Pasadena Chronicle, June 25, 1942

News Highlights Of The Exceptional Year Just Finished Special Edition Pasadena Junior College, June 25, 1942 Rummaging through a pocketful of notes, scribblings of the se¬ mester’s news, we find the contents to be most momentous. In fact, it was impossible to bury them in the waste basket, per custom, with¬ out reminiscing a bit. DECEMBER 10, U. S. AT WAR Two weeks later PJC’s Defense ....-Council fully; organized. In two weeks an administrative organ, streamlined to safeguard two campuses seven miles apart with more than 5,000 students, had arisen overnight to put PJC on the alert. Set rolling by the boundless energy of Ed Davis, a student working graveyard at Lockheed on top of a full social science cur¬ riculum, and Dean Hawes, the Council lost no time in making PJC first in nationwide preparedness. Within a month, the original Council, com¬ prised of Administration members and mostly student leaders, was en¬ larged to embrace elected air raid wardens from all classes. Indirectly, scarcely a student was without emergency responsibility. In the event of a raid, Lancers were designated as couriers, ROTC men as rooftop in¬ cendiary spotters, first aid classes had tourniquets in readiness. Dean Hawes supplemented counselor sheets with short unit courses — telegraphy, first aid, war psychology, et al. Athletic Director Dunn en¬ gineered a physical fitness drive, with all men’s gym classes put through rigorous cal- esthenics, tests of balance, speed and endur¬ ance. Another month and the Council content that emergency duty and equipment was well-planned, after several successful raid re¬ hearsals, instigated the first of numerous Victory Drives. The “paper-or-penny-a-day” drive and campaigns to sell victory stamps were notable. MARCH 15, EASTER VACATION DEBAT For a month a controversy raged over Easter holidays. It was argued that abolition of vacation, and closing school a week earlier would : 1. Release students for forestry and de¬ fense jobs sooner. 2. Discourage the usual flood of early withdrawls in the first weeks of June. shrieked and the meeting was doused in blackness. There the idea of the “Blackout Carnival’’ was born. Program Chairman Larry Wallace hopped to it and lined up an array of top professional talent for a grandoise vaudeville show. To simulate normalcy, Dale Iiiestand held a popularity contest for a queen and court to reign. Campaigning ensued. Editor Verbeck published a special edition of the Chronicle devoted entirely to the Carnival. A P.A. system was installed in the student union and for several days popular records and high-pressure voices were heard during noon hours. Friday evening, May 15, the auditorium was filled and the curtain raised on OMD’s adaptation to war circumstances. Master of Ceremonies Morrie Amsterdam rolled them in the aisles, Liz Tilton swooned them and Gordon Jenkins’ orchestra had them hopping rhythmically. MAY 28, SALVAGE DAY As the Victory Drives of the Defense Council terminated, it was rea¬ lized that time was ripe for something momentous. Early in May, the Restrictive Inter-Club Council drew up blueprints for a paragon Salvage Day. Reminiscent of extinct OMD Carnivals, junior collegians forgot books and came to school in levi-plaid shirt trappings. Five hundred were exempt from classes to can¬ vass Pasadena in trucks. Housewives had been forewarned of the tremendous Sal¬ vage Drive by leaflets, and had parking strips piled with washtubs, hot water bot¬ tles, toothpaste tubes and “johnny” seats. By high noon the women’s athletic field was a virtual junk yard and by dusk, the dark form of a mountain of scrap metal, papers and rubber loomed over the campus. By dark, the women’s gym was teeming with grimy but happy couples swinging to Duke Rinaldi’s music. RICC presidents Glen Riley and Alice Graham, with organizers Jean DeGarmo, Marilyn Morgan and Ed Issett, had done a good job. 3. Curtail frivolous, unwaranted spend¬ ing of vacationists which totals $6,000 dur¬ ing ttie one week. Nevertheless, the protagonists of vacation rebuttled by the conten¬ tions that: The OMD Queen and her court. Left to right: Queen Betty Heatherington, Marilyn Phillips, Katie Thomas, Janice Bidwell, and Eunice Alder. 1. A mid-term respite would bolster the student morale. 2. A greater number of students would take AWOL during the week than job-seekers in June. The matter was ultimately dumped in Superintendent Sexson’s lap. Considering both sides of the matter, he made the decision — there would be Easter Week this year, but that others would be banned for the dur¬ ation. Restrictive clubs rushed to rent Laguna and Bal houses. Catalina was isolated. One men’s club sought refuge at Big Bear. New notes crept into beach life. Sun baskers on the sand eyed the listing ocean, more as a reflex action, on lookout for subs. Clubs played host to hordes of service men and defense workers, usually alumni. “Gow jobs” were notably less prevalent and Henderson’s code for safe driving was rather closely observed. MAY 15, OMD CARNIVAL BECOMES “BLACKOUT CARNIVAL” As time came for the OMD to lay plans for their annual carnival the Defense Council banned plans of evening festivities outdoors, on the grounds that carnival lights and throngs of pleasure-seekers would court danger from a feasible air raid. Moreover, it claimed, the tennis courts offered no satisfactory exits for a large crowd. The OMD was faced with two alternatives. First to hold the cax-nival per usual outdoors in the afternoon, and second to sponsor an indoor show. The group was mulling over the problem one evening when sirens But the dirty work was yet to come. Lack of organization of the 1000 salvagers resulted in a nearly worthless, unsegregat¬ ed heap. For a week, a handful of workers dug into the junk, bundling loose papers, ferreting out rubber and rags. Finally, in a partially segregated state, it was sold for $500. Yet the moral is, that if bins were constructed for such items as aluminum, brass, rubber, et al, and if the segregation was made complete as the trucks were un¬ loaded, the junk’s value would have been double and the labor halved. But the restrictive clubs promise it’ss be different next time and have proposed an annual Salvage Day for the duration. PUBLICATIONS Chronicle seldom hangs its wash on the line, consequently little know¬ ledge of its publication is understood by JC students. First semester, jour¬ nalistic tycoon Dave Davis incorporated into one solid staff a talented few who turned out the smoothest volume of junior college history. Reminded some of days when Max Colwell, Al Wesson and other notables did the same here. Second semester, ex-sports editor, Norbie Verbeck took over editorial board chairmanship, held together Davis’ masterpiece. Other top PJC publication, Campus met with both adverse and fa¬ vorable reactions. Most students enjoyed return to formal annual, expect better quality next year. Third on campus journalistic endeavor, Huddle, was rejuvinated by Noel Young in the fall, became a profitable enterprise. MAY 29, PRIMARY ELECTIONS Aptly capping this historic semester was Stu Fitch’s primary elec¬ tions. Few, if any, student elections at PJC have been as singular and successful. Big news was obviously Dale Hiestand polling a majority over Eley and Clement in the primaries, and Jim McCaffery taking the Associate Presidency from unopposed Don Barry after a whirlwind, last-minute campaign. McCaffery’s aides cleverly printed stickers bearing his name to go write on the ballot as a write-in.