IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS TO REMEMBER THE SECOND SEMESTER ALUMNI DAY AND COMMENCEMENT The second semester will begin cn January Alumni Day will be Saturday, May 5, with all fifteenth, which is earlier than usual. Arrangements the old'time traditions plus the possible May Day can be made for students to enter later if necessary. activities. There will be a banquet as usual and a Alumni are invited to send the names of young play to follow. people who should enter college at mid-year. May 6 will be Baccalaureate Sunday. Com' mencement will be the following day. May 7, which WINTER HOMECOMING will certainly make a big week-end. Perhaps this Otterbein has net faihd to observe the special earlier date will make it possible for a larger num- days and observances which have become traditional. ber to attend as it will not conflict with other school While not attended as largely as in pre-war years, commencements. everyone is agreed that such days as homecoming should not be discontinued. February 10th has been CLASS REUNIONS designated as Winter Homecoming. To date the The following classes will have reunions on queen has not been elected but there will be a queen Alumni Day, May fifth: ’85, ’95, ’05, ’15, ’20, ’25, —and a game with Wittenberg. So — ’35. Presidents or secretaries of these classes should “Come on down to Otterbein contact their members soon and make plans for a You’ll find a place to warm your heart and mine.” reunion. Your alumni office will be glad to futnish names and addresses to class secretaries if desired. THE GENERAL CONFERENCE The highest governing body in the Church of the DUES United Brethren in Christ is the General Conference Last year we received $1,455.50 from alumni which meets quadrennially. On May 15, 1945, and ex'Students in dues. To date we have received some 350 delegates and hundreds of visitors from $1,458.50 on this year’s dues. This is very all over the United States will convene on the commendable and indicates that you do appreciate Otterbein campus and remain for a ten^day period the TOWERS and other services of your during which time general denominational officers association. If you have not sent your dues for will be elected and legislation passed for the next 1944-45, do so immedately before you forget it— quadrennium. two dollars per person or three dollars if both man The particular reason for meeting on the and wife are Otterbeinites. Otterbein campus is that just one hundred years ago the General Conference of 1845 meeting at INCOME TAX DEDUCTIONS Circleville, Ohio, approved the founding of a GIFTS college. Two years later Otterbein opened her doors, making her the oldest college in the denomination. A controversy over the simplified income tax law passed May 29 has led some people to assume that It is appropriate, therefore, that this General the new law does not provide the possibility of Conference should meet at Otterbein for the income tax deductions for gifts to charitable Centennial of Otterbein College is also the institutions, at least not to those with a moderate Centennial of higher education in the Church of income. It is true that if gifts total ten per cent or the United Brethren in Christ—the first indigenous less of the income, no notation concerning them American church. need be made on the report. If they are greater The college calendar has had to be revised and than ten per cent, however, they can and should be the year slightly shortened in order to accommodate recorded. The new law is in some respects more the delegates. Commencement this school year will liberal than the old concerning possible deductions be on May 7. In order to close on this early date, for gifts, since the fifteen per cent possible deduction the school year began one week earlier in September can now be figured before interest, taxes, and other and the Thanksgiving and spring vacations have deductions are subtracted, whereas previously it been eliminated. had to be figured after the subtraction was made. For some tax payers this will make possible MAY DAY considerably more total gift deduction than the Since Commencement this year is to be on May previous law. 7 with examinations the preceding v.’eek, there will be some difficulty in staging a May Day program. CHILDREN IN COLLEGE There is a strong possibility, however, that May A recent mcdification of the definiticn of a Day will be on Saturday, May 5, which will also dependent makes it possible for parents to cla'm be Alumni Day. Definite announcements will be exemption for a son or daughter in college, made in the March issue of the TOWERS. irrespective of age. OTTERBEIN TOWERS Editor: WADE S. MILLER Associate Editors: SARA K. STECK, EVELYN BALE VOL XVII No. 2 Published quarterly by the Alumni Council in the interests of alumni and friends. Entered as second class matter at the December, 1944 Post Office in Westerville, Ohio, under the act of Au^. 24, 1912. REV. J. NEELY BOYER, '27 President, Otterbein Alumni Association Like the relentless tides of the ocean, so follows the regularity of the years. How quickly the past three hundred sixty'five days have gone by! Nineteen hundred forty'four is just a memory. Doubtless all of us have similar emotions as we contemplate the past; the knowledge of the worth'while experiences and the awareness of time not wisely invested. But we can do nothing with the past except to use its experiences in a profitable way in order to construct a more glorious future. As you face the New Year I would like to add my personal good wishes to the many others you have received. May you have a challenging, abundant and profitable New Year. May it be a year of growth and attainment in all the areas of your life. If it were possible I would wish you a year of peace and a new enlightened fellowship with your fellowmen, but we are still at war. May you unite with other Otterbeinites in praying to our God who is love that peace may soon be realized and our young people freed from the carnage of war. It is so easy to be discouraged and downcast if we persist in living in the past. But how radiant is life if we face the future with courage and the conviction that by the grace of God we shall throw ourselves into the future with a new determination to construct the kind of a world that will bring peace and happiness to all people. THE COVER PAGE The picture on the cover is that of the famems CapitahOtterbein Football Trophy which travels from Capital to Otterbein or vice versa depending on who wins the CapitahOtterbein football game. The trophy was purchased jointly by the two schools in 1933 and was won by Otterbein the first year. Since then the trophy has spent too much time at Capital. It is now back in the trophy case at Otterbein after two decisive victories this fall and we are determined that there it shall stay. THE PRESIDENT'S PAGE Dear Fellow'Alumni and Friends of Otterhein: As your current TOWERS is being prepared for the press I have recently returned from an exceedingly interesting and profitable visit among our alumni in many of the eastern and northeastern centers. It would be impossible for me to exaggerate the inspiration which came to Mrs. Flowe, the Trio girls and me as we met and mingled with the loyal graduates of Otterhein in formal and informal meetings in more than a dozen places. Alumni and ex'Students with their families and friends, church groups, prospective students and a wide circle of friends of Otterhein and of Otterhein persons met in a variety of gatherings numbering from fifteen to fifty, to see the college “movies,” to enjoy the Trio’s lovely singing, to fellowship, to reminisce and to bring themselves up-tO'date on Otterhein, her program, her Centennial, her Ohio Conference Championship football team and all things pertaining to the past, present and future of our beloved college. One could not help but find J. RUSKIN HOWE. ‘21 new faith in and new enthusiasm for Otterhein College in the presence and the inspiring witness of almost three hundred loyal and interested supporters present at these meetings. raising agency to direct the work. With the splendid spirit and cooperation of our people we believe we Flome from the strenuous but enjoyable trek can not only meet but surpass our goals, while through the east we plunged immediately into the keeping the money, without deduction, for the Centennial financial campaign in the Columbus area. purposes of Otterhein and her future program. At this writing our workers are turning in excellent reports with the liklihcx^d that the original quota This will come a bit late for holiday greetings assigned by the general C(^mmittee will be almost but we are wishing all of you the very best kind of doubled. Already more cash and pledges have been New Year that can come in a stricken world like received than in any previous campaign in this ours. We are already planning toward the return territory. After Westerville’s great record in almost of hundreds of our boys. Our housing committee is trebling her assigned quota, Columbus is falling in arranging for apartments where married veterans line to set a fast pace for the alumni in other areas, as can live comfortably and economically while they and when we get around to the more distant centers.