UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS —

DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION

August 29, 1942.

Dear

The academic year of 1942-43 takes on a more serious and 4
more sinister meaning for us all. We are now fast realizing that we
are in a death struggle with three international gangsters - the square-
heads, the slit-eyes, and the spaghetti-benders - who are bent upon our
utter destruction, To destroy them is our purpose at present. :

College days heretofore meant friendships and fellowships,
success in the prcfessions or business, marriage and desires for a
happy home jifo with caildren, Ali of this has been changed and now
the word SERVICE confronts all of us, of eil ages, The reason that
you are being aeferred temporarily, to allow you to obtain an education
that wili permit you to serve in a greater capacity as an officer, is
because of tho expericnce that Uncle Sem has had in training officer
material, He has fod that when he took volunteer enlistments for the
training camps for officer material about 43% failed, due to deficiencies
not here mentioned, But when Uncle Sem permitted these boys to go to
college and obtain a degree then only about 5% of them failed,

Therefore, you are in the upper strata and your Unele feels
that it is a good investment to permit you to return to college and
complete your education so that you will be a better officer to, handle
the men under you. You will be mote capable and you will’ shve moe
lives, and you will win the war in a shorter tine than had you immed-
iately gone into tho service without this extra trainings

This interlude of a few years was not given you to return to
the campus and carry on in tho ways of previous college days. It will
be & more serious group this year, and while athletics will have their
place in the great, scheme, of, things, the real, purpose will. be. to. develop
a finer. fighting morale anda mere splendid esprit de corps for, the mon

ag ®

Percsters « the .squerce
at this time, but’ rather I am hoping that we ean be the means of develop-
ing a finer sense.of obligation to. duty, whether it be on the. basketball

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court or in the other walks of life here on,Yount reed.

ghee epent the sumer. getting into better, physical eondltion
and I am hoping to train with you so. that,we can oll make better... ..
progress. Of course, we hope to have a fighting. basketball. team, but

all the adjectives that heretofore: have been used: to. describe athletic

toams will now be used to describe the fighting heart of our. boys in ».
the thousands of battle areas.where our .K.U. boys.will be founds; . 220.05

Pi

he te ot & yeas *« os Pe

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