THE CHOWANIAN, APRIL - MAY 1959
Chowan-Roofs in the Past and an Eye to the Future
Chowan BSU Members At Leadership Conference
Approximately 18 Chowan BSU
council members ate an early
breakfast on April 17, all antici
pating their trip to Forest City
for the BSU Leadership Confer
ence. They were supposed to
leave about 7:15 a.m. but some
body forgot to wake Ed Worley.
Where on earth was Ed? Every
one turned as they heard a hust
ling from the Big House stairs
and there came Ed with his big
suitcase bulging.
“Well,” said James Layton, “I
suppose we are about ready to
leave now.”
What's that? Miss White had a
bit of trouble? All the students
wanted to ride in the same car.
They soon realized the impossi
bility of this and many com
promised and rode in other cars.
Off they started—w hoop s—
back they came. Serina Davis
left her lunch on the steps. Oh
well, anybody can forget.
Everyone was all excited and
even the ride through Murfrees
boro proved to be joyful. By the
time they reached Conway, Jane
Winslow was thirsty. They all
piled out for a five minute Coke
break. Thirty minutes later they
all piled back in the car for an
other lap of the journey.
Most of you know, I’m sure,
that traveling has a very sooth
ing effect on some people. “Keith
Abbott, for shame! Stop sleeping
on Gene Eason’s shoulder. He’s
getting lopsided.”
Picknicking is always fun es
pecially when you're on the way
to Forest City for a glorious
weekend. The weary travelers
picknicked along the road in a
picturesque place over-looking a
lovely valley.
James Layton was getting hun
gry. A couple of the girls even
had to hide their lunches from
him.
Well, it didn’t take long to
reach Forest City. Everyone
climbed out of the cars for a nice
stretch. Homes were assigned to
the tired but happy group. Ev
eryone was very pleased with
his “weekend home.” The hosts
and hostesses were very nice.
You know, there’s always one
good thing about the end of a
long trip, and that is the “hot
shower and rest” part.
After supper everyone at
tended the evening session which
featured Dr. Carlye Marney.
Students making the trip were
James Layton, Gene Eason,
Keith Abbott, Jane Winslow,
Walter Story, Susan Harris, Glo
ria Sumner, Serina Davis, Gwen
Eure, Shelby Crocker, Frances
Evans, and Mary Hunter.
Does it sound like these cru
saders had a good time? Just
ask them!
Chow^an's BSU Executive Council pose on the steps of the "Big
House" for THE CHOWANIAN photographer. The active students
are, Susan Harris, Elizabeth City, Y. W. A. representative; Serina
Davis, Davis, Training Union representative; Delores Hill, Wood
land, Devotional Chairman; Carolyn Wheeler, Jackson, Social
Chairman; Audrey AAarriner, Hickory, Va.; Publicity Chairman;
Rev. James Layton, Louisburg, President; Mary Hunter, Marion,
Secretary; Ray Cox, Portsmouth, Va.; Music Director; McCoy Dil-
day, Ahoskie, Sunday School representative; Leonard Capps, Back
Bay, Va. Outreach Chairman; Peggy Carr, Pine Tops, Treasurer;
Miss Frances White, BSU faculty advisor; Rev. Roland Pruette,
Pastor of Murfreesboro Baptist Church; Keith Abbott, Rocky
Mount, Vice-President; and Gene Eason (not pictured) Rocky
Mount, Promotional Vice-President.
BSU '59-60 Leaders are Chosen
It is a proven fact that an
organization is as strong as its
leadership. “Leaders who are
alert and committed to Christ
and his church, active in the
total campus life, and alert to
spiritual realities and opportuni
ties can be the difference be
tween a successful and mediocre
Baptist Student Union program.
a he new BSU Council mem
bers have been chose for 1959-60
and are as follows: President,
James Layton; Vice-President,
Gene Eason; Enlistment Chair
man, Keith Abbot; Secretary,
Mary Hunter; LIS’TEN, Peggy
Carr; Outreach, Leonard Capps;
Publicity, Audrey Marriner; So
cial, Carolyn Wheeler; Devo
tional, Delores Hill; Periodical,
McCoy Dilday; Music, Ray Cox;
Sunday School, John Brake;
Methodist Representative, Ra
chel Williams; BTU, Serina Da
vis; and YWA’s, Susan Harris.
These officers cannot possibly
carry out their responsibilities
and duties without a good func
tioning committee. When you are
approached and asked to serve
on a committee, consider it an
honor because you too will have
a share in promoting the reli
gious growth and spiritual devel
opment of our campus.
7*5
An open-air Vespers service is
held in the late afternoon as
song leader Ray Cox of Ports
mouth, Va. leads the members
in the singing of hymns.
A few/ BSU members mind the fire for a weiner roast as others
participate in various activities.
Chowan College, because of its
large growth in student enroll
ment and building construction,
has been receiving recognition
not only within its own area, but
in publications with a national
scope.
The JUNIOR COLLEGE
NEWSLETTER, published
monthly by the American Asso
ciation of Junior Colleges, car
ried an illustrated story several
months ago about Chowan, past
and future. Pictures used were
of “The Columns” building
erected in 1850; of Dr. Bruce E.
Whitaker, president; the new
women’s dormitory; and an inte
rior scene of Chowan’s unique
Roy Parker School of Printing.”
For the benefit of the student
readers and others who may not
know the facts contained in the
article, THE CHOWANIAN re
prints it.
“Nothing could better illus
trate the meeting of the old and
the new at Chowan College than
the architecture of the Admin
istration Building (The C o 1-
umns) built in 1850 and the
dormitory for women which was
completed this year. This Bap
tist junior college had its begin
ning 110 years ago as the Cho-
was Baptist Female Institute. It
has been a senior college for
women, a coeducational senior
college, and in 1937 became a
junior college. Chowan, which is
located at Murfreesboro, North
Carolina, never ceased to oper
ate during the Civil War years
although occasionally visited by
Union troops. However, World
War II forced it to suspend op
erations for six years due to lack
of students.
“This year 420 students are
enrolled. During the past three
years the number of students has
increased 130 per cent. Since
the reopening of the college in
1949, extensive remodeling and
renovation of older buildings
has taken place and new build
ings have been added to the
main campus. The latest addi
tion is a $300,000 dormitory for
women. The new dormitory is
the first of seven proposed addi
tions to the Chowan Campus as
set forth in a long range develop
ment program initiated by the
board of trustees in the fall of
1957. On the drawing boards now
are plans for a food service
building to cost an estimated
$150,000 and a dormitory for one
hundred men.
“Chowan’s long-range develop
ment program had its beginning
in a capital fund-raising cam
paign, directed by Ward, Dresh-
men, and Rheinhardt, New York
City. The campaign resulted in
approximately $435,000 being
pledged to the college over a
three-to-five year period. The
campaign is being re-opened
this winter with Oscar Creech,
Chowan’s Director of Develop
ment, heading up an effort to
raise another $100,000 by Decem
ber 31, 1958.
“In addition to offering fully
accredited work in the liberal
arts-science field, and in most
pre-professional and semi-pro
fessional areas, Chowan holds
the unique distinction of being
the only college in the entire
southeast which offers fully-ac
credited trade instruction in
graphic arts as a part of a broad
liberal arts curriculum. Course
offerings in graphic arts run the
full gamut — linotyping and tele
typesetting, letter press and off
set printing, printing and news
paper layout and design, and
photography and dark room
practices. In addition to these
technical subjects, C h o w a n’s
graphic arts students take
courses such as English, mathe
matics, social sciences, and re
ligion.
“Directing the college develop
ment program and providing
leadership to the experienced
faculty is Dr. Bruce E. Whita
ker, who was inaugurated as the
twentieth president in October,
1957.”
Portrait of Original Founder,
Jethro W. Barnes, is Presented
Chowan Gets
$10,290 Fund
Chowan College at Murfrees
boro was allotted $10,290 by the
N. C. Foundation of Church Re
lated Colleges at annual meeting
at Winston-Salem.
Twenty-six colleges in the
state, members of the founda
tion, will share $306,350 collected
during the last year by the foun
dation.
The three largest church relat
ed colleges, Wake Forest, David
son and Duke, by their own
choice, are not members of the
foundation.
WILLIE LEE HARRIS
Wins Scholarship
Willie Lee Harris, daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Payne,
Route 3, Elizabeth City, has been
awarded a William Louis Poteat
scholarship to Wake Forest Col
lege in the amount of $500.00.
One of the top five students in
this year’s Chowan College grad
uating class, her extra-curricu
lar activities have included:
vice-president of Phi Theta Kap
pa, the junior college equivalent
of Phi Beta Kappa in the senior
colleges; devotional chairman of
the Baptist Student Union; co-
chairman of Christian Focus
Week; membership of the Na
tional Education Association;
The college has received an
other painting to add to its
collection of portraits of out
standing men in the history of
Chowan.
The latest addition is an oil
portrait of Jethro W. Barnes, one
of the original founders and trus
tees of the college. Painted by
Mrs. R. B. Outland of Rich
Square, the handsome portrait
was presented to the college by
four of the subject’s granddaugh
ters, Mrs. Christie B. Saunders,
Mrs. D. Fee Bonniville, Miss
Devilla Emily Barnes, and
Mrs. Lydia William Green.
Jethro W. Barnes served as a
trustee of Chowan from 1848 un
til 1867, at which time the insti
tution was purchased by a Stock
Company of eight men who as
sumed all its indebtedness in
order to save it. Mr. Barnes
became a stock holder in 1871,
and remained in this capacity
until 1879, when Chowan was
returned by the stock holders to
the Baptist Denomination.
An honored citizen of Hertford
County, Mr. Barnes lived in the
Como community. He was an ac
tive member of the Buckhorn
Baptist Church who represented
his church many times at the
annual meetings of the Chowan
Baptist Association.
and attendant to the May Queen.
An education major, she plans
to teach in the public school
system of North Carolina fol
lowing her graduation from
Wake Forest.