Debaters Proud Of '52 Record
IN winning the New England Forensic Conference Tournament at M.I.T. on April 11 and 12, the Dartmouth debaters climaxed the biggest season in their history. Thirty-one varsity and novice debaters participated in 191 debates. In decision debates the Green compiled an impressive record of 122 victories to 66 defeats. In the course of the season, aside from meeting most of the colleges and universities in New England and in the Ivy League, Dartmouth encountered North Carolina, Virginia, Kansas State, Georgetown, Army, Navy, Marquette, Dennison and Notre Dame among others.
In the ten varsity tournaments where winners were declared Dartmouth won two, finished second in another, was third in three, fourth in two, and fifth and sixth in the others.
Four Dartmouth debaters, W. Peter Rilling '52, Charles B. Buchanan '53, David E. Horlacher '53 and Frank Putney '53, did the incredible at the Tufts College Tournament in December. They won eleven out of twelve debates and gained permanent possession of the Tufts Trophy by winning the tourney for the third straight year.
At the M.I.T. tourney in February, Frank Putney '53 and Gilbert Shapiro '53 combined with two freshmen, William Krasnow '55 and John Lewis '55, to take seven out of eight in the preliminary rounds. After defeating a clever Smith College team in the semi-finals Dartmouth lost to Bates in the finals by a 3-2 verdict.
Revenge was sweet at the New England Forensic Conference Tournament in April when Dartmouth swept through the preliminaries with a 7-1 record, eliminated Bates by a 3-0 decision in the semi-finals, and went on to defeat Vermont, last year's winner. Dartmouth's winning combination included Richard Dosik '53, Dave Horlacher '53, Rilling and Buchanan, who went on to win the individual Extemporaneous Speaking Contest for good measure.
In novice competition Dartmouth won the St. Michael's College tournament in March, and the "A" and "B" squads placed third and fourth in the Twelfth Annual Novice Tournament in Hanover. One trip to the University of Vermont, where two Dartmouth teams tackled four Vermont teams, resulted in four wins for the Green. Other novices participated in a practice tournament at Hanover in December, and journeyed to Amherst to split decisions in two debates there. The novice debaters were coached by Peter Rilling '52 in his "spare time."
The activities of the Forensic Union were not limited to what has been described. Aside from sponsoring the Novice Practice Tournament on December 15 and the Twelfth Annual Novice Tournament in which 13 colleges and universities par- ticipated on May 2-3, the Forensic Union again conducted an Invitational Inter- scholastic Tournament in which high schools and preparatory schools from four states matched arguments on December 1. Some fifty Dartmouth students assisted the visiting coaches in judging these debates. Burlington (Vt.) High School was the win- ner, taking all eight of its debates. More- over, the annual Interfraternity Debate Tournament found 22 fraternities begin- ning a series of elimination debates on the "Aid to Spain" question which finally re- sulted in a victory for Sigma Chi over Gamma Delta Chi in the finals.
The local chapter of Delta Sigma Rho,national honorary forensic fraternity, reactivated at Dartmouth last spring, sponsored a debate with Yale in 105 Dartmouth Hall on the subject of "Nationalvs. Local Fraternities." Vincent Jones '52 and Charles Buchanan '53 received theDelta Sigma Rho trophy after defeatingYale by a close 3-2 decision.
At the Forensic Union banquet held atthe Norwich Inn on May 20, W. Peter Rilling '52 and Charles B. Buchanan '53 received jointly the Lockwood Prize forexcellence in intercollegiate debating.Webster Varsity Gold Keys were presentedto Richard Dosik '53, David E. Horlacher '53, Frank Putney '53 and Gilbert Shapiro '53. Webster Bronze Keys were awarded tothe following men among those who debated for Dartmouth for the first time thisyear: Larry S. Newman '52, Robert E. Curtis '52, William Krasnow '55, John Hines '55 and Charles Greenberg '55. RodmanRockefeller '54 was elected to Green Key.
One member of the Union, Ronald Hengen '55, gained considerable recognition by winning first the local Tournament of Orators contest, then the Ivy League Contest in New York on April si. His victory over more mature rivals from Penn, Princeton, and Columbia made him eligible for the Eastern Regionals held at the Metropolitan Opera House on May 5. There Hengen finished second, losing to Garfield of Temple by one point 22 to 23.
The Forensic Union officers for the year were President, George Pandaleon '52; Vice-president, W. Peter Rilling '52; Sec- retary-Treasurer, Charles B. Buchanan '53; and Managers, Gilbert Shapiro '53 and Joel Wertheim '54. Prof. John V. Neale of the Department of Speech has served as Director of Debate and Forensic Union Adviser. Professor Neale, who thought he had retired after 15 years of debate coaching, was pressed back into service this year because of the absence of the regular debate coach, Herbert L. James, now working on his Ph.D. at the Univ. of Florida.
