The Undergraduate Chair

Approach of Graduation Brings on Thoughts and Feelings Known to All Dartmouth Men Down Through the Years

WITH GRADUATION JUST AROUND the corner it seems the time is going twice as fast. Since the last column was written we have passed from a state of hopeful waiting into a period of anxious anxiety. We went along pleasantly for quite some time thinking that it could never happen to us—we would stay on indefinitely with nothing to bother us except occasional hour exams and finals. The ups and downs of the business cycle were to be left to others. When we read of the trials and tribulations of "Joe Worker" in Time, we always felt like an outsider looking in; now this feeling is to be curtailed considerably. We have been rudely awakened and warned that the outside is beckoning, and have started to give thought to the business of graduating. It appears that those who are to walk down the grassy paths are never sure whether they will be in the long procession or watching from the sidelines with the words "better luck next time" ringing in their ears. Not only must one pass the necessary courses, but worst of all, all bills down town must be paid before one receives the parchment. This leaves one in a small quandary trying to decide whether it would be better to take-the suit back to Campion's and show up at the exercises in old army fatigues, or keep the suit and be sure of looking halfway presentable when you go forth into the business world. The fact that clothes, rooms, and jobs are hard to get has just started to penetrate the heads of many members of the senior class. And when we say senior class, we mean any member of the classes of '38 to '47 who has completed eight semesters. Gone are the days of the fuzzy-cheeked si-year-old seniors. Now an employer has his choice from any number of graduates ranging all the way from the nonshaving variety to the receding hairline type.

The other day we spent some time trying to think of a way to write this last column so as to avoid the traditionally sad or condemning exit of a student editor. As far back as we can remember, in every student publication that we have come across the farewell article by the departing editor has told of the wonders of the school and how the fond memories will tug at his heartstrings for a long time to come. We considered mentioning a few instances such as "the crunch of feet on snow," and the "bells of Baker Library in the spring night," but somehow it seems that all Dartmouth Alumni know that every graduate feels that way. We have held a position that was unique and enviable. Coming back to college among the first contingent of returnees, we have watched the College pass through several successive stages. In the first semester we were back, a civilian on campus was a rarity; in fact, in all our classes there were only three of us. Then, in the next semester, and with each succeeding one, more and more of the fellows we knew,returned, until now it is practically the same as before the war.

Anyone who is in a position to watch such a transformation naturally formulates many ideas of his own about the process. We have, and we know that many who returned with us have also. We could give our opinion of the Navy's attitude at Dartmouth, we could tell how we think the veteran problem is being handled, or we could tell how we think people who return feel after they have been back a while. The veteran has been written about, up and down the land and in so many ways, that we prefer to think of him merely as one who left and came back. We were privileged to go away and return. Many times we have heard our fathers or friends say, "Oh, I'd give anything to get back to college," and then they go into a long story about their college days, including a list of exploits in nearby towns, parties, football games, and so on. When we left we ran the complete gauntlet of emotions from dewy-eyed thoughts of freshman days to loud tales of fraternity parties. Time after time our thoughts turned back to college, and the idea of returning became paramount in our "post" period. We were able to build up all the pictures that Alumni of the past have been able to, but then we returned to this fantasy we built.

In many ways it has been a great disappointment. We do not hold this opinion alone; we have talked it over with many and they all agree. Somehow something is missing. We have had it explained to us in terms that considered everything from, "you are older, my son," to "things just aren't the same." We agree on both counts, but that doesn't offer much balm. Just the other day a former Navy officer told us how he spent five years in the Navy thinking of old days, and imagining all the things he'd do when he got back. He had a special program all mapped out that included everything from throwing peanuts in the Nugget to taking the annual hike up Mount Washington. Then he returned and, "Hell, the Nugget had burned down, they wouldn't sell me peanuts in Webster Hall, and by the time I climb West Wheelock street I'm finished, never mind Mount Washington." It will be an interesting experiment if somebody keeps track of the records of the men graduating this June. We would like to know who makes out the best, the older men or the younger. It might settle the long-disputed point about the best age to go to college. Of that we do not know, but one thing is certain: the men who came back for their degrees will not graduate with the same sort of memories as the ones who went straight through. Wives and babies, one-room apartments and other things cured that.

Whatever the feeling, however, the same thoughts go through all of the graduates' minds, young or old. There is something about Dartmouth that distinguishes it from other colleges. Whether your memory is one of fraternity parties-or 1 a.m. walks with baby in Lord Hall, it is still mingled with thoughts of Dartmouth. The dread of hour exams will wear off and in its place will come the feeling which prompts the Dartmouth alumnus to go around to all his friends saying, "Did I ever tell you about Dartmouth? Boy, what a place!" And unlike others, he means it.

The last month has seen the return of the annual spring Green Key Prom. For the first time in three years a name band played in the gym. The whole week-end was a far cry from the wartime substitutions. Fraternity booths were back, Duke Ellington took the place of some of the lesser known bands that have played in the past. The miracle again took place and we had good weather, completing the cycle so that next year they can plan on rain or snow again.

At the present time the College is busy planning for graduation and alumni reunions. There is a conspiracy afoot among the graduates to try to restore the dignity of the "Senior Fence," if only for one week. For the past three years it has been a common perch for watching Softball games, and the two or three seniors have "ever been able to muster the force, or the ambition, to inform the others that the three wooden bars constituted sacred property. The annual Class Day, and graduation in the Bema is to be restored in place of the mailing of diplomas that characterized the graduation ceremony for the past three years. The senior class met a few days ago to elect marshals, speakers, and to talk of the Class Tax.

And now we must leave. Somehow, saying that brings it too close. One can talk and talk and become callous on the outside, but inside we know there will never be another time in our lives like it. It was well worth coming back to and, like all other Dartmouth men, we'll never forget.

MILESTONES

Phi Beta Kappa: Ens. Edmund J. Byrkit '47N, Englewood, N. J.; Ens. Hjalmar S. Sundin '47N, Jamestown, N. Y.; Albert G. Wilson Jr. '47N, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Commencement Speakers: Valedictory, Richard Morse '44, Hanover, N. H.; Welcome Address, John K. Snobble '44, Highland Park, Ill.; Class Orator, Frederick C. Witzel '44, Longmeadow, Mass.; Class Day Speaker, Luther R. Nelson '47N, Center City, Minn.; Sachem Orator, Philip E. Penberthy '44, Detroit, Mich.; Address to the Old Pine, Whitcomb Wells '44, Melrose, Mass.

Senior Class Marshals: Meryll M. Frost '44, Wellesley, Mass.; Charles E. Holt Jr. '45, Melrose, Mass.: Charles E. Cooper '47N, St. Albans, N. Y.; Joseph F. Conley '46, New Haven. Conn.

Commencement Committee: Chairman, John K. Snobble '44, Highland Park, Ill.; Secretary, Swift C. Barnes Jr. '42, Maplewood, N. J.; Treasurer, Charles W. Fendrich Jr. '47N, Washington, D. C.; Robert D. Brown '43, Chicago, 111.; Walter G. Koontz '47N, Staten Island. N. Y.; John D. Knipple '47N, Johnstown, N. Y.; Nichol M. Sandoe Jr. '45, Pelham Manor, N. Y.; Walter A. Snickenberger '46, Hanover, N. H.

Green Key Society: President, Robert D. McLaughry '44, Hanover, N. H.; Vice President, James T. Biggie '47 MC, Buffalo, N. Y.; Secretary, Robert C. Bogart '46, Toledo, OhioTreasurer, Fritz W. Alexander II '47N, Gary' Indiana.

German Club: President, Arthur S. Wensinger '48, Grosse Pointe, Mich.; Vice President, John D. Condit '46, Evanston, Ill.; Secretary, George F. Barr '45, Norwood, Mass.; Treasurer, Paul F. Novacek '47, Cleveland Ohio.

UNDERGRADUATE EDITOR. Paul J. Caravatt '45 of Hartford, Conn., Army veteran, who ends his occupancy of The Undergraduate Chair with this month's installment.

A TRUE DARTMOUTH INDIAN is Bill Cook '50, fullblooded Mohawk lacrosse star, shown leaving the Middle Fayer quarters for married veterans with his Indian wife, Evelyn. He was a Marine pilot in the South Pacific and received the Purple Heart.