Friday, April 16, 1954.
University Daily Kansan
By NANCY NEVILLE
Page 5
Greenery, Bird Baths Are Past Senior Gifts
The footprints of former seniors can be seen by merely taking a look around the campus. Things we pass every day were donations by previous senior classes.
The custom of the senior gift began with our KU grandfathers—the four members of the first graduating class. In appreciation for their alma mater, the group presented a framed engraving of "The Temple of Karnak," an ancient Egyptian temple. For many years, it hung on the first floor hallway in Fraser hall, but since then has been taken down.
The class of 1874, composed of three members, give a companion picture, "Vue de L'Lie de Philoe", the island on which the temple stands. The following class also gave an engraving, "The Roman Forum."
A small elm was placed as the "senior tree." However, the juniors jokingly gave it a chemical bath, retarding its growth. A box elder was substituted, and the ceremony continued.
Other classes continued the landscaping idea. The class of 1915 provided for the plantings in front of the old Student Union; in 1927 vines for the Union were given, in addition to furniture for the buildings; crabapple trees were planted all over the campus as a gift of the class of 1945, and landscaping around Lindley hall was donated by the class of 1947.
Many classes have added to the campus' beauty by planting trees and shrubs. In 1877, Chancellor Marvin appointed a "tree planting day" during which the underclassmen set out trees in what is now Marvin grove, while the seniors planted trees on the campus.
The bulletin board now setting next to Green had had a hard time getting located. Donated by the Class of 1915, it first was placed where it is now, but soon was tied in front of Robinson gym.
What locality was not popular, and so after several other movings, it was placed right back where it had started. However, a new bulletin board has replaced the original one.
Other bulletin boards with benches, in front of Watson library, were provided by the Class of 1931.
Other well-known sights on the campus which were gifts are the bird baths next to Green hall, class of 1902; the stone benches on the campus, class of 1914; the Seth Thomas clock in the library, class of 1908; the Alcott Union, class of 1919; the base for the Pioneer statue behind Fraser, class of 1920, and the chime clock in the Union, class of 1922.
Watkins hospital received a diathermy machine, for heat treatment of tissues, from the class of 1914, and the Class of 1917 bought $319 worth of war bonds to be used later for hospital equipment.
The Student Union would not be the building it is today if it were not for senior gifts. The Class of 1928 provided furniture, encased photographs of 129 KU men and women who died in World War I, tapestries, and a trophy case.
A piano was purchased for the Union by the Class of 1929, and an elevator was installed by the Class of 1920. The Pine, English, Kansas, and Michigan were completed by the Classes of 1936, 1938, 1939, and 1951, respectively.
An organ was given by the Class of 1942, and last year's seniors gave the furniture on the balcony of the
$1,400Scholarship Goes to Engineer
A $1,400 scholarship has been awarded to a senior in aeronautical engineering.
Kenneth Wernicke was given the scholarship for graduate study by the National Science foundation of Washington, D.C. The cash award, in addition to tuition and fees, is for the 1854-55 school year.
Wernicke belongs to Sigma Tau and Tau Beta Pi, national honorary engineering fraternities and Sigma Gamma Tau, national honorary aero-naitional engineering fraternity.
Robert Vanatta, basketball coach at the U.S. military academy, was named coach at Bradley university yesterday.
The dance floor at the Potter lake recreational area was given by the class of 1943. The information booth, (how did we ever get along without it?) was a gift of the 1950 senior class.
Union. A new wing, rooms, fireplace and stage in the old Union, and the interior completion of the new Union were other gifts.
Not only the steps leading to the campanile, but the stage curtain in Fraser theater as well was provided by the class of 1948.
Besides all of these tangible gifts, many classes donated scholarship and loan funds.
'College Try' Helps Job of Relays Chairman
Bv RON GRANDON
A bit of the "Rock Chalk" school spirit is needed by student and faculty KU Relays committee chairmen when this event rolls around each year.
It takes more than a profit motive to make this committee the smooth-rolling and functional organization that it is, and senior committee chairmen Clarke Keys, journalism, and Bob Ball, college, are in agreement that at least part of the reason behind the success of the committee's work is the clear-cut results which are shown so clearly by today and tomorrow's KU Relays events.
The whole thing starts before most people even remember that there is such an event as the KU Relays. It started this year with a meeting by Dr. Elbel, Coach Easton,
Dr. E. R. Elbel, professor of physical education, and Coach M. E. "Bill" Easton direct the work in a supervisory capacity of the only all-student Relays committee in the nation.
Keys, and Ball and the other committee members to send out the first invitations to the many universities and the more than 300 high schools whom they hoped would be able to compete in the Relays.
Then, for the next six weeks, a special room is reserved in the afternoon in Robinson gym for the committee, which keeps a man or more there every week day (during spring vacation, too) to keep up with the work that starts to pile up.
It takes plenty of experience as well as enthusiasm to put an event like the Relays over. Dr. Elbel, general director of the Relays, has just that. Coming to KU in the fall of 1928, Dr. Elbel has been around KU sports in the capacity of physical education professor, loud-speaker announcer, intramural director, and later Relays director since that time, except for a four-year stretch in the Army Air corps during World War II.
And the other faculty adviser, track coach "Bill" Easton counts
long on the experience score, too. Since Easton came here, KU teams have dominated the conference. Winning three consecutive NCAA championships with his cross-country runners while at Drake university, Easton turned out another one here at KU last fall. He is serving his fourth term as secretary-treasurer of the national track coaches association, and is past president of the CCC and NCAA cross-country associations.
But these men are only the advisors. KU has the only Relays which are actually run by students of the sponsoring school. Clarke Keys, a 21-year-old Lawrence product, and Robert R. "Bob" Ball, a fourth-year history major from Garden City, are in charge of the student side of the Relays' planning.
At least it has given us senior chairmen which have turned out a monumental KU Relays product for the 29th year.
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