View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by DigitalCommons@USU Utah State University DigitalCommons@USU Library Faculty & Staff Publications Libraries 2009 Encyclopedic History of Utah State University Robert Parson Utah State University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/lib_pubs Part of the Higher Education Commons, and the Library and Information Science Commons Recommended Citation Parson, Robert, "Encyclopedic History of Utah State University" (2009). Library Faculty & Staff Publications. Paper 121. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/lib_pubs/121 This Unpublished Paper is brought to you for free and open access by the Libraries at DigitalCommons@USU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Library Faculty & Staff Publications by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@USU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. An Encyclopedic History of Utah State University By Robert Parson, University Archivist1 A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z (hold down ctrl and click to use these links) A (top) A Block See Beno Club and Aggie Traditions A-Day See Aggie Traditions “A” On the Hill, Lighting Of (Contributed by Cliff Cahoon, class of ‘64) In 1947, Student Council member Norman Jones (1949), who later became a professor of civil and environmental engineering at USU, and Dean of Students Daryl Chase, who became president in 1954, began talking about having a whitewashed rock block A on the mountainside, similar to those of other colleges and most high schools in Utah. Chase expressed the opinion that such noticeable letters were tacky. Jones and other students began looking for alternatives and came up with the idea of a block letter that could be lighted for special occasions, but which would be invisible the rest of the year. Jones was an engineering student and a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity (Sigs). He and some of his fraternity brothers, who were also engineering students, including Frank Little(1949) and Rolf Nelson (1950) made arrangements with a property owner and laid out a block A on the mountain south of Logan Canyon, above River Heights. They had support from student body president Desmond Anderson and from the head of ROTC Col. E.W. Timberlake. The A was about 200 feet high and 150 feet wide. On November 11, 1947, following the first lighting of the “A” at Homecoming, the ASUSU Executive Council voted to make the event an annual, Aggie tradition. (See minutes, record group 25.7/2:35, box 2) To light the A they filled approximately 200 one gallon tin cans with diesel fuel and used rolled up gunny sacks as wicks. The Sigs would go up early in the day and place the cans and fill them with oil and insert the wicks. That night, when it was time to light the A, a group would start at the top of the A and move down the mountain, turning the soaked wicks upside down so the saturated end of the burlap was sticking up from the top of the can. Another group would follow with railroad fuses or flares and light the protruding end of the burlap. These "candles" would burn for two or three hours. For more than 40 years the Sigs performed the lighting of the A ritual at Homecoming and again in the spring for A Day or Agathon, which replaced A Day for a number of years during the 1950s and 1960s. The A lighting was a raucous event for the Sigs. The boys only party featured a keg of beer and a huge bonfire, which combined to foster some crazy behavior. Until the late 1970s there were no homes high on the River Heights bench so the loud singing of bawdy songs didn't disturb anyone. During the last few years of the event, the owners of the homes creeping up the hillside began to complain about the noise. The local fire marshal always worried about the event and tried unsuccessfully a few times to shut it down. In 1992, the year before the event ended, the Sigs declared the event dry as far as alcohol was concerned and that year they even invited dates, making it a coed event the last year. In 1993 Robert Harris bought the property the Sigs were leasing and put an end to the event.2 “A” On the Tower The Tower “A” was first installed on the west face of the tower by the Class of 1909, the first senior class gift, according to University Historian A.J. Simmonds.3 Measuring 12 by 14 feet, the original emblem contained one hundred forty six, 16 candlelight bulbs. It was manufactured in Salt Lake City at a cost $215, and installed by Charles Batt, the long- standing head of buildings and grounds on campus. The “A” was eventually extended to all four sides of the tower.4 “A” Pins The tradition of awarding gold “A” pins for student achievement began during the presidency of J.W. Widtsoe. Student awards were generally given out during the last Chapel Exercise of the school year, prior to commencement. In addition to athletic “letterman sweaters” given to members of the College’s football, basketball and baseball teams, the student newspaper, Student Life, reported on May 20, 1910, that nine “gold As” were awarded to College debaters. Members of the student council and student newspaper editorial board received “scholarship letters.” Six student scholars were also recognized with “scholarship As,” although the newspaper did not stipulate if these were the same “gold As” given to the debaters.5 During ceremonies the following year, the scholarship awards are clearly identified as “pins,” provided personally by President Widtsoe. Recipients included J.W. Peters, Canute Petersen, Grant C. Gardner, Veda Hunsaker, Harry Beagley, and Vern C. Wooley. Six “honorable mentions” were also recognized, although not awarded pins. Debaters received “prizes” and “medals,” along with the coveted Thomas medal, provided by Professor George Thomas, and given to the best “inter-class” debater. Gold “A” pins were also awarded to those “students who had rendered faithful service to the College…” Included were L.A. Stevens, D.E. Robinson, I.L. Petersen, V.C. Wooley, David Sharp, T.M. Carmichael, A.J. Knapp, Fred Foerer and Patti Barrett. In 1918, the College Catalog began detailing the various awards given for scholarship and athletics. They included the Scholarship “A” for academic excellence; the Hendricks Medal, the Casto Medal, and the Sons of the American Revolution Medal, given for excellence in debate and oratory; “special awards” in the form of Student Body “A” pins, given for dramatics, music and student publications; the Cardon Medal for “best all-around athlete;” and the West Medal for inter-class track and field. Athletes who competed inter- collegiately received the letterman’s sweater, as had traditionally been the case. Winners of the Scholarship “A” in 1918 included Gerald Therne, Lucian M. Mecham, Jr., Stella Young, Mable Hendricks, Geneva Wells and George D. Clyde. Clyde later became a professor in, and eventually Dean of the School of Engineering. From 1952 to 1960 he served as Governor of Utah, and signed the proclamation changing the institution from a college to a university in March 1957. The Utah Water Research Laboratory was posthumously named for Clyde in 1982. The Scholarship “A” was distinguished from the student body “A” pin. The latter was a straight pin, featuring an old-English style “A” and the school motto, Labor is Life. The former was a lapel pin consisting of an old-English style “A” encircled by the word “scholarship.” The word “scholarship” was divided in half, with part being royal blue and part being white. After the College colors changed from royal to navy blue the word “scholarship” surrounding the letter “A” was solid navy blue, tipped in white. More recent examples of the scholarship pin depict the tower of Old Main encircled in navy blue at the bottom with the word “Scholarship” and at the top by USU. Beginning in 1932, the Student Council implemented a point system to determine award winners. Students could accumulate “A” points through service, activity participation and scholarship. Two-hundred points were required for an award, either a certificate, or a gold medal. The point system endured through 1968, when enrollment simply became too large to give awards at the University level. The awards section was deleted from the ASUSU Constitution, and student achievement became a matter for individual departments and colleges. Academic Organization Departmental designations developed gradually during the institution’s first decade of operation. Until 1903, students enrolled in courses to prepare them for graduation in one of four areas: Home Economics, Engineering and Mechanical Arts, Agriculture, or Commerce. In 1903, the institution designated five “schools,” including the School of Agriculture, the School of Agricultural Engineering and Mechanical Arts, the School of Home Economics, the School of General Science, and the School of Commerce. For a period of 13 years beginning in 1907, a legislative mandate prohibited the institution from offering courses in teacher training (pedagogy) and in engineering, other than agricultural engineering (See Consolidation Controversy – 1905). Pedagogy would be reinstated in 1921, and was offered as a companion option to degrees in one of the other disciplines. In 1923 the college offered course work within six schools (the present equivalent to colleges.) These included the Schools of Agriculture, Home Economics, Agricultural Engineering, Commerce and Business Administration, Mechanic Arts, and General Science. In 1924, the institution added a School of Education, and restructured the School of General Science to include a School of Basic Arts and Sciences.