00 AOf POMP Honorary Awarded By PHIL AUSTIN. President Dwight D. Eisenhower became the first non-alumnus of University to be awarded an henorary doctor's degree when he received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree at commencement exercises on New Beaver Field this morning. President Eisenhower, speaker at the commencement exercises, is the first persoh to receive an honorary degree since 1921. Dr. Milton S. Eisenhower, presi dent of the University, conferred the degree upon his brother in a ceremony carried by five nation wide radio networks. The doctoral hood was placed on President Eisenhower's shoulders by Adrian Q. Morse, University provost. The degree was conferred upon Presi dent Eisenhower before he de livered his address to the grad uating class. Only two honorary doctorates have been awarded in the past, bOth pifore 1909 to alumni who served on the University's faculty. Both of these degrees were Doc tor of Science degrees given to Professor William A. Buckhout, 'ea, the first head of the Univer slit's botany department in 1904, and Louis E. Reber, 'BO, the first dealt of the School of Engineering, in 1908. Buckhout's degree was awarded as a surprise. In January, 1911, eight Master Arts and Master of Science degrees were awarded to grad 'Wes and eleven honorary cer tificates were conferred upon members of the first class to greduate from the University in 18e1, on their fiftieth reunion. At the same commencement, three other honorary Master of Arts degrees were also conferred, Prexy Hails B (Continued from page owe) t ai e b: m individual writings; the is to know its revealing he said. But only, he said, by combining these with the leitrth way of tracing through the whole Scripture the development of its structural ideas, does one really know the Bible. It is always possible, he said, to read end believe the Bible with oit discerning the great truth it egootains. Searching Biblical. Records "In biblical records, the seeker finds himself in a world in which G Himself speaks, where men listen, where things happen," he s "Studying the men of the Bible, a tle, he notes that they are con cerned not with the intellectural construction of the Deity, but about knowing the mind of God lad hearing the good news from God in the situation in which He has placed them." He emphasized that one truth snaith out clearly in the Bible— tMt events and movements must nOt be judged alone in the light of immediate failure or success, but in the light of their bearing won future generations. God Acting in History Or. Eisenhower discussed the conception of God as a Supreme Being active in history, saying that the events of men and na tions are not a meaningless whirl. They are, he said, the arena in Which an everlasting purpose is at work. In the New Testament, he said, this idea comes to us through the gospel of Christ who taught his disciple,s to pray: "Thy Kingdom otoine, they will de done on earth." Dr. Eisenhower told the grad uates that the Bible brings a mes sage of the accountability of men to the ultimate authority of God. Only when men look up to a Divine purpose can they steer through the caprices of the mo ment toward a steady, supreme goal, he said. Emphasises Dignity Another lesson that the Bible teaches, he said, is its emphasis on the inherent dignity of the in dividual which Communism or totalitarianism denies. "There is a divine dignity in every individual that no philoso phy of materialism, however bru tal or ruthless, can destroy," he said. He told the students that every one at one time or another has probably been puzzled by the Bible, often not knowing what to think about it. His solution to dispell this sense of uneasiness was tor every man and woman to Law Degree to President Dwight ao . .... pt._ _..,,cary . _ of Doctor of Laws at commencement exercises this morning. The President's diploma is of the same new type, a smaller size in a leather folder, as the University has adopted for all graduates. The degree is the first of its kind to be granted by the institution. two upon non-graduates of the /J.:6 1 and 1922, honor- University. Judge George B. Or- ary masters' degrees and certifi lady, '6B; George E. Alter, a speak- cates were awarded to men of er at the fiftieth reunion of the the classes of 1861 to 1872 return class of 1861; and Chang Yin ing to the University for their Tang, Chinese Minister to the fiftieth reunions. The last such United States and commencement Master of Arts degree was con speaker. ferred upon John Hamilton, '7l, According to the Department of for many years treasurer of the Public Information the degrees University. awarded to Alter and Chang were Since 1922, however, it has been the only two degrees previously the policy of the Board of Trustees granted to non-alumni. not to grant honorary degrees. ble— really come to know• the Bible by constantly studying and com prehending the glor3' , of its mes sage. Rev. Luther Harshbarger, Uni versity chaplain, and the Chapel Choir participated in the service. Cornerstone-- (Continued from page one) tennial Booklet, Centennial Edi tion of LaVie (1955), Founders Roll of the Penn State Alumni Fund, copy of the Oct. 27, 1954, Alumni News, and a copy of the March, 1955, Alumni News. The Rev. Luther H. Harsh barger, University Chaplain, will preside at the program and ex plain the purpose of the chapel. Rabbi Benjamin M. Kahn, Jewish chaplain to the University, will deliver the invocation, and Father John C. O'Leary, Roman Catholic chaplain to the University, the benediction. Statue Given to President BRONZE REPLICA of the Nittany Lion was hower by John T. Ryan, president of the Penn presented to President Dwight D. Eisenhower State Alumni Association, at the conclusion of at commicement e7wrcises on Nev Beaver the President's commencement address. The Field this merrOng. The states". which weighs statue was mounted on a marble base. Ws pounds. was presented to President Eisen- , v. , I . THE DAILY COLLEGIAN STATE COLLEGE Address -- (Continued from page one) ternational agency td control fis sionable materials and the fact that Russia has spurned this. The offer still stands, he said, "but we cannot wait on Russian decisions." Answering the question of atom ic power as pertains to peace or war and the betterment of world society, President Eisenhower emphasized the need for a liberal and practical education program. He listed three difficulties in our present system: failure to provide it to sufficient numbers, lack of providinga broad citizenship as pect to those in many technical fields, and lack of a broad, liberat ing, influence even in liberal edu cations. The President's small plane landed at Philipsburg's Black Mo shannon airport yesterday when wet weather made the use of the unpaved State College field un safe. He is expected to leave at 2:30 p.m. today for his farm in Gettysburg. PENNSYLVANIA President's Visit Is President Dwight D. Eisen hower's attendance at the 1955 :ommencement exercises marks his fourth visit to the Uni varsity campus. His first trip to the campus was in October, 1950, when he was president of Columbia University and was here for the inaugural ceremonies of his brother, Dr. Milton S. Eisen hower, as president of the Uni versity. In May, 1953, he visited his brother to golf, fish, and rest, and his last visit was last summer when he attended the funeral of his sister-in-law, Mrs. Milton S. Eisenhower. Many Uegrees Show Growth Of Enr•nlinient Since the first commencemeA in 1861 through last January's mid-year graduation exercises. the University has granted 56,426 bachelor's and advanced degrees. Men outnumber women as de gree recipients by over four to one with men having received 43,725 and women 12,701. The first degree conferred on a coed 'was in 1873. When the University celebrated its half-cefitury birth day, only 32 women had earned degrees. At last June's ceremony elope, 451 women were awarded diplomas. • The institution has awarded nearly 47,000 bachelor's degrees as compared to only about 9500 advanced diplomas. The first mas ter's degree was conferred in 1863 and the first doctor of philosophy degree in 1926. The growth of the University can be traced in the fact that through 1920 only 5227 degrees had been granted, and there have been over 50,000 since then. When the school celebrated its 25th an niversary, 109 degrees were grant ed, and when it was 60 years old, 887. Last June's commencement saw 1587 degrees conferred, with the record. being at the June ex ercises. in 1950 when 2204 diplo mas were distributed. At present there are four corn mencements—in June, the largest, at mid-term, and after each of two summer sessions. President's Arrivid - (Continued from page one) outlets, nearly 70 reporters, and President would be. During his appearances on campus, plain photographers are expected to re cord the actions of the President for newspapers, radio, and tele vision. The five major networks carried his commencement ad dress and television cameramen recorded the event for later re broadcasting. Eight teletype and three wire-photo machines will transmit proceedings out of Uni versity Park. SATURDAY. JUNE 11 , 1959 Rain Cause Of Concern For Weeks Life magazine reported in its May 30 issue how the rains sud denly came to a thirsty town named Hobart in Western Okla homa. But Life forgot to report in its June 13 issue how the rains came to Penn State. The local druggist in Hobart had decided to seek the Supreme Being's help in ending a twc4year drought. He had •the at-first un willing members of the town wear rain apparel as they prayed for watery to save their crops. The rains came. A rumor has been circulating that the men in Old Main read Life's report of the moisture that fell on request from the Okla homa skies. It was knoWn these men were worried for Penn Stiate was dry—that is, only .92 inches of rain had fallen during May. The Farmer's Almanac, the stars, and even the weather man had been consulted to see whether the skies would be clear on June 11 for the President of the United States to give the Centennial commencement address in an out door ceremony. It was quite clear to the higher ups that if it didn't rain soon one could be sure of rain on June 11 and a limited indoor ceremony. The rumor has it that a Meet.; ing was held in 203 Old Main, the President's office. What was de cided at that. meeting is not known. But, the rains came `'on Tuesday. They fell for three days and 2.81 inches flooded New Beaver Field where the cere monies were to be held. A partial sigh of relief could be heard emitting from Old-Main. Could this mean the skies would be cleat on Saturday? The University's weather Timm refused to give a definite ;predic tion at such an early date. But in ordet to help ease quite a few minds, he did say that Another downpour was definitely not' ex pected and it probably would not rain at all. The seniors should be quite comfortable in their aca demic gowns, he said, for it looked as if the temperatures would be in the 50's. But, he cautioned, it was still to early to make a prediction. Graduation- (Continued from page one) Dr. Eisenhower conferred degree to the 1828 candidates from t nine colleges and The Gradua l School. The student marshal who represented each college, a cepted the diplomas in the nein • of the graduates. The largest June graduating class to receive degrees was in 1950 when 2204 graduated., 219 Receive Advanced Degrees Two hundred and nineteen ad vanced degrees and 1404 bachelor degrees were presented by Dr. Eisenhower. Associate ,de g r e es were presented for the first time in the University's history to 205 candidates. One hundred and five of the candidates received their degree in drafting and design technology, 90 in electrical tech nology and 10 in secretarial sci ence. All are two year courses offered at the University's centers throughout the state. Scholastic honors were pre sented to five seniors ,following the conferring of degrees. The five were among 101 seniors who graduated with honors. Seniors reeciving the awards were Carl McGrew, John White Medal• Alex Simkovich and Sidney Goloibliatt, John W White fellowships; and Aurelia Arre and John Boyd, Evan Pugh Medals. Alma Mater Ends Program After Dr. Eisenhower's charge to the graduates, the audience joined the graduates in singing the Alma Mater. The University Blue Band provided the music for the ceremonies. An alternate commencement schedule had been planned for Recreation Hall in case of rain. Because of the limited seating capacity in Rec sall, . only two tickets were allowed each Igt uate for use in case the alto plan was used.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers