Come With Us Into the Past-History of the University
Is Reflected in the History of Old Villard Hall
By MARJORIE TRI CHON
Time was when the University
was young. Villard hall was young.
And along with it a lot of people
who are no longer living. But of
those few who are still with us,
Mrs. Frank Chambers perhaps re
members most clearly the laying
of the cornerstone for Villard.
By 1885 the young University
had outgrown its original facilities,
and the need for new buildings be
came urgent. On July 28, 1885, a
procession of Masons led by the
Eugene City (it was City then)
cornet band marched to the cam
pus and held a full Masonic ritual
for the laying of the cornerstone
of a new building named in honor
of Henry Villard, wealthy patron
of the University. Workers then
“began construction of a building
which will cost between $20,000
and $25,000.
Has Entrances
“The new edifice is 116 by 72 feet,
and has a large entrance in front
and one on either side. From the
Wesley House
Opens Sunday
Fall program of Wesley founda
tion, Methodist student center, will
begin-Sunday evening with a meet
ing for old and new students, ac
cording to Kathy Dobson, presi
dent. Wesley foundation is located
at 1347 Onyx street.
An open house will be held fol
lowing today’s football game.
The Sunday program will begin
at 5 p.m. with a get-acquainted
mixer and student supper. Feature
of the evening will be a special
musical program presented by Miss
June Kelso, violinist; Millard Ken
ny, pianist; Mill Eleanor Culver,
soprano; and James Kays, tenor.
Miss Dobson will welcome new
students. The Rev. D. O. Grififth,
pastor of the First Methodist'
church of Eugene, will extend the
greetings of that organization.
Aiken's Charges
(Continued from page four)
Ted Meland, tackles are Steve Do
tur and Don Stanton, and at the
other end will be Dan Garza.
Best in History ?
Aiken will have a team which
most experts rate as one of the two
top teams in the conference, with
the only possible weakness listed at
left half where someone or ones will
have to be found to take the place
of the departed Jacke Liecht.
Last year, Aiken’s first here, the
Webfoots finished in a tie with
California’s Golden Bears for sec
ond place in the Pacific Coast Con
ference with a season’s record of
seven wins and three losses. Aiken
expects the team that takes on San
ta Barbara to better his record and
have one of the best years in Web
foot grid history.
Co-op Houses
Ask Members
Applications are being accepted
for immediate residence in three
women’s cooperative houses. Mem
bership Chairman Joan Kronstein
er has asked that interested women
students contact her at 1335 Onyx
street, or phone 3818.
Miss Kronsteiner explained that
expenses in the cooperative houses
are kept down by house jobs. Ap- !
plications are accepted solely on
the basis of need, scholarship, and
character, with no other restric
tions of any kind. The three houses
are Highland, R.ebec, and Univer- ’
sity.
ground to the top of the corners it!
is 75 feet. On the first floor are the !
offices of the president and five |
class rooms, while the second floor
is devoted to one large hall, with a
stage and two waiting rooms at
the end. The ceiling of the hall is
high and the roof is supported by
iron trusses. The whole building
will be heated by a furnace in the
cellar. Both internally and external
ly the structure is ornamental and
pleasing. The University is now
worthy the pride of every citizen
of the State.” These were the glow
ing phrases used by a writer for
West Shore, a magazine of the
time.
That year the faculty was headed
by Dr. John H. Johnson, who had
been superintendent of the Port
land schools. Working with him
were Miss Louella Clay Carson,
first dean of women, and head of
the English department. One of her
courses was elocution, forerunner
to the speech department w'hich is
soon to be housed in the remodeled
and rejuvenated Villard. Mary Put
nam Spiller was the first woman
faculty member. When a dormitory
for women students was built in
1907 it was named in her honor.
John Straub
John Straub was first dean of
men and doubled as professor of
German and Greek. George Collier
taught chemistry and physics.
Thomas Condon headed the depart
ments of geology and natural sci
ence, and doubled in history, while
Charles E. Lambert taught in the
department of "mental sciences”—
which included rhetoric and psy
chology.
At the time Mrs. Chambers en
rolled (as Miss Edith Kerns) the
University was more like an acad
emy. Its six-year curriculum car
ried the student from the first year
of high school through two years
of college level work. But the en
trance requirements were some
what different from today’s ac
cepted standards.
“Reputable”
If the student had graduated
from a “reputable” school where
the eighth grade branches were
completed, or if he had a teaching
certificate he was admitted with
out examination. But without these
qualifications, he must submit to
an entrance examination. It was
comparatively simple. He need only
know reading, writing, orthogra
phy (spelling wasn't good enough),
English grammar, geography, his
tory of the United States, Latin
grammar, Latin reader, Sallust
(you’re right, neither the reporter
nor the librarian had ever heard of
him—he turned out to be a Roman
historian—very dead), four books
of Caesar, elementary algebra,
plane geometry, higher algebra—
one term, and elementary rhetoric.
Of course, if the student wanted
to enroll in the classical course or
the scientific course or the English
course there were a few additional
requirements such as Greek and
German or a few years reading of
Webster, Milton, Addison, and
Shakespeare.
The catalog of 1885 lists fees as
$30 for the elementary English
course and $40 plus a $10 incidental
fee for a year. It had to be paid
quarterly in advance, and since
there were no dormitories or com
mons on the campus, the students
had to find living quarters with pri
vate families “in the city.’’ The av
erage cost was $4 per week, but
"clubs’’ could be formed in which
the cost of living was less.
The new Villard hall with its spa
cious auditorium was not only the
center of campus activity, but also
the opera house, the concert hall,
the place to be seen if you were
somebody.
Since one of the stringently en
forced rules of the University was
an edict against dancing, the "flam
ing youth’’ of the decade staged
"walk-arounds” to some saucy band
music. But they weren’t dancing.
“Lowest Form”
That “lowest form of animal
life,” the graduate assistant, was
not born (or evolved) until a later
date. In 1S85 there was a tutor
listed on the faculty.
As the years passed, the young
Villard aged a bit. The bare lawn
around the buildings was shaded
by evergreen trees that grew until
they overshadowed the building
which seemed rather high. It began
to grey at the temples and gather
moss around the corner towers. The
once-grand steps which now over
look the Qregon seal began to sag.
Those class rooms which the early
reporter had termed “large” now
seemed cramped and stuffy. Oregon
was again straining at the seams.
During the 90’s some essential and
minimum building was done, and as
the years passed, the University
grew—away from Villard.
Now once more Villard is the cen
ter of bustling activity. The speech
department, separate from the
English department, is to have a
home of its own. The class rooms
and offices will be remodeled, the
“high” auditorium made into two
floors, and a completely modern
theater added as a wing to the west
Villard will house theater and ra
dio studios, a large stage with
scenery'tracks and a ground-level
entrance to the stage which will be
large enough to admit trucks.
There has been talk now and then
about tearing down Villard. “Mod
ern-minded” ones think ke should
get out of the past and think of
the future, but those who love Ore
gon because they have grown up
with her are all for holding on to
her treasured and proud past.
Orchestra Lacks
String Musicians
A call for string players for the
University orchestra has been made
by Edmund Cykler, associate pro
fessor of musicology and director
of the university orchestra.
Applicants need not be music ma
jors, Cykler said, adding that they
should apply at room 106 in the
Music building at 4 p.m. Monday
and Friday, and at 7:30 on Friday.
Yeomen to Meet
First Yeomen meeting of the
year will be held next Monday at
7 p.m. on the Gerlinget- sun porch.
President Bob Henderson has ask
ed that all members attend.
Batteries - Radios -Electrical supplies
v, * Light Bulbs X'MIWMW
Endicott’s
Radio and Appliance Center
871 E. 13th Phone 5734
Deadline Today
For Faculty
Music Tickets
Today is the deadline for faculty
members to purchase memberships
in the Eugene and University Civic
Music association, according to G.
E. Gaylord, president of the group.
He emphasized that no single
admissions will be available for the
concert series-this year. Only mem
bership or student body cards will
admit listeners. Memberships may
be obtained at the association's
headquarters in the Osburn hotel
or from Mrs. Robert Horn, board
member.
Gaylord said the first concert
will probably be presented in sev
eral weeks. Last year's series in
cluded Isaac Stern, violinist, the
Philadelphia symphony orchestra,
Miklos Gafni, tenor, and several
other artists.
This yesy the name of the or
ganization was changed from Eu
gene Civic Music association to Eu
gene and University Civic Music
association.
With reorganization of the as
sociation, Art Johnson, Robert Al
len, Dick Williams, and Mrs. Horn
were" added to the board of direc
tors.
Film studios for years have
avoided putting the complete wed
ing ceremony into a movie. An old
tradition has it that it might con
stitute a real marriage.
IT
Former Student
Student Voice
Mary Margaret Lucas, a student
at University of Oregon in 1946 lias
just completed eight weeks of ad
vanced vocal study under Mme.
Povla Frijsh, famous concert art
ist under a scholarship at the Music
and Arts Institute of San Francisco
which was awarded at auditions
judged by a board of music editors
from bay area publications.
At University of Oregon Miss
Lucas studied music theory, radio
dramatics under Horace Robinson,
and vocal music under Sigurd Nils
sen. She will also sing this season!
with the San Francisco Opera
Company.
Free X-Rays Set
For All Next Week
A mobile X-ray unit will be on
the University campus through
the week of Sept. 20 to 24, to give
free x-rays to all students, facul
ty or staff members and em
ployees. All food handlers in
houses and dormitories are urged
to have a chest x-ray picture
taken next week.
Women will be x-rayed Mon
from 9 to 12 pan. and from 1 to
3 p.m. Men will las x-rayed Tues
day and Thursday from 9 to 12
a.m. and from 1 to 4 p.m.
To get up early for three morn
ings is equal to one day of time.
GO GET 'EM WEBFEETl
We'll see you after the game—
9nn
Across from Sigma Nil
Wayne's Flowers
849 E 13th Phone 7172
Eugene, Oregon
MUMS For The GAME
CORSAGES for the DANCE
FLOWERS for all OCCASIONS
El Pronto
CAR SERVICE
open 11 a..m to 1 a.m. daily
TRY our BROILED BURGERS
COMPLETE FOUNTAIN
17th Willamette