• e Bla nk time aces No More In %doles— P • - Pearl Harbors— See Page 4 . . See Page 4 FOR A BETTER PENN STATE VOL. 52, No. 57 Student Takes Life With Sleeping Pills Thomas M. Hepler, a 19-year-old .sophomore in English compo sition, was found; dead early yesterday after he took his own life by taking an overdose of sleeping pills. Hepler, wlio often told his friends he - would never live to be 20 was discovered by his roommate, Howard Slothower, a freshman when he returned - to' .the room from his eight o'clock class. Centre County Coroner John Weber 'attributed the death to the sleeping• pills and .said Hep ler died "early in. the morning." , A suicide note was found - in• a book entitled "Winesburg, Ohio" by Sherwood Anderson, which was on Hepler's typewrit er. In the note he asked that people not blame his family, his friends or hi s roommate. He referred to a picture on the wall as a possible reason. The picture was "Death at the Racetrack" by Albert Ryder. • Roommate Calls for Aid Slothower said the picture was Hepler's favorite. Slothower said he called to Hepler when he returned to the room but became worried when he did not respond. He then called the College Health Service for aid. A dOctor pronounced Hep ler dead at 9 a.m. Hepler, at , the College on a State scholarship, was termed an "excellent student" by Ben Eu wema, dean of the School of Lib eral Arts. He receiveira 2.38 av erage for the fall semester of , 1950 and the following semester he received a 2.6 average: A. L. Grucci, assistant profes sor of English composition, said Hepler had "great talent, a gen uine talent." Three Poems in Pivot Hepler at the time of his death apparently did not realize he ha'd won first prize of $lO for his poem in Pivot called "Arms of the Sea," a poem on suicide. His roommate said as far as he knew, .Hepler had not bought a, copy of Pivot which went on sale Monday. Grucci said Hepler did not attend his Wednesday Comp osition 13 class at which he would have been presented the prize. He also said, Hepler turned down the chance to._be Pivot,editor b next year and - ye no easons for his decision. Three of his poems 'appeared in the latest Pivot. They were "Arms of the Sea," "Prose Poem No. 12," and "Prose Poem No. 8." He also wrote poetry for _lnkling. Well Liked in Jordan Slothower said Hepler wore a pair of black pajamas to bed for the first time the night of his death. Heeler and a friend had (Continued on page eight) Groups May Get Christmas Trees • The civic responsibility com mittee of the Interfraternity Council has made arrangements whereby fraternities, sororities, and other campus groups may purchase Christmas trees through the College .Forestry Department. The trees, ranging up to ten feo in height, will be mostly red pine and Norwegian spruce. They will cost $2. Trees may be ordered - through Joseph Lemyre, State = College ] 6786. Orders must be placed by 10 a.m. Saturday and the trees will be ready by next Wednesday or Thursday. They are to be, pick ed up at the Sigma Chi parking lot on the corner of purrowes road and Pollock road. TODAY'S WEATHER WINDY AND COLDER By 808 'FRASER; Takes Life Thomas Hepler Thespians List Rogers-Hart , Hit for April "A Connecticut Yankee," Broadway musical hit in the late twenties, will be presented by Thespians for the spring musical comedy show, Thespian President Carrol Chapman announced yes terday. Tryouts for. the musical, which will be staged IFC weekend in April, are to be held shortly after the Christmas vacation. ' Words and music to "Connecti cut Yankee" were written by Rodgers and Hart and were based, on Mark Twain's book, "Connecti cut Yankee in King Arthur's Court." . Hollywood recently produced a musical "Connecticut Yankee" with Bing Crosby singing the Rodgers. and Hart melodies. "My Heart Stood 'Still" an d "Thou Swell" are two of the hit songs in the show. Thespians usually put on an original show in the fall—a pro fessional musical in the owing. Gridders Elect Gratson 1952 Tackle Stew Scheetz and, line backer Joe Gratson were elected co-captains for the 1952 football season'-by the varsity lettermen yesterday. They succeed end Art Betts and linebacker Len Shep hard • as Lion -co-captains. "Both Scheetz and Gratson play edin every game for the Nittany Lions this season and both were named to the All-District defen sive team. Scheetz is from Lans dale, and Gratson is from Leisen ring. At a metting of the squad yes terday Coach Rip Engle awarded 44 varsity letters. , Twenty of these were. awarded to senior gridders. who .also received gold footballs, Made Ben Thompson was named head manager for next season succeed ing Jack Brown. Dick -Grafton, Ron Engerman and Herb Wolf were named first assistant .mana gers. Seniors receiving letter awards STATE COLLEGE, PA., FRIDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 7, 1951 ,„- Cabinet Group Warns Against Unoffical Ring 1700 to Sign Deferment Contracts About 1700 Penn State students enrolled in the Army Reserve Officer's Training program will have to sign new draft deferment agreements to avoid being drafted because of a technical change from the Selective Service Act of 1948. as amended, Col. Lucien E. Bolduc, Army ROTC head, said yesterday. The technical change, involving the term of membership in a re serve unit. came about recently with the passage of the National Defense Act of 1951. • The, new agreement if signed, requires students to complete the basic course, to enroll in the ad vanced program at 'the proper time if accepted, and to accept a commission if tendered, Army ROTC officials said. Upon receipt of the commission, the student would be subject to not less than two years of active duty under call by the Secretary of the Army and would remain a member of a regular or reserve unit of the Army• for eight years after receipt of the commission. Previous Deferments Canceled The previous" regulation had required students to serve five years in the reserve unit. Bolduc said all Army ROTC students would have to sign this new deferment or lose their de ferments completely. The new agreement wipes out all previous ROTC deferments, he said. This information was released to Army students during common hour yesterday. The new defer ments must be returned by noon Monday or old deferments will be canceled, Col. Bolduc said. Agreement Not Binding, Signing the deferment agree ment is not automatically con sidered application for advanced ROTC, he said. The advanced pro gram of selective processing will be in effect as before. Students who sign the agree ment and who later decide they do •not want to take advanced ROTC may elect not to accept ad vanced training if tendered. Col. Bolduc said. The deferment agreements are being sent to Penn State centers now, he added. Scheetz, Captains and gold footballs were Jim Barr, Len Bartek, Art Betts, • Dick Cripps, Bill Hockermith, Ed Hoover, Chan Johnson, Pat Mc- Poland. Earl Mundell. Tom Pev arnik. Jim Pollard, Len Shep hard, Joe Shumock, Andy Silock, Pete Twaddle, Charlie Wilson, George Harvan, Guido Schiazza, John Podrasky ; and Jack Brown. Sophomores Honored Juniors receiving letter awards were Paul Anders ; Don Barney, Jim Dooley, Joe Gratso'h, Bill Leonard, Carl Pfirman. Bob Pol lard, Stew Scheetz, Ted Shattuck, Dave Simon, Bob Smith and Joe Yukica. • . Sophomores - receiving letters were Don Eyer, Don Malinak, Tony Rados, Pete Schoderbek, Pete Shopa, Bob Szajna, Keith Vesling, and Matt Yanosich. Freshmen receiving letters were Jesse Arnelle, Roosevelt Grier, Buddy Rowell, and Don Shank • . All-College Vice President Harry . Cover, chairman of the per manent - All-College Cabinet , ring committee, yesterday warned stu dents that the Penn State class ring being sold by Bankes Brothers, Bloomsburg, was not an official ring. Although Bankes Brothers is not claiming that its ring is as official Penn State class ring, Cover said, it was the opinion of the committee that it was necessary to point out to students that there is an official ring since Bankes Brothers advertising denies by inference the existance of such a ring. "There is an official Penn State class ring," Cover said. "It is the ring for which the die was ap proved by All-College Cabinet in 1950. "At the 'present time," Cover said, three firms have had *heir rings approved by the committee. They are Balfour, Herf-Jones, and Dieges and Clust. They are the only rings which are official Penn State class rings." Cover—said that the committee cannot prevent the sale of a Penn State ring, but that it was the job of the committee to inform students which rings are official. He said that the committee in vites any firm interested in sell ing the official ring to submit its die to the committee for con sideration. The establishment of an official Penn State ring, with regulations governing its sale and purchase, was approved by cabinet in Feb ruary, 1951. Under the system, a ring must meet specifications and be approved liy the 'cabinet com mittee in order to be official. The sale of the official ring is restricted to sixth, seventh, and eighth semester students, two year agriculture students, and holders of graduate and under graduate degrees of the College. The Bankes Brothers ring is ad vertised as being" available for "seniors, juniors, sophomores,' freshmen, any alumni or special student . - ." Early Holidays Are Forbidden No students will be excused from classes to take vacation jobs which begin before the official College holidays, the Dean of Men's office announced yester day. If the dean's office excuses for any cases other than those of necessity or emergencyi- then they would be assuming some power of the College calender committee, said Daniel A. De- Marino, assistant dean of men. Students who must leave the campus early to take holiday jobs should inform their instructors in sufficient time so that Addi tional work may be assigrfed to replace the class time missed, he said. DeMarino also> explained that any excuses issued by the Dean of Men's'office are not bind ing and may -be accepted only at the discretioil of the instruc tors. Forms Out for Blood Drive; 140 Needed Blood drive officials yesterday said several pledge forms have been taken out by students who wish to donate blood when the Red Cross unit returns to State College Wednesday and Thurs day. Pledge forms may be secured at the TUB, West Dorm main lounge, or Student Union desk in Old Main. They must be returned to the Student Union by 4 p.l - n. Monday, officials said. The drive needs 140 pledges. Fire Loss Deadline Tomorrow at noon is the deadline for students who suf fered losses in the Gentzel Building fire to report their losses to Daniel DeMarino, in the Dean of Men's office. PRICE FIVE CENTS Civil Liberty Union Plans Conference The American Civil Liberties Union rallied in Philadelphia yes terday ,to plan a Dec. 11 Harris burg conference of groups op posing the Pechan loyalty bill before the state legislature, the Associated Press reported. Meanwhile, an objection to provisions of the loyalty oath bill was' voiced by the legislative committee of the Centre County branch of the Pennsylvania State Education Association. Speakers scheduled at the Phil adelphia rally, held in the Down town Friends meeting house, were Earl G. Harrison, former dean of the University of Penn sylvania Law school, and Pat trick Murphy Manlin, director of the Civil Liberties Union. Profs Oppose Bill According to the AP, James M. Brittain, president of the Phila delphia unit of the union, said 10,00 C notices of the Harrisburg conference are being sent to local branches of the organizations sponsoring the conference. The groups include labor, student, and teacher organizations. In Easton, the AP said, the La fayette College chapter of the American Association of Univer sity Professors expressed opposi tion to the bill, which has been passed by the Senate and ap proved by the House state gov ernment committee after drastic Objection Stated Dr Morrison Handsaker, chap ter president, the AP added, said • members believe the bill would. not remove subverters from re sponsible positions, and that they object to what they term dismis sal on the basis of "reasonable doubt" of a government em ployee's loyalty. Dorothy Harpster, chairman of the Centre County PSEA branch, said "The educators object not to the loyalty provision, but to the provisions_ of the bill which dis miss a teacher upon doubt rather than proof and which fail to al low the teacher the right to ap peal to a court." Eisenhower Elected To Education Board NEW YORK, Dec. 6—(R)—Dr. Milton S. Eisenhower, President of Pennsylvania State College, has been elected to the board of trustees of • the Institute of In ternational Education. The institute administers pro grams in the field of international education for the state depart ment and for other government and •private agencies. Eisenhower is widely recog nized as an expert in education and in government policy and ad ministration. Train Time Changed The Pennsylvania Railroad has announced a change in the sched ule of Train No. 75 The Duquesne. Since Monday, The Duquesne leaves New York at 8:20 a.m. instead of 8:35 a.m. and arrives in Lewistown. at 12:54 p.m. in stead of 12:59 p.m. Hulme Memorial Plaque Friends of the late College ath letic trainer Jack Hulme have raised ,funds for the erection of a memorial plaque and a door name plate in his memory.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers