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This month in Pioneer history by William Witwer Staff Reporter How much has life at Whitman really changed in the last 10 years? In the last 30? To find out, The Pioneer traveled back in time—or maybe just to the Penrose Library archives—and dug up some front page news from Octobers past.
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e Pioneer’s front On Oc t. 5, 19 89 , Th the then-native page story profile d interest house, se spe aker in the Chine account deng eti riv a Jian Xu-Fai, in ort to campus tai ling his fai lure to rep was schedu led on Sept. 28, the day he “brought on ns tio tric to arr ive. Vis a res in the People’s by violent civ il unrest bably rel ating to Republic of China,” pro n Squ are, preme the incident at Tianan so. vented him from doing
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German Defense Minister Visits Campus
Writer Jack Anderson captivates crowd with humorous political rhetoric
On Oct. 6, 1988, the front page story details a campus visit by a member of the German Defense Ministry the previous Tuesday. Deputy Chief of Policy Planning Dieter Mahncke argued that U.S. troops not be withdrawn from Germany: “Without this deterrent, he believes, West Germany could risk ‘Finlandization’; the Germans would be forced to acquiesce to Moscow’s political demands.” The troops were also there to prevent what he called “outright attack” in which the Warsaw pact apparently had the advantage.
On Oct. 4, 1984, the front page story outlines a humorous lecture on politics by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Jack Anderson, discussing “the upcoming presidential election, American politics, the Soviet Union, communism and government spending last Saturday.” Today, there is no Soviet Union or communism to worry about, but the other issues are exactly the same.
Armed suspect apprehended by campus security
“Shangri-La” fire injures four
front On Oct. 14, 1999, there is a large who ect susp ed page story about an arm rity. secu pus cam by ded was apprehen h whic ng duri s, larie burg of s serie a r Afte and e purs a et, a backpack, a leather jack from two unnamed items were stolen of ds roun 20 pus, cam on le peop various age. garb the ammunition were found in .380 Mike Austen, then a senior, found a next the s gras the in l pisto tic semi-automa morning.
On Oct. 4, 1990 , the front page report examines how a campus-owned house burned down in a fire. There was an estimated $40,000 worth of damage to the house, which was affectionately known as “Shangri-La,” and was leased to two Whitman students (Jason Jercinovic and Mike Berger). There were several injuries, and the building was too severely damaged to be rebuilt.
In Loco Parentis Greek alumni offer glimpse into yesteryear Missionary football: a ghost of Whitman’s past Conceptions of acceptable student behavior has evolved considerably in recent decades, as college policy reflects
The class of1969 football team makes a last effort in their final successful season.
by Hadley Jolley
Compiled by Kristen Coverdale
fews or restrictions on visitors to dorms and some dorm rooms are coed. “Recently, we have allowed coed In the 1950s, Whitman women had a roommates with the acknowledgement curfew and a dress code. Men were not of a guardian, although not for firstallowed past the Great Hall in Prent- year students,” said Associate Dean of iss. Men either lived off-campus or in Students and Director of Residence Life a fraternity after their first year. Women Nancy Tavell. did not live off campus at all, and their But current residence life policies rooms were inspected weekly. show the influence of the 1960s and “This was the point when colleges ’70s: Whitman still requires students to made all the decisions,” said Associate live two years on-campus. Dean of Students “Most of our and Student Serpeers, small vices Barbara Maxliberal arts colwell. “In the 1960s leges, have at things started to least a twobreak down.” year residency In his book requirement,” on the history of said Tavelli. “It’s Whitman, “Tradia way to get the tion in a Turbulent residence expeAge,” alumnus G. rience.” Thomas Edwards’ Of course, outlines a philosonot all students phy called “In Loco spend those Parentis,” where the two years in college takes the residence halls. place of a parent in G. Thomas Edwards, author of Interest houses keeping watch over “Traditions in a Turbulent Age” are also popular students. among sopho“From 1964 to more students. 1971 at smaller col“Interest leges and universities across the nation, houses have become more important the practice of in loco parentis—espe- over the past ten years,” said Tavelli. “It’s cially with regard to women students— a great opportunity and the greek sysdrew more attention and involvement tem has gotten less popular.” than any other single campus issue,” According to Tavelli, the first interest Edwards wrote. house was the French house, which was Many of the protests challenged rules founded in 1968. Other language housand policies about who had to live on es were also early starters, while more campus and what rules they had to fol- houses were founded in the 1980s and low. One of the first sources of discontent 90s. They provide a smaller community was the double standard that allowed than the residence halls, as well as the men but not women to live off-campus. opportunity to dedicate time to an inOther issues included visiting hours, terest. Any student of sophomore status curfews, confidential reports on stu- or higher can apply to live in an interest dents living in residence halls and house. alcohol policy. Today, there are no curStaff Reporter
Staff Reporter
For almost a century, the greek system has played a prominent role in Whitman culture. Providing opportunities for social connections, leadership, philanthropy and fun, every greek has stories to tell. Here are a few glimpses of greek life from the past.
When I was a junior at Whitman, my mom passed away and it was right in the midst of finals and my sorority sent around an emergency note in everyone’s mailbox to let them know that she had passed and asked everyone to come if they could and right in the middle of finals about 30 girls came to rest her in the Tri-Cities. For me, that was an amazing show of support that I hadn’t expected at all.
When I was a freshman, we had a pledge project. Dwight Eisenhower was campaigning for president of the United States and he came to Walla Walla. Our pledge project was to go down to the parade that was being held for the candidate Eisenhower and sell these cigarette lighters with his image engraved on it. Can you imagine asking freshmen girls to do that in this day and age? We sold them—we went up to total strangers, “Would you like to buy this lighter for $5”, and that’s how we raised some money for, I don’t know, a dance or something.
Deanna Laidler, Delta Gamma
Karen Elder Pribilsky, Kappa Kappa Gamma
I remember when the TKEs, before they bought the house on the corner, there was a driveway that went around behind the TKE house. Some guys got the idea [that] it’d be fun to divert traffic around in that very narrow [driveway]. So they got a bunch of straw, piled it across Isaacs Avenue, and then had detour signs. This was done at about midnight when the traffic was pretty low, and as the traffic would come down around Isaacs, there were detour signs around the TKE house, and that lasted for about an hour or so until a guy in a big trick [drove up]. There was no way he could get through that, so he stopped and investigated the barricade and opened it up to traffic, but while it lasted it was interesting. I remember one year, they got a team of Shetland ponies and the candidates for the Betas in through the chapel, which was the only auditorium on campus, and they came running in in a chariot drawn by ponies and that created quite a sensation. Pete Reid, Phi Delta Theta
From 1964-1971 at smaller colleges and universities across the nation, the practice of in loco parentis–especially with regard to women students–drew more attention and involvement than any other single campus issue.
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by Helen Jenne Staff Reporter When football was cut in March 1977, after a sudden decision by the board of trustees without any student input, Whitman lost more than just a sport. Football was an important part of Whitman for nearly 80 years, although it was never consistently a winning team. According to Thomas Edward’s “A Sketchy History of Whitman Football: Excitement and Controversy,” in 77 years, Whitman’s winning record was only 37 percent. But “it brought the campus together,” said Associate Director of Alumni Relations Nancy Mitchell. Any Whitman yearbook from the
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’50s or ’60s shows the culture that came with football. For the homecoming game in 1958, there was a barbecue, a pep rally, and a parade that consisted of 13 floats contributed from different social groups. There was a homecoming dance, complete with a queen and two princesses. The homecoming queen even got featured in the “Royalty” section of the yearbook, a full page devoted to a close-up picture of her. The football team also benefited the athletes. “[Football] drew out the best in them,” Mitchell said, “They learned to do things they never thought they were capable of doing.” Mitchell said that football brought a different kind of personality to Whit-
man. Students came to Whitman who would not have come if they couldn’t play football. In “Football players tackle memories,” an article in the “Walla Walla Union Bulletin” by Alfred Diaz, former Whitman football player Dave Hartsfield says that he wouldn’t have traded his years at Whitman for anything, but he wouldn’t have chosen Whitman if there wasn’t a football team. Because of the small size of Whitman, football just didn’t have the numbers to continue. It was also a financial strain. “Budgets were very, very tight then,” Mitchell said. Football was an expensive sport; by 1977, 42 other colleges had already cut their football teams, according to Edward’s history of Whitman
10 notable
Whitman alums by Hanna Ory Feature Editor
1.
William O. Douglas ’20
Douglas was sworn in as a U.S. Supreme Court Justice in 1939. With a term lasting 36 years, he is the longest-serving justice in the history of the Supreme Court.
2.
Ralph Cordiner ’22
3.
Walter Brattain ’24
4.
Al Ullman ’35
From 1950-1958, Cordiner served as President of General Electric Corporation. He later went on to become Chairman and CEO of the company.
Brattain was a physicist and co-inventor of the transistor, for which he won the 1956 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Representing Oregon’s 2nd congressional district, Ullman served as a member of the United States House of Representatives for 24 years.
5.
Lucile Lomen ’41
Lomen was the first woman to ever serve as a law clerk for a Supreme Court justice. She served under William Douglas, a Whitman alum himself.
6.
Adam West ’51
West, an actor, is best known for his lead role in the 1960s TV series and film “Batman.” Since 2000, West has made regular appearances on the animated series “Family Guy,” on which he plays Mayor Adam West, a parody of himself.
7.
Webb Miller ’65
Miller is a professor and computational biology pioneer. He was recently featured in Time Magazine 100, 2009: Scientists and Thinkers, amongst the most influential scientists in the world.
8.
Morten Laurisden ’65
9.
Ryan Crocker’‘71
football. The money saved from cutting football was used to provide “opportunities for more student athletes,” said Dean Snider, athletic director. This meant developing other sports programs, especially women’s sports, after Title IX was passed in 1972. Today, there are fourteen varsity sports at Whitman. “All . . . have been part of the program now for numerous years,” Snider said. He estimates that today, Whitman is in the top three or top half of the conference in most sports. “I see Whitman athletics as building to be very strong,” Snider said. He said that he feels that there has been a change just in the last fifteen years, in
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As a vocal composer, Lauridsen was previously the composer-in-residence of the Lost Angeles Master Chorale. Lauridsen’s vocal compositions are featured regularly in concerts worldwide.
Crocker is a former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, most recently, and previously to Lebanon, Kuwait, Syria and Pakistan. He is also a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
10.
Ingrid Backstrom ’00
An internationally ranked professional skier, Backstrom has been featured in Warren Miller’s film “Impact” (2004) and was the only female to be featured as one of Powder Magazine’s Future Big Mountain Heroes in 2002.
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contributed by Kristen Coverdale Kappa Kappa Gamma’s pledge class of 1961 poses outside of their section in Prentiss Hall during recruitment.
Greek
By the Numbers
that Whitman is “pursuing the same type of excellence that is also evident in our academic programs.” Snider pointed out that this is made possible by greater resources, such as improved facilities, and more support from trustees. “A lot of these things that we have going for us now did not exist in the past,” he said. “[Football] had just a tremendously positive effect on campus,” Snider said. But the positive effect of varsity sports can still be seen today—Snider cites the example of the women’s volleyball game several weeks ago against Willamette University, at which hundreds of spectators sat in the bleachers, cheering for Whitman.
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