PAGE SIX
Tents, Igloos,
Houses Join
By MARILYNN JACOBSON
“What about bousing? ” they
yell—the students who are living
three in a room meant for two,
the ordnance research workers,
the townspeople and the trailer
campers. “Well, what about hous
ing?” we asked ourselves. Here’s
what.
Tihe man behind the desk at
the ordnance research laboratory
wasn’t very thorough that day.
He asked only a few dozen ques
tions .and stared only a few min
utes. Finally, when permission
was granted, the switchboard
operator called the secretary of
the man who knew all about
housing the 152 odd workers who
are employed at the laboratory.
As chairman of the housing
committee, Layrnon Miller, as
sistant professor of engineering
research at the laboratory, ex
plained that about 100 stalfif mem
bers have come to State College
from at least 20 states. Literally
they hail from Maine to Califor
nia, he said, and about 25 of them
hg 'o come without their families.
Mi'ler Explains Shortage
“When the situation was gett
ing desperate,” explained Profes
sor Miller,” we had to do some
thing. We organized the housing
committee and from then on
wr’ve had some unusual things
happen.”
“When we left Cambridge.'’ he
said, “we were asked if we want
ed a two-car garage, a large liv
ing room, and two bathrooms.
When we arrived in State Col
lege. not only was the first empty
apartment found in Phillipshurg,
but the first, empty room had a
personal bath —in the back yard.”
Professor Miller went on to say
that some of the staff members
Want only temporary residences
.since they intend to build their
own homes here in the spring.
But others, he said, want to rent
rooms permanently.
“The ordnance research lab is a
permanent fixture on the College
campus,” he explained. “Just be
cause we do Naval research does
not mean that the program will
be disbanded as soon as the dur
ation is over.”
Housing Committee Helps
The- immediate purpose oif the
'housing 'Committee was to take
care of the men who had come
here without their families, he
said. Right from the start, it was
necessary to coordinate all -ef
forts at finding rooms. This sav
ed time and trouble fior both the
men who were looking for rooms
and the people who -didn’t have
them.
“One night,” Professor Miller
said, smiling, “we were palled out
of bed with the startling news
that several miles out of town
was an old mansion which was
going to be remodeled. We broke
all speed records. We almost
■broke our necks before we found
out Where the house Was. Old
mansion! When we -arrived at the
sight, we found an ancient dilapi
dated ghost house that probably
housed soldiers before this —in
the Civil War.
“Speaking of wild goose chas
es.” he 'continued, “we used to
drive up and down all the coun
try roads near town. If we saw a
half-empty pack of cement or a
farmer sawing wood, we decided
he was remodeling and maybe
he’d Wave room for a couple of
people. Usually we were wrong,
but once in a while our efforts
were rewarded.”
AVith Professor Miller’s inilbr
A California 'woman tried to
crash tram ’the end to the front of
a stocking sale >line-up. She got
same socks—but. they weren’t
nylons.
SALLY'S
Caves Available;
Museum Relics
rnation on hand, the next step
was to find out how many people
were planning to build. Borough
engineer Charles Eder volunteer
ed these figures:
Houses Offered
From March to November, 1945,
permits for 20 one-family hous
ing of about six rooms each were
granted. In addition to this 27-
two-family houses were set down
on tihe records, and one apart
ment house containing fifteen
ap'artments of three and four
l ooms each.
This was solid information,
concrete facts. But after that it
wasn’t so easy.
“Labor is a big problem,” vol
unteered Barry Norris, town con
tractor. “Materials are 'hal'd to
get and probably will continue
being scarce for another year or
year and a half. We’re trying to
Soldiers Prove
Good Teachers
Gl’s attending the American
Univei’sity at Shrivenham were
not only good students, they were
good teachers.
So reports R. U. Blasingame,
head of the department of agri
cultural engineering at /the Col
lege. who only recently returned
in this country after teaching ag
ricultureal engineering at Shriv
snham for nearly five months.
"I learned more from the stu
dents in my classes than they
learned from me,” Blasingame
asserts.
Students caine from every state
in the country. Blasingame says
he learned from them many ways
in which farm machinery is used
in different sections of the United
States.
“The potato grower of Idaho,
the farmer who raises sugar cane
in Louisiana, or the Arkansan
who grows rice on irrigated land
—-all use farm machinery, but
use it differently,” Blasingame
learned.
The students from different.lo r
calities would discuss farming in
their home states and explain
alterations and improvements
which they had devised for farm
machinery for their own specific
needs.
Through the generosity of Am
erican industry and British im
porters of American equipment,
Blasingame was able to obtain
necessary farm machinery parts,
training films, charts, publica
tions and even lecturers for his
courses.
Blasingame sailed from this
country last July 5 and was on
hand for the opening of the first
term at Shrivenham on August
1. About 3600 soldiers, all ap
plicants to attend the University,
composed, the student body for
the first term. Their average
age was 24.
Approxixmately 4000 soldiers,
with an average age of 22, were
enrolled for the second and final
term' which began on October 8
and closed on December 5.
Shrivenham University was
situated seven miles east of Swin
don, Wilts, on what formerly was
one of the best British Army
posts. It had been used by
American troops until after “D-
Day” and in less than six months
after V-E Day was converted in
to an American university, com
plete with laboratories, “dormi
tories,” a faculty of 295 officers,
enlisted men, and civilians, an
operating cadre of 1500 soldiers,
and a student body of officers
and enlisted men.
THE COLLEGIAN
maintain what we have—there’s
nothing much we can possibly do
about the housing shortage right
now.”
Contractor Vernon J. Dietz
added, “We intend to relieve tihe
housing shortage with about 15
or 20 low-cost homes by early
spring. These homes should be
ready for occupancy by late
spring or early summer. And, “he
said, by spring we are anticipat
ing some relief in labor. Right
now we train raw recruits be
cause efficient labor is so scarce.
We also anticipate relief in ma
terials very shortly.”
Representing M. Shapiro and
Sone, Miss Edna Mansfield vol
unteered the news that the con
struction company was working
on 40 double-unit homes, which
would house 80 families. These
residences, called College Park
Homes, are duplex houses with
six rooms to a unit-living room,
dining room, kitchen, and three
bedrooms.
Construction Started
“The construction was started
early in October,” she said, “in
order to supply homes as soon as
possible. But bricks are still 'a
problem. We hope to have most
of them ready by May 1, but this
date is tentative.”
When asked if any of these
buildings, still an. the making,
were rented yet, Miss Mansfield
said that 22 units have already
been rented and 44 sold, leaving
only, 14 units not accounted for.
“Apparently South Atherton
and Third Avenue is a pretty
good location for these people,”
didn’t have an outdoor telephone
booth!
Veteran's Plan
To Organize
Organization of a Penn State
chapter of the American Veter
ans Committee is now underway.
Robert Rolontz, field' represen
tative from Philadelphia, is aid
ing the group.
The recently-formed group of
World War II veterans, backed by
several military leaders, have an
ambitious platform. -
The committee is striving for
adequate financial, medical, vo
cational and educational assist
ance for every veteran; a job for
every veteran; thorough social
and economic security; free
speech, press, worship, assembly
and ballot; disarmament of Ger
many and Japan and elimination
of the power of their militaristic
classes; and active participation
of the United .States in the United
Nations Organization to stop any
threat of aggression.
BE IRISH
SCOTCH
Buy
St. Patrick’s Day Corsage
WOODRING FLORAL GARDENS
WE TELEGRAPH FLOWERS
DIAL 2045 117 E. BEAVER AVE.
Poor's Old Main
(Continued from page five)
importance. The mass of Old
Main behind them helps their sig
nificance to be felt. The flanking
groups round out a central unit
which is framed and given scale
by the columns beside the stair.
Since its execution the mural
has received widespread acclaim.
However, it is still incomplete,
being only one piece of the fres
co intended to extend completely
around the balcony. Lately, stu
dents and faculty .members have
realized the great advisability of
finishing this work of art now.
All-College Cabinet allocated ap
proximately $3,500 toward this
purpose last semester, and the
class of February ’46 followed
with a gift of some $2,200. In
all, about $lO,OOO will be needed
to complete the fresco.
With this money, Mr. Poor
could proceed with his original
intention which he stated when
he submitted plans for the pres
ent section:
“The whole mural has been
kept in a very human, rather
classic, mode rather than defin
ite illustration of historic or pres
ent incidents. My suggestion is,
that with this as the central main:
BACK TO
iCOiuce
That’s right . . . “Back to College” is the slogan of mil
lions of students . . . And just like “Back to College” is
a slogan for students ... so Keelers ißook Store, is the
name on, the lips of every student at Penn State . . .
Here you’ll find all the texits you need tor your classes
Then of course, greeting cards to express your every
. . . everything in the way of student sup-
And you can het your life that-Keeler’s aim
is to-please you
sentiment
to give you prompt and courteous
service ... So come on in and see for yourself!
Keeler's Book Store
FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 1946
Fresco
mural decoration, it should 1
extended around the balcony 1
make a complete whole, ’tl
smaller broken spaces would 1
devoted to the more specific ar
present-day activities of the Co
lege—to the right those activitii
in the mechanic arts and to tl
left those of agriculture ar
home industry.”
MACBETH
is coming