The OkieLegacy

Castle On The Hill
1937 The Ranger Annual
Northwestern State Teachers' College

The Great Day

by an interested student

The day on which the dedication of our new educational structures was held ought to be a day which many of the students should remember as an important event in their lives. The students which helped make the day a success by serving the public in some capacity, will be those who will remember it most vividly.

In looking back over the day's program I can enumerate many capacities in which the students served the public. Beginning with the morning's program in the Wyatt gymnasium, college students served as ushers for the large crowd gathered there to hear Mrs. Roosevelt's lecture. The usher group consisted of members of the student council and a few other dutiful and patriotic college students.

Immediately after the morning lecture a large number of college students began serving the public at information desks and as guides on well organized excursion tours through the two new buildings and over the campus. With the exception of a few, the students serving in this capacity were members of the Zippers or Wranglers, girl's and boy's pep clubs, respectively, or the college girls Drum and Bugle Corps. Each guide was dressed in the uniform of their organization, with guide ribbons pinned on them. This made the guides conspicuous and easy for the public to follow during the excursion trip. There were approximately 2500 people served by the guides and many more were served by the information desks.

The girls Drum and Bugle Corps paraded down College Avenue and around the square just before noon. This gave the public an example of the skill and performance attainable by a properly drilled group of college students.

The college home economics department served the luncheon in the new spacious library reading room with the skill of the best trained cooks and waitresses. This was probably a novel experience for many of these students and one which they will long remember.

At 1:00 o'clock p.m. the college band presented a concert which was appreciatively received by the throng of people gathering for the dedication ceremonies in front of the new Jesse Dunn Hall. In this organization one has the opportunity of developing his musical talent with the aid of a highly efficient instructor.

Of course the dedication ceremonies would not have been complete without the college organization; namely, "The Little Theatre." This organization is composed of many aspirants in the art of dramatic presentation. They presented a pageant which was the reenacment of the signing of the bill that granted the Northwestern Normal to Alva on March 12, 1897. The pageant was well presented and proved that the presence of a dramatics club on the campus can be made a benefit to the public besides the individual training it gives to the members.

Last but not least of the services rendered to the public by the members of the student body, was the work accomplished by various N.Y.A. employees. In almost every department of the college some N.Y.A. employee was stationed to tell the curious visitors all details concerning the equipment and to answer questions. In looking through the buildings and over the campus one could see many employees carrying chairs, benches, and other supplies from one place to the next for their part in making the day an enjoyable one for our guests.

In rendering these services to the college and its guests during the day these members of the student body have been benefited both individually and as a whole, The public appreciates such services and as a result they will aid in building a larger and better college.

Probably the highlights of the day's events were supplied by the most distinquished guest of the day, Mrs. Eleanor Delano Roosevelt. After listening to her lecture in the morning I could comprehend the reason why Mrs. Roosevelt is so popular with the public. Personally, I was impressed beyond expectations by the attitude with which the lecture was given and the superb personality shown by her actions and in her words.

The students worked with the general commerce department in making the plans for the program. More than four hundred letters were sent to as many high shcool senior classes extending an invitation to them to come to Northwestern as guests of the student body. The high school seniors were invited to hear Mrs. Roosevelt speak to them on the topic, "A Typical Day in the White House." Such large numbers of those seniors planned to come that one of the three appearances of Mrs. Roosevelt had to be made in the Wyatt Gym.

The student council with the aid of a few students who volunteered their services served as ushers for all three of the addresses delivered by the First Lady of the Land.

We, as a student body, should feel honored that we had the opportunity to participate in teh program of such a day, and that the honor of presenting Mrs. Roosevelt to the student body was extended by those in charge of the program to a fellow student, the president of our student council. We should extend our thanks as a student body to President Brown and those in charge for this honor. We should feel proud as students that we were able to serve the public in the way that they were served.

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