TUESDAY. FEBRUARY 17. 1959
Student Body Is 100 Years Old
FIRST STUDENTS take time from work to pose for pictures. This picture discovered recently by
an alumnus shows a group of students plowing in front of the completed wing of Old Main.
T kink
Try a
By 80881 LEVINE
Students of today are living
lives of leisure according to rec
ords showing the daily schedule
back in 1859.
Records in the show cases in
the newest library display, “Penn
State Opens as Farmers High
Today's Paper
To Set Record
For Circulation
Today’s special edition of The
Daily Collegian will have the lar
gest circulation of any student
publication in the University's
history—more than 19,000 copies.
In addition to the 7000 copies
ordinarily printed for students
and paid subscribers, more than
12,000 extra copies are being dis
tributed throughout the county by
the Centre Daily Times as a ges
ture of town-campus good will.
Today’s Collegian has been de
signed to celebrate the 100th anni
versary of the student body and
to promote greater understanding
between students and the people
of State College.
Distribution of the paper as an
insert in the Times was author
ized by Eugene J. Reilly, that
paper’s associate publisher and
business manager, in the belief
that townspeople would be inter
ested in examining the student
newspaper and reading material
on the student body’s 100th anni
versary.
Old ibain, Earliest Building ;
Still Serves Faculty, Students
Today marks the beginning
of Old Main’s second century
of service to students.
The trustees of the Farm
er’s High School of Pennsyl
vania contracted for the main
building on May 12, 1856. They
stipulated that the structure was
to be built for $55,000. Work began
on June 24. The first stones, quar
ried on the school’s farm, were laid
in the foundation on August 18.
Numerous difficulties followed
this early progress but they failed
to keep the school from opening.
The first students to enroll in the
school arrived by stage on Feb. 16,
1859, exactly 100 years ago yester
day. Old Main was the first and
almost only building they saw. At
that time, only the west wing and
curtain were standing. These hous
ed laboratories, class rooms and
living quarters for the student^.
Dr. Evan Pugh arrived’ In Oc-
8 O'Clocks Are
Chem Class at
School,” show students had to at
tend 6 a.m. chemistry, recreation,
political economics, rhetoric and
composition classes or spend the
time doing manual labor.
Lists of the amount of labor
a student put in in a day were
carefully kept and tabulated
and students received slips cer
tifying performance of labor de
tail assignments which helped
determine their class standing.
A letter from William P. Cot
trell, a member of the first group
of students admitted, described
the type of labor done as: “load
ing manure, cleaning stables, chop
ping wood, picking, loading and
hauling stones . . In this same
letter, Cottrell described his room:
“I have a fine room on the sec
ond floor (of Old Main) which is
well furnished. We have a double
cottage bed, four chairs, a nice
cherry table, bureau with a swing
ing glass to it, a spittoon, match
box, dust pan and brush, a fine
closet, a pitcher and tumbler to
drink out of . .
There were no toilet accom
modations in the building, and
the only water supply was a
cistern in the North Curtin area
and a spring at the eastern end
of the campus.
The daily schedule of the jun
ior class of the day ran:
6 a.m. to 8 a.m., chemistry; 9
a.m. to noon, manual work; noon
to I p.m., dinner and recreation;
1 p.m. to 2 p.m., math and land
survey; 2 to 3 p.m., botany; 3 p.m.
to 4 p m., zoology; 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.,
moral philosophy; 5 p m. to 7 p.m.
recreation; 7 p.m. to 9 p m., pray
ers and declamations in Chapel;
and 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., study hours.
A bell woke each student every
morning. Everyone was required
to attend morning chapel services,
tober of the same year to assume
the presidency of the school. He
described Old Main as “a plain,
substantial structure of limestone
seated on a pleasant rise of
ground.”
Step-by-step the character of the
building changed until a rebuilt Old
Main arose on the site of the orig
inal building. Most of the stone
used in the reconstruction was
again quarried on the campus.
Today, after these series of face
liftings, the completed building
stands as a monument to the vision
and foresight of these founders.
Since the original building was
planned to service 400 students, it
is no longer fulfilling its early pur
pose as dormitory-classroom-labor
atory. Old Main has now become
the scene of administrative activity
for the University, President Eric
A. Walker and his staff use it as
official headquarters for a still
growing population of 15,000 stu
dents.
THE DAILY COLLEGIAN STATE COLLEGE PENNSYLVANIA
and rooms were inspected every
morning after breakfast. Before
dinner students were required to
feed the stock, and evening chapel
was compulsory every evening. A
bell sounded “lights-out” at 10
p.m., and since each student was
required to pay his own gas bill,
lights went out at 10.
In 1859, as today, students had
Saturday afternoons free. Sun
days, students were required to
attend chapel services and were
forbidden to visit each other’s
[rooms or make noise.
In one of his many letters to
friends describing life at the
school, Cottrell said he was here
for his health and did not ex
pect to graduate.
In order to apply for admission i
to the school, a would-be student',
had to present evidence of good I
moral character. Liquor, card
playing, and the possession of
cards on campus was forbidden.
Students then, too, had to pay
for their own text books which!
were sold to them at “lowest!
Philadelphia retail prices.” Eveni
in 1859 they had something simi
lar to the chemistry breakage
ticket _ of today. A student was
(Continued on page twenty-four)
On 100th Anniversar
Student-Town Aid Cited
The 100th anniversary of the
student body was celebrated
yesterday with a renewed em
phasis on the importance of
good campus-town relations.
All-University P r e s i dent Jay
Feldstein presented a citation to
Burgess Roy D. Anthony in rec
ognition of 100 years of student
town relations.
President Eric A. Walker, writ
ing for The Daily Collegian (see ■
page 12), called for greater un
derstanding and cooperation be
tween “town and gown” to meet
problems posed by the Univer
sity’s expansion program. In addi
tion to performing his duties at
the University, Walker has served
as a borough councilman for a
number of years.
The student-town citation read,
“Presented to the people of State
College by the students of the
Pennsylvania State University in
recognition of 100 years as ‘Neigh
bors Across the Street’, Feb. 16,
1859, to Feb. 16, 1959, and in the
hope of mutual friendliness
throughout future years.”
Anthony said the citation will
be displayed in a prominent place
downtown.
\ r
Rough?
6 AM.
69 Students Started
Work Feb. 17 # 1859
By BILL JAFFE
The student body moves into its second century of
existence today.
It was 5:45 a.m. 100 years ago today when the first rising
bell roused 69 teenage students to begin the educational pro
gram of the Farmers’ High School of Pennsylvania.
The first class was graduated!
in December 1861 when 11 mem
bers who enrolled in 1859 received
their diplomas. j
Although the University was’
chartered Feb. 22, 1855, it took the!
[trustees and administrators four
.years of hard work before they
could open the doors to students.!
The first student to register 1
! was James S. Reed who en
rolled on Feb. IB and completed i
his work in 1862. He later be
came a practicing physician in j
Pennsylvania.
The graduates of ’6l returned
to the University in 1911 for their
50th anniversary reunion and at
that time honorary degrees were
conferred upon the entire class.
John N. Banks, a member of
the first class and later a member
of the Board of Trustees, in re
sponding to an address by Gen.
James A. Beaver, president of the
board, at the 50th anniversary re
union said the class had no actual
commencement exercise and their
diplomas were sent home several
weeks after they had graduated,
"We came to the institution in
its infancy when it required
great care and attention to pro
tect it from possible dangers.
We return to find it has grown
beyond our expectations—hav
ing attained a high place among
the leading institutions of learn
ing in our land and attracting
attention of nations of the
world," Banks said.
The University had no Dresi
dent when it first began. Banks
said, and Professor David Wilson
jtook over the duties of an ad
ministrator and friend of the stu-
j dents. The nresiding officer was
|William C. Waring, who acted as
[general suoerintendent.
The students came to the Farm
jers’ Hi eh School bv stage coach
(from either Spruce Creek or Lew
jistown where the Pennsylvania
(Railroad trains left them off. The
students ate their meals in a small
|one-room building on cairrous.
iNothincr but farm lands could be
iseen from the first buildings,
'Banks said.
j The school was closed for va
j (Continued on page four)
—Colftgfan Photo by Bob Thompson
100 YEARS AS NEIGHBORS—AII-University President Jay Feld
stein presents a citation to State College Burgess Roy D. Anthony
in recognition of the 100th anniversary of student-fFtvn relations.
PAGE THREE
Grads Hold
jTop Jobs
iin Country
By DENNY MALICK
The end product of the Univer
sity “factory”—its alumni—has
been one of the best indications
of Penn State’s increasing influ
ence throughout the country.
The alumni have spoken well
for the University’s quality of
graduates. Their positions include
top jobs in industry, government
and entertainment.
Hershey Chocolate Corp., Corn
ing Glass Co., National Can Corp.,
Pittsburgh Plate Glass Co, and
Campbell Soup Co. are among the
major national corporations head
ed by “alumni.
The Class of 1922 is one of
the top classes as far as having
distinguished members in the
business world. Samuel F. Hin
kle is president of the Hershey
Chocolate Corp. and William C.
Decker, holds the presidency of
the Corning Glass Co.
Another member of the class is
Fred Waring, internationally
known orchestra and choral direc
tor.
Two 1917 graduates hold top
positions in industry. They are
Robert W. Ostermayer, president
of Pennsylvania Industrial Chem
ical Corp., and Harvey B. Jordan,
executive vice president of United
States Steel Corp.
Ostermayer has been qeneral
chairman of the Alumni Fund
fox several years.
Van 11. Leichliter, Class of ’3O,
is another U.S. Steel Corp. execu
tive. He is president of the Amer
ican Steel and Wire Division of
the corporation.
George H. Deike, Class of ’O3,
has been very active in University
affairs in addition to serving as
chairman of the board of the Mine
Safetv Appliances Co. Deike is a
(Continued on page twenty-four)