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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 20, 1950)
iLaundryman Sees Students As Steady,Good Customers (This is the second in a series of articles in which business people of Eugene who come in contact with large numbers of .students speak their own minds on the topic “What I think about Oregon students as customers i and as people.” Nothing that they feel important is left un said.) By Rodney Morrison Making a living and friends right along with it, a good job if you can find one, seems to be what an cx-Oregon man has done. After his schooling, he came back to start a laundry in the very center of campus activity and has never regretted the venture. The past eight years in this location -4ave seen him build up a large and modern establishment with a name now known all over the school. There was no one more qualified and certainly no one more willing than he to take a few minutes off the other morning and let us in on 'what he thought of his campus Customers. “I like the students a lot more than what you’d call the house wife trade. For one thing, there aren’t any children’s clothes and those are the hardest to do well. Then too, the college crowd gen erally has a good class of cloth ing and they have them cleaned more frequently now. Was Beta When I went to school here (Beta Theta Pi, track letterman) we had what we called term cords” that couldn’t be washed for three months. These days, especially since the return of the veterans, they take good care of their things. Some of the fellows come in with clothes that only need a good press, but they figure that as long as they’re here, we might as well wash every thing. “Of course, we get a few smart alecs, but who doesn’t ? They usual ly come in groups of three or four, sometimes girls and fellows to gether, and give the girl behind the counter a bad time. But by the time I get out there to see, what’s the matter, they’ve always calmed down a little. It just de pends on how much audience they have. “Anyway, they don’t make up more than one percent of the busi ness. Most of the kids who come in, and they give us about half of our work, are fairly steady customers and nice to khow, espe cially the athletes. When you get acquainted with them, they for get to bring in their troubles and aren’t so apt to notice some little spot we missed. Student Credit Good “I hardly ever get a bad check or an unpaid account. During the depression there was a lot of trouble over extended credit that couldn’t be met, but not now. The merchants in town still get nick ed all the time by drifters, but if I don’t know the person, I can still tell quite a bit about him. I ve cashed thousands of checks with no trouble at all, other than occa sional overdrawing, and that’s al ways fixed up. “Of course, in this kind of work, you notice some trends over a period of years. The boys especial ly wear better clothes than before, loud things in comparison to the stuff we used to have. In fact everybody seems more clothes conscious now, probably because of all the social affairs you have. “We have our troubles—the grip ers, and the last minute rushees— but still I’ve enjoyed this place a lot. I guess I’ve made at least a thousand friends since I started here. During Homecoming kids that used to be in school will often come in and .say hello. Sometimes it’s hard'•to remember who they are but it’s always nice to see them again.” Abracadabra (JO Junior in Psychology Becomes 'The Mysterious Harveyf at Nightfall By Don Dewey In the evening's Jim Harvey, a jnone-too-conspicuous junior in psy chology, becomes “The Mysterious jj^Iarvey magician, illusionist, and hypnotist.” i In a flowing cape Harvey ap pears at clubs, church and grange ineetings, and parties to present ■What he terms “an amazing dem onstration of oriental wonders." “I got what you'd call an early Start,,” he laughed. “I received a tnagic set when I was a mere child, and since that time I've withheld enough information nearly to alien ate me from my parents who used to take great delight in explain ing my feats of magic.” Ducks, Bouquets in Trunk : From this early start, Harvey's equipment has increased until it Overflows the large trunk in the piiddle of his dormitory room. For this reason, many of his most priz ed items are left at home. Even so, everything from baby ducks to immense flower bouquets can be found within the trunk. “As a very rought estimate,” he said, “I'd guess that I have over {500 in equipment. I've spent much more than that, but other magi cians are a bit careless and my props have a habit of ‘vanishing’ into their trunks.” Harvey's career began at Grant High School in Portland where he •served for three years as assist ant to Robert Douglas Cair, a prominent magician who was then a student at Graut. They appear ed at churches and high school programs and did occasional free lance magic. In his senior year, however, Harvey began present ing his own shows. Trapped in Trunk “One of my earliest and great est failures,” he related, “came when I was locked in a trunk and told to escape. It was impossible to effectuate my escape because the trunk was agaiust a wall, so I spent the rest of the evening in side." Though he professes that his act is not patterned after any oth er magician’s, Hai'vey admits that he often finds himself adopting their mannerisms. “After I’ve seen Virgil, my voice trembles; after I’ve seen Dunning er, I have a weird pronunciation of words; and so it goes down the line,” he explained while stripping off his shirt to prove that his van ished handkerchief was not up his sleeve. Met Blackstone “But my real inspiration." he continued, “is Harry Blackstone, the world’s greatest living magi cian. I was fortunate enough to meet him backstage in Seattle, and I still prize a personally auto graphed picture of him.” Although his professional plans do not include magic, Harvey feels that he will be able to continue with it as a hobby. He cites several examples of men who have success fully combined semi-professional magic with their own professions. The mere performance of visible feats of legerdemain has not satis fied him. Harvey also is a hypno tist and “master mentalist,” and he is currently striving to improve his sleight of hand techniques. ‘‘My greatest ambition,” he con fided, “is to appear in a cloud of smoke and flame before a group of unsuspecting people. The only re quirement is that the group must include girls, because I refuse to waste my talents on an all-male audience." Harvey is strongly opposed to the current trend among magicians which sees them “buying a magic effect, and presenting it in a rou tine manner. This produces magic that is completely lacking in origin ality and that depends upon phony comedy props,” he contended. Should Be Mystic “We must return,” he urged, “to the style of Blackstone, whose every gesture was carefully plan ned. Magic should be kept a mys tery, but today’s magicians have destroyed its enchantment by fail ing to understand mysticism. “For those who are thinking seriously of becoming magicians,” he concluded, “I have one word of advice. ‘Don’t!’ As an expensive hobby, magic is second only to photography. That's my other hobby, by the way.” Deans Give Week Rest A week-long vacation between winter and spring terms of the 1951-52 academic year was ap proved last week by the Board of Deans. The Board, meeting to draw up schedule plans for next year, agreed on the extension of the va cation period between the close of winter term and the opening of spring term to eight days. Spring vacation has formerly been four days long. Lyle Nelson, director of public services, said that the action of the Board of Deans was subject to approval by the State Board of Higher Education. The calendar for Oregon. Oregon State College, and the colleges of education, must be in agreement, but Nelson said that approval by the other state colleges will come without question. The action of the Board of Deans came as a result of a petition sub mited last year by the Executive Council, under the leadership of Art Johnson, 1949-50 student body president. Johnson's report informed the Board that the students preferred the longer vacation period and felt that it was better for the Uni versity. The petition was a request for action for this year, but the | calendar for the 1950-51 year could not be changed. According to the schedule drawn up, winter term 1952 will end Mar. 22, and" classes will begin on Mar. 31. Bureau Needs New Engineers The graduate placement office has been informed that the Bureau of Reclamation will be needing engineers GS-3 to GS-7 and will hire them from the junior scientist and engineers exams. Anyone who previously took out an application form for the exam or wishes to do so, may leave his name with the graduate placement office. Deadline to turn in the ap plications is Nov. 30. The bureau anticipates many va cancies, particularly in Washing ton, Oregon, Idaho, and western Montana next spring for Student Aid Trainees GS-3 and GS-4. Anyone interested in intern ships and residencies at Perman ent Foundation Hospitals should also see the office. 'Of Mice,- Men' Set for Tuesday John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men” will be shown at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Browsing room in the Student Union. The movie, sponsored by the House Librarian’s group, is the last in a series of programs that have been presented each week dur ing fall term in the Browsing room. Miss Bernice Rise, head of the Browsing Room, said the pro grams were being discontinued un til winter term because of finals and pre-Christmas events. G. Dane Wilsonne, motion pic ture specialist from Blanchy, Ore., will show the movie. It is schedul ed to run 106 minutes. Madelon Adler Presents Recital Madelon Adler, junior in music and pianist, will present a recital at 8 p.m. Tuesday in the School of Music Auditorium. One of the soloists for the Uni versity Symphony Orchestra, Miss Adler has also appeared on the weekly KOAC “Campus Recital” this year. Her program follows: Bach’s “Partita in B Flat Major, No. IX,” including the Praeludium, Alleman de, Corrente, Sarabande, Menuet I and II, and Gigue; Brahms’ “Bal lade in D Minor (Edward),” “Cap riccio, Op. 116, No. 7,” “Intermez zo, Op. 116, No. 6," and “Rhap sody in B Minor;” Bloch’s “Poems of the Sea,” including “Waves, Chanty, and At Sea” and “In the Night (Nocturne)”; Debussy’s “General Lavine” and "Fireworks.” Admission is free and open to the public. Tuesday Deadline Set for SU Petitions Petitions for the new Student Union concert, dance, movie, and workshop standing committee chairmanships can be secured Mon day in room 301, SU. Elevation of the former sub committees creates four new posi tions in the SU Directorate. These positions are open to any student having an accumulative grade point of 2.00, who is not a mem ber of the Executive Council. Five p.m. Tuesday is the dead line for the return of petitions to the' program director’s office. One reason so many marriages are failures is because so many failures get married. Steam spouted a mile high from a Hawaiian volcano-making some of our congressmen pikers. CAMPUS CALENDAR 8 a.m.—Winter Term Registra tion, 313-214-215 SU 12 noon — Peterson Luncheon, 113-114 SU SU Publicity Comm., 110 SU Deseret Club, 111 SU 2:30 p.m.—Peterson Exhibition, Billiard Room SU 3:30 p.m.—Billiard Movie, 2 SU 4:00 p.m.—Girl’s Party, Billiard Room SU Foreign Students, 110-111 SU 6:30 p.m.—Rally Squad Pic tures, Ballroom Bridge Tournament, 315 SU 7:00 p.m. — Yeomen, Comm. Lunch Room SU Co-op Council, 110 SU Orides, Alumni Hall 8:00 p.m.—ASUO Exec Council, 337 SU 'Othello'Shows Before Students Of High Schools “Othello” performances for ior and senior high school students will be presented by the Univer sity Theater the afternoons of Dec. 2, and Dec. 9, making a total of eight scheduled performances for the Shakespearean tragedy. This will be the first time the theater has given special matinee performances for high school stu dents. It was the policy of the theater to allow students under col lege level to attend final dress re hearsal of McArthur Court spec tacle productions in past years. Notices have been sent to schools from Salem to Roseburg, and from the mountains to the coast. Admission for students, faculty, and chaperones is 25 cents each. No college students or oth er adults will be permitted at the special matinees. The play, directed by Mrs. Ot tilie Seybolt, has a regular run of Dec. 1 to 9. Performances are plan ned for Friday and Saturday nights, and Wednesday through Saturday nights of the following week. Box office opens the Monday be fore the opening, Nov. 27. Sea son ticket holders may make ad vance reservations until Nov. 24. Season ticket holders will receive reservation cards by mail in time to meet the Nov. 24 deadline for advance reservations. Fennell's to Feature SPE's on Tuesday Sigma Phi Epsilon fraterni^ will be featured on this week’s “Duck Quacks” program at 7:15 p.m. Tuesday over KERG. The program is sponsored by Fennell’s Campus Shop, and will feature interviews with members of the Sig Ep group and the Sig ma Phi Epsilon anthem sung by the house. A gift will be given to the' outstanding personality in the Sig Ep house by Fennell’s. Each week a different fraternal organization is featured on the series of programs produced by Fennell’s and aired by KERG. Library to Remain Open Thanksgiving Vacation The University iibrary will be open during Thanksgiving vaca tion, except on Thanksgiving day and Sunday, Nov. 26. Special hours ot the library during the five-day holiday will be: Wednesday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, closed all day Friday, 9 aju. to 5 p.m. Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, closed all day Regular hours wlil be resum ed Monday, Nov. 27.