Rod & Gun Club?

Yes, there was a Rod & Gun Club here at Brockport once upon a time. Pictured here are the club members as shown in the 1949 yearbook, the Saga. Under their photo it says, "The call of the wide out of doors - an adventurous spirit - a gun, and a fishing rod... all symbols of pure enjoyment, and dear to the heart of a sportsman." Apparently the club was new that year, and it did continue here at Brockport for some years after.

"Here... '50"

Featured here is the cover from a 1950 brochure on Brockport State. The students pictured were given quite a write up inside the brochure. According to the write up we have:

"From left to right, seated, is Joan De Witt, a product of Rochester's No. 33 grammar school and East High. A member of the Newman Club and the Student faculty Association, she plans to teach in the intermediate grades... Her master purpose in life is to marry and have her own home.

Seated on the steps, William Oakes. Hometown, Lockport, where he was active in Boy Scout work, basketball and football. 'Bill' was in WWII from 1943-1947. As a sailor he participated in the atomic bomb test at Bikini Island. He is married, and his ambition is to become the first Brockport graduate to become a Boy Scout executive.

Standing, Sam Platania, came to Brockport from Niagara Falls. A member of the Dramatics Club, and Track program... During WWII he was in the Amphibious Infantry, over seas in the Aleutians, Guadacanal, New Britain... Has six battle stars and one arrowhead for four assault landings on enemy shores. Student think he looks like Robert Mitchum.

In striped dress, Adrienne Codella, from Mamaroneck NY where she starred in band and glee club. She will graduate in 1950 from Brockport where she has been active in Music and Dramatics. She wishes to teach in Rochester NY.

Seated at far right, Barbara Flammer, from Wellsville NY.  Barbara has been active in intramural sports and the Dramatics Club. She sees teaching as a pathway to social work and hopes to enter that field."

You are here; or were, in 1934...

This is the campus map published in the Saga Yearbook in 1934. To orient yourself, Utica Street runs along the bottom of the map, and Monroe Avenue is on the right. So as you look at the map you are looking west, at the old Normal School building which stood where Hartwell Hall was erected in the late 1930s. At the lower left is "Dr. T's" house, or what we call Alumni House today. This area was the entire campus, as it had been since 1835; there had been several main buildings, one after another, but it was always just the one building. It was only after WWII when the advent of the GI Bill greatly increased demand for college educations that the campus began to add more buildings and expand to the west.

Campus School & student teaching ca1930

The 1930 Saga has a nice spread on the campus school, or the "training school" as it was called then. Pictured here is Charles Cooper, who was Director of the Training School from 1911-1936; Cooper Hall is named after him. Here is a little of what they experienced as student teachers back then:

"Who does not recall those first days of anxious waiting... after the Director of Training's announcement that teaching assignments would soon be posted? ... Many a weary hour we spent with Preparations, General Aims and Thought Questions, only to have a kindly but merciless critic (note - the "teacher critics" were professional teachers who both taught the children in the campus school and supervised the student teachers) calmly destroy our work of art...

Do you remember how easily the critic elicited responses from the pupils during those first days, and how nicely and quietly those pupils behaved? And then the storm burst! We attempted to teach from that first Lesson Plan... We all had our First days, our trials, our pupil problems...

Then came the Day of days, when we were admitted to that Sanctum Sanctorum, Mr. Cooper's office, for general criticism. How we secretly trembled as he slowly swung around in his chair and emitted a gruff, 'Well, what do you want?' But then, we found out that behind that gruffness he concealed as kindly, sympathetic and inspiring a personality as could be desired by anyone..."

Why is this thus?

Hmmm, who is this a quote from anyway?! None other than Artemus Ward, an American humorist of the early 20th century. Pondering the thisness of thusness on the lawn of the old Normal School are, left to right, Perry, Lathrop, Thompson and Cooper. Heh, we suppose you had to be there to really get it, lol. But it is nice to see that these fellows, who usually are pictured in rather stern poses, could relax and have a little fun, as they did in this 1929 Saga yearbook photo.

Campus School Reunion!!!

There is going to be a reunion of campus school alumni and staff on Friday July 22; click here for information. It should be a great day for the many people who attended the campus school or worked there.

The campus school, or practice or training school, as it was variously called over the years, has a long history. For those not familiar with it, a campus school was just that, a real school on campus; in it's latter years in the 1940s and '50s it was like a small elementary school. In earlier years it actually ran up through the high school level!

It started in 1867, when the old Collegiate Institute became a state Normal School. The focus of a Normal School was on teacher training, and as part of that it seemed logical to run a small school on campus, where student teachers could practice teaching under the watchful eye of experienced "teacher critics."

Look here for more on the campus school in the days to come, and we hope to see you at the reunion!

Whiskers, the college dog

In the March 1924 Stylus there is the following entry about a dog who was part of campus life then. Unfortunately there is no accompanying photo of Whiskers, but included here is a photo of another "English Sheep Hound..."

   "Who is 'Whiskers?' That question may be answered by almost any student in B.N.S.  For this English Sheep-hound is perhaps one of the most popular dogs in town. With his long, gray and white hair (usually a little soiled) he makes a very striking picture... To see this dog with his intelligent nods and gestures when one comes into the Normal cloak room after a weary and monotonous class, relieves the strain and tension of the nerves. He is always willing to shake hands although once in awhile they are not manicured.  But he doesn't mind such trifles.

His parking place is generally in the Normal cloakracks, but occasionally he strolls about the classrooms and corridors to look things over and see that everything is in order.

Some members of the faculty have had the hardness of heart (and I might say possibly the nerve) to put this innocent little canine out of our school life, but up to this time they have not succeeded.

"Whiskers" shall wear no man's collar. He has a perfectly good one of his own. He is 100% for the students. Long live the king of dogs!"

Jessica Michaels