PAGE SIX
Blonde Red Cross Worker
Proves Good Morale Builder
Somebody told us that Barbara Torrence Nelson was back in
State College, so we decided to have a look in and find out what a
Red Cross volunteer does in Alexandria, Egypt. Besides, a soldier
we met the other night, recently returned from Egypt, confided to us
that Bobby’s jitterbugging was legendary throughout the Middle
East, so we set out with our expectations on the optimistic side.
We found Barbara at home excited over a huge box which had
just arrived from Egypt via her husband.
“Well,” she told us, “we can start right from the beginning and
I’ll give you some idea of the work
we did in our club in Alex.” When
she went to fetch the pictures we
observed that Mrs. Barbara Tor
rence Nelson was a very attrac
tive blond who could do wonders
for any soldier’s morale.
Bobby was graduated from the
College in June 1942, where she
was Queen of the Senior Ball and
a member of Alpha Omicron Pi
sorority. With Alice Noll, another
former Penn State coed, she went
overseas as a Red Cross worker
the following summer. The Am
erican Red Cross Club in Alexan
dria was their destination
Their work was not easy but
they met the challenge. The eight
girls in charge oil the American
Red Cross Club exerted all their
ingenuity in making the club as
home-like as possible, and with
the aid of the boys, who were ea
ger to help, seem to have suc
ceeded pretty well.
Bobby tells the story of a cou
ple of American soldiers who took
a Sudanese native under their
wing. The result of their prodi
gious coaching could be heard any
afternoon or evening when the
gahrui driver parked in front of
the club lustily intoned “Pistol
Packin’ Mama” in a garbled na
tive tongue.
Working hours for the girls
were any time an enlisted man
pulled into the club. The thous
ands of boys coming and going
throughout the Middle East who
stopped in Alexandria were tak
en horesback (or camel) riding,
dancing, sailing down the Nile,
and if their passes were long
enough on a flying trip to Beirut
for a look at the country.
Thinking about Bobby’s hus
band, the major, we muttered
something about not limiting that
terrific morale building job of
hers to just' the enlisted men.
“That was a friendship,” Bar->
bara confessed, “started two
weeks after I arrived in Alexan
dria.” Nine months later Bar
bara Torrence and Major Harold
Arthur Nelson, commandant of
the Alexandria Port Command,
were married, the first couple to
be wed in the American Red Cross
Club there.
'. Gault MacG wan, New York
Sun correspondent, now a prison
er* of war, described the affair as
For Comfbrtable Rooms.
• & TheCOLONIAL
123W.NITTANYAVE,
“A/I With Ffurrn/ntt Water
The
FIRST NATIONAL BANK
of
STATE COLLEGE
Member of
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
By RUTH CONSTAD
RARBARA TORRENCE NELSON
“a swagger wedding with a dou
ble ring ceremony.” British and
American society were thicker
than flies and a Greek industria
list presented the bride with a sil
ver fox coat.
Although Bobby’s marriage did
not hamper her work the Red
Cross regulations governing vol
unteer workers require that mar
ried women be assigned to- differ
ent combat areas from that in
which their husbands are station
ed. In order to apply for reas
signment Bobby flew) back to the
States in July of this year. By
then, she learned that there was
a chance of her husband coming
to the States, and so she resigned
from overseas service.
Right now she is awaiting his
return, for according to the Army
rotation plan, the major should
arrive here within a couple of
months.
Before we left we couldn’t resist
inquiring about a heavy gold ring
which Bobby wore. “That’s about
the nearest we could come to an
engagement ring,” she told us.
The raised gold script on either
side of the band spells out Alex
andria and Ethiopia, both places
to which her husband had been
assigned, and the heavy gold work
in the center represents the sign
of Judah. Major Nelson had it co
pied and wears the other one.
We took our leave of 'Mrs. Nel
son with the sincere hope that
her husband would arrive per
schedule.
THE COLLEGIAN
Freshman Women
Honor Big Sisters
At Annual Tea
Big sisters wil be entertained by
iheir little sisters at the traditional
freshmen tea on the lawn outside
Women’s Building from 4 to 5 p.m.
Sunday. Miss Julia Brill and Dr.
Anna Stevens will pour.
Under Ann Dunaway, general
chairman of the tea, are the fol
lowing committees: invitations and
publicity—Lynn Clark, chairman,
Barbara Green, Joan Keller, and
Sally Knapp; music—Gay Swartz,
chairman, Marion Simone, Helen
Weber, and Carol Wilbur.
Refreshments—Grace McMillin,
chairman, Jean Brenner, Rachael
Emerick, Betty Jane Florey, Clara
Jones, Margaret Linley, Maria
Hanclik, Nancy McHenry, Frances
McNight, Margaret Reisher, and
Sarah Sholly.
Hostesses—Selma Sabel, chair
man, Ann Baker, Joanne Beaver,
Ivina Boocock, Lois Fehr, Eliza
beth Goodlin, Sally Knapp, Buth
Kuntzleman, Betty Lovelass, Eliz
abeth Parke, Berna Stridinger,
Helen Weber, and Mary Frances
Wheland.
Decorations—Phyllis Schmelzle,
chairman, Carolyn Currier, and
Amy Kaliney; clean-up Mary
Jane Rudy, chairman, Ruth Au
chenbach, Phyllis James, Mae
Kunkle, Lois Meng, Marjorie Rex
and Marjorie Watson.
WRA fo Sponsor Annual
Co-Rec Day Tomorrow
Annual Co-Rec Day, sponsored
oy WRA, will be held on the lawn
of White Hall from 6 to 8:30 p.m.
tomorrow.
Two courts of badminton will
be set up along with a court of
list ball and a game of volley ball.
Bridge, ping pong, and box soccer
will also be presented. A softball
game wil be lined up from stu
dents attending.
All students and servicemen are
invited to participate in the events.
Refreshments will be sold.
Mary Gundel and Doris Huck
are co-chairmen for the affair, as
sisted by Betsy McGee and Nan
Black .on the refreshment com
mittee. Ellynmae Hottenstirie in
charge of equipment, and Fay
Young handling publicity.
Frosh Coeds to Live
In Town Dorms in Fell
First semester coeds and trans
fers will live in organized town
houses for the fall semester, an
nounced Charlotte E. Ray, dean
of women, today.
Coeds who lived in town last
year are coming to campus dormi
tories for the fall semester.
Those in town will receive help
in orientation from Freshman
Council, Junior Service Board,
S'enior Sponsors, and WSGA Sen
ate. Eight or nine new houses
added to last year’s list will in
clude those formerly occupied by
Acacia and Delta Theta Sigma
fraternities.
GSO Plans Skating Party
GSO is sponsoring a skating par
ty at the Coliseum skating rink,
located at College avenue below
the Duck Pond, 2:30 to 5:30 p.m.
tomorrow. Admission is 25 cents
per person. This skating party, the,
first 1 ever attempted by GSO, is
open only to members and service
men, announced Nancy Norton,
president.
Beecher House Reunion
Beecher House will hold its first
annual reunion for members of the
Beecher family, which includes all
former residents of the house.
The reunion will be at Beecher
House at 5:30 p.m. September 15.
A tureen supper will be served
and games and contests will high
light the evening.
Women In Sports
In an ei'fort to coordinate rec
reation for coeds, civilian men
students, and servicemen enrolled
at the College, WRA is sponsoring
Annual Cc-Rec Day on the lawn
of White Hall tomorrow.
Opportunities will be available
for practice, for testing one’s skill
in a particular sport against that
of another student, or for just
plain fun. Fist ball, played with
a ball about two feet in diameter,
may be a new sport to many co
eds and servicemen but assures a
hilarious time for all those par
ticipating.
Summer games, ping pong, and
badminton will b.e set up for ev
eryone while volley ball season
will be initiated at this time.
Bridge has been planned for inac
tive pastime along with box soc
cer. Softball fans will have the
chance to organize their own game
on Holmes Field.
Intramural Golf, Tennis
Intramural programs have been
hampered continually the past
week by the weather man. How
ever, Doris Huck, assistant intra
mural chairman, says final win
ners will be annouiiced next week
in both golf and tennis.
In the only tournament played
on the green this week, Ath East
defeated Alpha Epsilon Phi, 58-
64. Putting for the winners were
Betsy McGee and Jean Robert
son while Audrey Kreegar and
Nancy ■ Sobelman represented
AEPbi.
Scheduled to meet next week
are Thetas vs. Delta Gammas and
Women’s Building frosh against
Kappa Kappa Gammas.
AEPhi put out another losing
team this week when their netmen
lost to Mac Hall freshmen, 2-0.
Judy Lapkin defeated Elia Fier
ing, 6-2, and Triha Bocooch troun
ced Harriet Morton, 6-0.
Next week Ath West will play
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THE PENN STATE ENGINEER
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1944
the Chi Omega coeds and Wom
en’s Building frosh will meet
AEPhi.
Navy Takes Championship
Copping the Army-Navy soft
ball title, Navy “wolves” trampled
the Army squad, 16-2, in the third
and final game of the series on
Holmes Field last Thursday.
Led by Mary Gundel, pitcher,
who hit a three-base hit, the Navy
held a constant lead. Captain “Ir
ish” Craig tallied a three-bagger
and Ann Baker, fielder, played a
no-error game catching several
spectacular flies.
Harriet Richards began what
appeared to be a fifth-inning rally
for Army when she hit a home run
scoring the team’s only two points.
The lineup follows:
Navy: Laura Craig, captain,
Janet Shaffer, Mary Gundel, Ria
Hanzlik, Trina Bocooch, Lucille
Ccx, Gloria Simpson, Sandy Ber
ger, Jeanette Garofano, Ann Bak
er, Jo Broberg, and Carol Andre.
Army: Kay Setter, captain,
Marybeth Trescher, Anita Geig
er, Mary Lawther, Harriet Rich
ards, Doye Pachelbel, Phyllis
James,' Jeanne Covert, Sally
Knapp, Nancy Neilan, Betsy Ross,
and Marjorie Dunmyer.
SHOE
SHOE
BABY
TO THE
PENH STATE
SHOE SHOP :
123 /W- BEAVER -•