University's First President
Disliked Formal Occasions
The University of Oregon’s first
president, John W. Johnson, was
no social lion.
Frederic Dunn, professor of Lat
in, has given posterity an interest
ing description of the bearded gen
tleman :
•‘John W. Johnson was prover
bially no platform man. habitually
averse to formalities of the sort.
His nervous squirmings and
glances at his watch during com
mencement exercises were historic.
Society’s Sake
"Banquets? Receptions? Mercy,
no! President Johnson would be
sure to be off on a duck hunting
expedition. His confreres on the
faculty were well acquainted with
these frailties of his and were al
ways ready to substitute for so
ciety's sake.”
Johnson’s most famous blunder
occurred before an assemblage of
students and citizens meeting in
Villard hall to welcome Mr. Henry
Villard. who was visiting Eugene.
Prof. Dunn wrote in the Feb. 27,
1934 Emerald:
Trouser Leg
“Perhaps his error in this in
stance may have been induced by
a very usual happening to his
trouser leg, which had a habit of
being caught up on the strap of
his high boot.
“Thereafter would ensue a spec
tacular leg shaking, until the ‘pant’
would gradually slip down to some
where above the instep.
“However that may be, before
introducing Oregon’s great bene
factor. it was expected of Presi
dent Johnson to ask the audience
to arise and remain standing dur
ing an invocation.
“What he did say was, ‘The audi
ence will please rise and keep on
rising until the prayer is ended.’ ”
A Candle and a Beard
President Johnson, like all of
the other male members of the
first University faeulty, was the
proud possessor of a flowing
beard.
However, his was not the fin
est beard on the campus, for
Thomas Condon (for whom Con
don hall was named) had a “lux
urious length” equalled by none.
Consequently, students In Dr.
Condon’s geology class were
startled one day when the pro
fessor walked 1 n without his
silky beard. A portion of it had
been cut off, and Dr. Condon had
trouble throughout the period,
because he kept forgetting, as he
reached down to stroke the beard
in his usual fashion, that part of
it was no longer there.
Students later learned the rea
son for the new style—the pro
fessor's beard had caught fire
over a candle or lamp which he
had been carrying.
Maybe the new hall didn't have
a ceiling at that time.
The building had been named
after Villard in recognition of his
seivices to the scnool, for he was
credited with saving the Univer
sity from extinction in 1876.
In that year Deady hall was
completed by the Union University
association, which founded the
University. The association could
not meet the $7000 debt remaining
against it. and suit for that amount
was brought against the Univer
sity, which also could not pay the
sum.
The state Supreme court ruled
This handsome gabardine Thomas Shirt. Pre
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ice-blue, platinum-gold, doeskin-beige, silver-grey,
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BavUeA & tJletutit'ia
McDonald Theater Bldg.
that the property should be offered
for sale. Villard, rapidly rising to
the position of n leading railroad
magnate, read about the action
and telegraphed a $7000 check
from New- York. The University
was saved. *
In 1881 Villard. visiting the cam
pus, was impressed with the lack
of equipment, resources and space,
so he donated $1000 for "philoi
sophical und chemical apparatus,''
$1000 for the foundation of a li
brary, a year's salary for a profes
sor of English literature and $250
for scholarships.
In 1883 he contributed a $50,000
irreducible fund, the interest of
which was to be used to aid and
support the University with $400
of the interest annually devoted to
the University library.
Freshman
(Continued from page one)
ly to the freshman side, but the
rope was pulled up on the Kappa
Sigma lawn before he could reach
it. .. minus the humbled sopho
mores.
Brittain quickly left the scene,
after having his shirt torn badly.
As he walked away, he grabbed a
discarded roter's lid and placed
it on his mud-spattered head.
Bob Glass, frosh prexy, on the
contrary, sported a victorious ^
smile and dry clothes, as he and
his gang began to gather up the
girls in the area, and dumped
them unceremoniously into the
stream.
"I'll hate you forever” and "My
wool skirt will shrink” could not
be heard over the cheers of the
onlookers as the coeds hit the
water with a panic-stricken
scream.
The dunkings were, the after
math of the Friday noon dunkings
which saw approximately 100 Car
son Hall girls, as well as Order
of the "O” men, wet’to the skin
after their tangle with the Mill
race water.
The strategy of the Carson Hall
coeds, who poured one waste
basketful of water after another
from vantage points on the roof,
from the windows, was to no
avail.
The Order of the "O” men car
ried them away bodily, with the
result being worried girls, who
didn't know how they were going
to get their pin-curls dry in time
for the Prom or how they would
ever stretch that cashmere back
into a respectable shape.
Legal Petition
(Continued from page cue)
the first document. The change, [
Ridrierbusch explained, was made
at the “counsel's advice.” Signers
of the original were Ridderbusch,
Hansen, Haharajh, Rodger Eddy,
Howard McGinnis, .John R. Walter,
John R. Miewald, Elmer F. Staubs
and Henry D. Ambers.
Petitions Due
For SU Posts
Petitions for membership on
next year’s Student Union board
directorate ure due Monday. The
directorate consists of committee
chairmen for art gallery, browsing
room, dance, forum, house, movie
music, personnel .publicity, recrea
tion and recorded music.
Any student with a 2.00 GPA or
higher Is eligible to petition for
any of these chairmanships. Peti
tions may be obtained outside of
room 301 on the third floor of the
SU. Interviews will be held later
by the board.
Duties of Chairmen
Duties of the chairmen arc os
follows:
Art gallery Planning and ex
hibiting paintings in the SU art
gallery.
Browsing room Take charge of
the browsing room program, in
cluding the Friday evening coffee
hours and special programs, such
as "Campus Workshop" and "let's
talk shop."
Dance Plan Friday mixers und
special SU sponsored dances.
Mix With nigniiane*
Forum Contacting visiting dig
nitaries. choosing forum topics,
publicizing, promoting and moder
ating the forums.
House Formulate house rules,
suggestions for needed equipment
and hospitality towards visitors.
Movie In charge of the Sunday
movies, the Chapman educational
movies and the fall football film
series.
Music Control formal and in
foi-mal SU concerts and the "Fri
day at 4” program.
Personnel Interviewing all per
sons who wish to work in the SU
program below the chairman level
keeping records of the work of
committees and evaluating the
work of committees and committee
members’.
Pit People Wanted
Publicity Channeling al publi
city releases from the SU to the
Emerald and handle all promotion
for SU activities.
Recreation In charge of handl
ing tournament play and instruc
tion.4 in the recreational area,
which includes bowling, billiards
and ping pong and the bridge tour
naments and lessons.
Recorded music - In charge of
staffing the music listening rooms,
special programs and the purchase
or records.
Tonight's Sing
(Continurif friiiii filin' mu')
day in the mu.-iic .school amphi
theatre.
Judges for the Sing will be Miss
Jeanne Scott from Eastern Oregon
College of Education at LaGrande,
Stanley Glarum from Lewis and
Clark college and Howard Miller,
from Salem high school.
Basis for judging will be 20 pei
cent on interpretation, 20 per cent
on musical arrangements, 20 per
cent on diction, 20 per cent on tonal
quality, 10 per cent on following
the leader and 10 per cent on stage
appearance.
JOB OPPORTUNITIES <f
The 17. 8. civil service commis
sion unnounc*H nn examination for
position of induntrliil specialist la
the 17. 8. Navy ship building activ
ity In Philadelphia. Salaries range
from $!\,0(10 to JO.fiOO n yenr.
To qualify for three positions,
applicants must have appropriate
college study or experience in In
dustrial management, planning, en
gineering or cost accounting.
Further Information and applica
tion forms may be obtained In the
graduate placement office.
Jo Martin
H im I in urd from page one)
Pre-dance ticket SHles were
t wice as good iih Inst year'* accord
ing to Tom Wrlghtaon. ticket
hairmun. Hart Cross, pre-dental
junior, won the $10 first prize for
ticket selling. Second prize went
to Stacy Hertsche, Junior in edu
ation. The number of tickets sold
was not known at pre»H time.
So forceful Is the great Orinoco
fUver in Venezuela that It* main
channel has been scoured out over
the centuries to a depth of 262 feet
below sea level.
MOTOR VU
Drive-In Theater
1 mile east of Springfield
Phone 7-2000
SHOWING TONIGHT
All Color Program
First Feature
'"White Tower"
starring
Glenn Ford & Valli
.Second Feature
Watt- Disney's
"Ichabod and
Mr. Toad"
plus
"Beaver Valley"
SI MMY AND MONDAY
Bing Crosby and
Jane Wyman
in
"Here Comes
the Groom"
also
"The Tougher
They Come"
starring
Wayne Morris
It's Gift Time
Mothers Day - Graduation
Weddings - Birthdays
Diamonds
Watches
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at
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Eugene
IMionc 4-5353
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y