, grading, transcripts, technology requirements, commencement, academic integrity, plagiarism
  • Student life policies about social responsibility, code of conduct, sexual harassment, alcohol and drugs
  • Resources available to students, such as: the Campus Center, Campus Security, Career Center, Chapel, Child Development Center, Cultural Events, Food Service, Health Services, Housing Services, Learning Center, Library, Motor Vehichle policies and procedures, Physical Education Center, Wellness Center, Testing Services, and Writing Center
  • Lists of Aministrative Officers and Staff
  • List of the members of the Board of Trustees
  • List of the Faculty
  • List of the Presidents and Deans throughout the history of the school

The Pharos

Our college newspaper was named for the Lighthouse of Alexandria. This lighthouse, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was built to guide and protect sailors. Likewise, our paper has served to announce upcoming events, discuss the storms of life that may be in the area, and otherwise to map out the course and give reports about the journey.

Pharos Murmurmontis 1908

 


The Sundial

The West Virginia Wesleyan alumni publication is called the Sundial. There is a great deal of information in it about the school and about the people who care about it. It includes information about students from the past and current students as well as updates on the school itself. It also includes a good deal of information about finances and campaigns to do building projects for the future. The name of this publication is inspired by the sundial in front of the Lynch-Raine Administration Building. Sundials tell time by the way that sunlight and shadows interact. Much like a compass, it is set to true north. Unlike a compass it registers time rather than direction. It is local time.Sundial and Admin 2018


Murmurmontis

Loosely translated as “The Voice of the Mountain,” our yearbook name was reportedly suggested by Frank B. Trotter, professor of Latin. In it, we see the photographs of the people who were here at any given time and read about their adventures and accomplishments. This publication has given us a treasure trove of information about those who have come before us. There are some very strong, powerful, creative, brilliant, and truly Giant names: Hutchinson, Haught, McCuskey, Fleming, Martin, Rockefeller, Hyma, Brown, Glauner, Atkinson, Reemsnyder, Davis, Trotter, Schoolcraft, Ross, Jelly, McKinney, Coston, Wark, Chrisman, Hamrick, Holmes, Boette, and many many more. Their leadership and their voices are worth consulting.

Here is an article about the Making of the First Murmurmontis, by Charles Aubrey Jones. He was the editor of that first one in 1904, and wrote this article for the 1910 edition. His article ends with:

As memory treasuries for the periods which they cover, I am glad to have been associated with the movement which brought them about, for in their pictures, their memories, are recollections which grow dimmer as the years go by, and yet which we cannot well afford to lose, for youth and college days do not come again. The “Murmurmontis” brings them back to us.

Sadly, this publication ceased with the 2012 edition – a 21st Century victim of social media, apathy, and expense.


Audience

The audiences for these publications are sometimes limited. Very few alumni are likely to read a current catalog. Students on campus may pick up a copy of the Pharos, but those far away are not likely to do so.  Sundials are delivered to alumni, but few current students will read them. The Murmurmontis is not an option for current students, and the alumni are likely only to read those for the years in which they were in college. Faculty and Trustees will vary in their reading of these publications as well.

Fortunately, the Catalogs are all available online. From 1890-2010, they can be found on the Internet Archive. (For example, West Virginia Wesleyan 1940.)

The Yearbooks can be found there as well from 1904-2010 (For example, Murmurmontis 1958)

The Pharos and Sundials can be found on Pages In Time, a digital repository made possible by the Friends of the Annie Merner Pfeiffer Library. There are other collections available there as well including Performing Arts Programs and the George Rossbach Digital Herbarium.


DreamersAndGiants includes information and stories. Things that bind us all together as the West Virginia Wesleyan College Community.

There is a Blog post each Monday – to pull things from all of these other sources and tell the stories. The archive of all of them is available. A couple that are especially helpful in talking about our Navigation are:

Gifts of Stories from the Past

Cloud of Witnesses


So, how can we find a common map? A common path? A common sense of history and future? What Navigation Tools will we use? Is there an App for that?

 

 

 

 

 

Timeless Sundial

Meet You at the Sundial

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.

Sundial and Admin 2018

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.

Sundial from Miller page 20
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

Suncial Cover September 1955

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.

Haught Quote from Sundial September 1955

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.

Sundial July 2018
Sundial, July 2018

 

 

 

Stories Lurking Everywhere….What Do You Know?

Seminary Building 1890 Catalog Drawing
Drawing of Seminary Building in 1890 Catalog

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.

Clipping 1946-05-09 Student Marries Princess
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:

Clipping 1945-03-15 Hallam Resumes Teaching
Pharos 1945-03-15 

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.

Hallam, William A.
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 ArchiveBuckhannon, WV: West Virginia Wesleyan College.  Available in the Annie Merner Pfeiffer Library.

Haught, T.W. (1950) West Virginia Wesleyan College: the sixth decade 1940-1950. Typewritten copy. [electronic] Retrieved from Internet Archive.

Plummer, K.M. (1965) A history of West Virginia Wesleyan College 1890-1965.  [electronic] Retrieved from Internet Archive. Buckhannon, WV: West Virginia Wesleyan College.

Books (Print Only – available in the Annie Merner Pfeiffer Library or through the Bobcat Den for $40)

Miller, B.T. (2014) Our Home Among the Hills: West Virginia Wesleyan College’s First 125 Years. Virginia Beach, VA: The Donning Company Publishers.

Pages In Time

  • Performing Arts Programs (in progress)
  • Pharos (so far up into the mid 1970s)
  • Photographs
  • Programs
  • Sundials (so far through 1960)

Worksheet for Pages In Time

Internet Archive

  • Catalogs (from earliest days on)
  • History Books (the Haught and Plummer books)
  • Murmurmontis (1904-2010)

Worksheet for Internet Archive

DreamersAndGiants.com

  • 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.

Worksheet for DreamersAndGiants


Enjoy the exploration! And the stories!