The Gardner-Webb Yearbook my Freshman Year. |
When I graduated from high school in 1955, I knew I didn’t
want to go very far away to college, yet I did want to stay on campus. Gardner-Webb Junior College (it was a
two-year college then) was perfect, only twelve miles from home. Shirley McSwain a Lattimore classmate and I
were going to room together. So at least
I would know one person. Looking back, I think I had led a rather
sheltered life and was perhaps shy.
My photo from the Anchor my freshman year. |
Mrs. Dorothy Hamrick, the Registrar, was someone I knew so I
thought maybe she could perhaps find me another campus job. Sure enough, I got switched to the Library, a
job I loved. I had to go in early and
open the library before the Librarian came in and check out books, and shelve
books. Often we were not busy in the
morning so I could actually study while I worked. Now I could eat meals with my friends. I was still homesick, but not so terribly.
But as time passed, I began to love college. Our rules were very strict though compared to
today. We had to have lights out by
11:00 pm, we could only leave campus on Saturday nights and Sunday. If we dated on Sunday nights we had to go to
Sunday Night Service at Boiling Springs Baptist Church on campus. Of course, we had to be back in our dorm by
11:00, and perhaps 10:00 on Sunday night.
We had to sign out on cards and then if our cards were still in the signout box after hours the Dean of Women would call us in and we would get
demerits for being late.
When we had to go across campus to the gym for our physical
education classes, we would have to wear a raincoat over our gym outfit so that
our legs wouldn’t show. Now that is
pretty strict.
I had gone to college thinking I would major in
English. At the beginning of the year, we
were given tests of different kinds, and I remember one of my tests indicated that Law
would be a good choice for me to pursue. I had never heard of a female lawyer, but
looking back, I think I would have enjoyed law.
But after I took freshman biology with Dr. Paul Stacey, I knew then that
biology was for me, and I did choose a major that proved the right one for
me.
I made the basketball team, because of my GPA I was selected
as a Marshal, and in the Spring was elected President of Stroup Dorm for the
Sophomore year and thus would serve on the Student Government for the upcoming
year. The induction for members of the Student Government was held in Chapel
(we had required Chapel and because we had assigned seats alphabetically,
Dorothy Hamrick would come up the aisles checking off those absent.) As we were inducted we had to “swear” that we as
leaders, would follow the rules, would set a good example, and would uphold the
values of the College.
But the next day I and my partners in crime who were also elected to the Student Government were called in by the Dean of Students. One of the maintenance workers had been out at the River and had seen us, females, out there, and turned us in for being off-limits. I was so humiliated because we had to get back up in Chapel and renew our vows that we would uphold the rules and values of the College. At least we didn’t get kicked off the Student Government.
I was a bit sad at graduation that year because some of the
good friends that I had made were sophomores and were graduating. I did enjoy serving as a Marshal at the
graduation that morning though, and when I got home, I was pictured in the
Shelby Daily Star with my white dress and sash as I was about to lead the
Faculty in the processional.
Photo from my scrapbook of picture in Shelby Daily Star. |
Love you very much, GrandPat
April 23, 2020
No comments:
Post a Comment