Commencement Se^siue
Newspaper of the Students nf Meredith College
Volume XX
MEREDITH COLLEGE, RALEIGH, N. C., MONDAY, JUNE 3, 1946
Number 16
Over Three Hundred Attend
Luneheon On Alumnae Day
Madge Daniels Barber
Serves As Toastmaster
Reunion Classes Honored
The annual luncheon was held in
the dining hall immediately follow
ing the Association meeting on
June 1. Madge Daniels Barber, ’20,
of Ardmore, Pennsylvania, served
as toastmaster for the occasion
which was attended by approxi
mately three hundred alumnae and
guests.
After the singing of the Alma
Mater, guests for the luncheon were
introduced by the toastmaster.
These included President and Mrs.
Campbell; Miss Anna M. Baker,
Dean of Women; Marguerite Mason
Wilkins, retiring president of the
Association; Lt. Betty Brown Mac
Millan, speaker of the morning;
Elizabeth Hostetler Ponton, chair
man of reunion classes; Mae Grim
mer, executive secretary; Foy John
son Farmer, alumna and member
of the Board of Trustees; Mr. Zeno
Martin, bursar; Professor and Mrs.
S. G. Riley; Mrs. Charles E. Brewer;
Mrs. Gertrude Royster Sorrell,
former director of physical educa
tion in the College; Mr. J. G. Boom-
hour, former Dean of the College;
Dr. and Mrs. Harry E. Cooper; and
resident members of the college
faculty.
The Class of 1946 was inducted
into the Association with the tra
ditional ceremony and Josephine
Hughes, president, presented the
doll to be added to the alumnae
parade of classday dolls. A con
tribution to the Ida Poteat Loan
Fund was also made by the class.
Ellen Brewer, head of the depart
ment of home economics, was
faculty sponsor for the class of
1946.
Elizabeth Hostetler Ponton was
in charge of the recognition of re
union classes. The degree of LL.D.
(Loyal, Loving Daughters) was
conferred on the classes of ’06, ’ll,
’12, ’13, ’14, ’21, ’30, ’31, ’32, ’33, ’36,
and ’44. For 100 per cent active
(Continued on page two)
Varied Gifts Express
Loyalty of Alumnae
An interesting feature of
Alumnae Day was the presentation
of gifts to the College—gifts from
the Association, from college gene
rations, from classes, and from in
dividuals.
At the close of the business ses
sion Marguerite Mason Wilkins pre
sented from the alumnae a gift of
one thousand dollars for the Ex
pansion Program. Dr. Campbell
accepted the gift and expressed ap-
precation for this tangible and
forceful expression of loyalty, a fit
ting conclusion, he thought, to a
speech on loyalty.
The Association also made a
twenty-five dollar contribution to
ward the rug which Mr. Martin has
promised to buy immediately for
the faculty parlor. Those alumnae
who caught their heels in the loose
(Continued on page two)
Hon. Walter Judd
Delivers Address
Degrees Are Awarded
And Bibles Presented
Lt. Betty Brown MacMillan
Addresses Annnal Assembly
Class of ’46 Elects
Permanent Officers
The traditional step-singing serv
ice was held on the steps of John
son Hall at five o’clock on Sunday,
June 2, when the four classes sang
college songs and with significant
ceermony moved into their places
for the coming year. As the seniors
in caps and gowns left the steps
singing, “You’re the Queen of our
Hearts,’’ the three remaining classes
moved up into their respective
places. The Class of ’46 in a brief
meeting in the grove elected Jose
phine Hughes permanent president
and Elizabeth Shelton permanent
secretary.
Dr. Poteat Preaches
Baccalaureate Sermon
College Choir Sings
Anthem “Glory to God”
The baccalaureate sermon was
given Sunday, June 2, at 11:00 in
the college auditorium by Dr.
Gordon Poteat, formerly a mission
ary to China, more recently a mem
ber of the faculty of Crozer Theolo
gical Seminary, and now pastor of
the First Baptist Church of Lewis-
burg, Pennsylvania. Preceding the
address. Dr. L. E. M. Freeman, of
the college faculty, read the Scrip
ture lesson and offered the prayer.
The college choir, under the direc
tion of Dr. Harry E. Cooper, head
of the department of music, sang
an anthem, “Glory to God,’’ by
Bortniansky.
(Continued on page two)
The baccalaureate service in the
college auditorium at 11:30 Mon
day morning, June 3, marked the
end of the 1945-1946 session of
Meredith College. At that time
ninety-one seniors received the
A.B. degree, eighteen of them with
honors. The baccalaureate address
was given by Congressman Walter
H. Judd, of Minnesota, who was
presented to the audience by Ra
leigh’s first citizen, Josephus
Daniels, as a man who believed in
preparedness before the war and
(Continued on page three)
Alumnae Establish Two
New Scholarships
Announcement has been made of
two additional alumnae scholar
ships which are available this year
for the first time.
At the meeting of the Executive
Committee, April 26, 1946, a com
mittee was appointed to investigate
the matter of changing the Ida
Poteat Loan Fund to a scholarship.
The committee made the following
recommendations at the annual
meeting, June 1, 1946: (1) that the
Ida Poteat Loan Fund be main
tained; (2) that $2,500.00 of the
Ida Poteat Loan Fund be turned
over to Meredith College to estab
lish a one hundred dollar scholar
ship to be known as the Ida Poteat
Scholarship; (3) that the commit
tee be authorized to set up regula
tions governing the awarding of the
scholarship. These recommendations
were accepted by the Association
and the scholarship was awarded on
Society Night.
The Hester P. Farrior Scholarship
came about through the sale of two
lots presented to the college
(through the Alumnae Association)
by Miss Farrior in 1943, and her ad
ditional gift of one hundred dollars.
The scholarship will be available
to a worth-while student from the
Mills Home, in accordance with the
wish of the donor.
Marguerite M. Wilkins
Presides Over Session
And Reviews Year’s Work
Lt. Betty Brown MacMillan
Awards Are Presented
At Society Exercises
Prof. H. G. MeCurdy Speaks;
Short Stories Win Medals
Emily Lassiter, president of the
Astrotekton Literary Society, and
Jane Watkins, president of the
Philaretian Literary Society, pre
sided over the annual Society Night
exercises on Saturday evening.
June 1. After the processionals of
the two societies, four numbers were
sung by the sextette, composed of
Rebecca Barnes, Jean Davis, Betty
Jean Donley, Virginia Holcomb,
Jane Watkins, and Jean White, with
Emily Hine at the piano.
The presentation of the Carter
Upchurch Medal of the Astrotekton
Society was made to Elizabeth
(Continued on page three)
Lt. Betty Brown MacMillan,
USNR, of Washington, D. C., ad
dressed the Meredith College
Alumnae Association at the annual
meeting held in the Philaretian Hall
on Saturday morning, June 1.
Marguerite Mason Wilkins, presi
dent, was in charge of the business
session at which time annual reports
from officers and chairmen were
heard.
Lt. MacMillan, a graduate of the
Class of ’41, taught French and
English in Franklinton two years
after graduation and then joined
the WAVES in 1943. She was com
missioned an ensign after seven
weeks of training at Northampton
and has served since that time with
the Naval Intelligence in Washing
ton. Taking as her subject a line
from the Alma Mater, “The Fields
Shall Blossom,” Lt. MacMillan re
viewed briefly the part which
women played in recent war
activity. Meredith alumnae, she
pointed out, did their part during
the busy years. From the alumnae
ranks came seventeen WAC’S,
thirteen WAVES, ten Red Cross
(Continued on page three)
Eour New Officers
Will Serve 1946-1948
In the recent alumnae election
conducted by the mail ballot, Mar
garet Craig Martin, ’30, was elected
president of the Association for
1946-1948. Other officers who will
begin their two-year tenure with
the president are Lucille Johnson
Dixon, ’32, vice president of the
Charlotte Division; Henrietta Cas-
tlebury Auman, ’36, vice president
of the Greensboro Division; and
Annie Craig Phillips, ’17, alumna-
at-large. The alumnae speaker for
commencement, 1947, is Eunice Ed-
mundson Johnston, ’12.
Class Dolls Are Featured In Reunion Class Activities
Reunion classes this year were in
prominence during the commence
ment exercises. Of the two hundred
alumnae who registered during the
three day period, one hundred were
members of the twelve reunion
classes. The following roster of re
union class representatives will be
of interest to those who did not
attend. 1906: Corrinna Chisholm
Covington of Thomasville, Mary
Lee Bivens Tyner of Raleigh, Lois
Rhodes Crump of Wagram; 1911:
Emily Boyd Garrison of Sanford,
Florida, Lila Stone Seymour of
Apex; 1912: Elizabeth Bass Babing-
ton of Atlanta; 1913: Lenna Benton
Banks of Apex, Kitty Poole John
son of Weaverville; 1914: Callie
Perry Newbold of Elizabeth City,
Kate Johnson Parham of Oxford,
Katherine Knowles Lewis of Mount
Olive, Mabel Ballentine of Varina,
Minnie Gosney of Raleigh, Lucy
Sanders Hood of Kinston, Janie
Parker Dixon of Mount Gilead;
1921: Lillian Franklin Thomasson
of Bryson City, Jamie Mauney Tat
um of Cooleemee, Sybil Smith
Cooper of Pass-A-Grille Beach,
Florida, Nellie Olive Goodwin of
Apex, Lidie Penton Freeman of
Wilmington, Sallie Beal Loftin of
Goldsboro, Mary Sullivan Kelley
of Raleigh, Jeannette Biggs of
Knoxville, Tennessee, Bert Lamm
Speight of Stantonsburg, Mildred
Youngblood Grant of Fayetteville,
Louise Powell Varnedoe of Fayette
ville; 1930: Roberta Royster Wort-
man of Charlotte, Blanche Sharpe
Rogers of Mebane, Bonnie Lee Fox
Grimsley of Dillon, S. C., Mabel
Sanders of Jonesboro, Margaret
Craig Martin of Raleigh, Erin
Bloodworth Fulghum of Charlotte,
Lillian Robertson Harper of Dur
ham, Gladys Blalock Page of Mor-
risville, Della Roberson Gillam of
Windsor, Mabel Bagby Sphar of
New York City, Margaret 'Trotman
Hutton of Suffolk, Virginia, Mar
guerite Mason Wilkins of Durham;
1931: Mildred Kichline of Burling
ton, Lorena Brinson Vestal of
Kenansville, Margaret Broughton
of Raleigh, Lois Arnette Bliss of
New York City, Eleanor Lamm of
Lucama, Madeline May Allen of
Troy, Lyda Lee Long of Burlington,
Rosa Mae Haynes Brawley of Bur
lington, Mary McAden Satterfield of
Milton, Martha Ruth Kendall Mur
ray of Raleigh, Ruth Starling Hough
of Goldsboro, Ruth Hough High of
Wendell, Louise Mumford Maxwell
of Goldsboro, Nellie Booker Dobbin
of Raleigh, Mary Currin Robertson
of Houston, Texas, Anne Simms
Haskins of Raleigh; 1932: Clarice
Holder Bryan of Garner, Elizabeth
Hester Williams of Siler City, Pau
line Cagle Butts of South Hill,
Virginia, Dolly Byrd Vernon of
Burlington, Narnie Seymore of
Raleigh, Gaynelle Hinton Cooper
of Clayton, Elizabeth Thornton
Britton of Dunn, Irma Ragan Hol
land of Raleigh; 1933: Jo Broad-
well Butler of Clinton, Martha
Salisbury of Scotland Neck, Melba
Hunt Greene of Burlington, Eleanor
Hunt Reynolds of Charleston, S. C.,
Mary C. Shearin Waters of Rocky
Mount, Charlotte Palmer Brown of
Albemarle, Mary Louise Johnson
Woodall of Fayetteville, Sara E.
Herring of Dillon, S. C., Pauline
Barnes Byrd of Raleigh, Sallie
Council of Raleigh, Miriam Brady
Ellis of Clayton, Margaret Briggs
Strickland of Kinston, Lula Belle
Highsmith of Raleigh, Eliza Turner
Lewis of Augusta, Georgia, Martha
Castlebury Shaw of Raleigh; 1936:
Norma Rose of Meredith, Frances
Calloway Propst of Concord, Lucy
Mae Perry Gentry of Durham,
Henrietta Castlebury Auman of
Hillsboro, Esther Mae Lanier Bell
of Rocky Mount, Mabel Eakes
Elliott of Virgilina, Virginia, Annie
Mae Banks Andrews of Washington,
D. C., Melba Gaskins of Richmond,
Virginia; 1944: Ann Ray Kramer
of New Haven, Connecticut, Sue
McNeely Solliday of Richmond,
Virginia, Gloria Anderson Cran
ford of Asheboro, Olene Sinclair
of Clinton, Doris Hamrick Mowery
of Winston-Salem, Grace Alexander
of Raleigh, Eleanor Vereen of Ra
leigh, Richie Harris of Lincolnton,
Helen Warren Jackson of Newton,
Lib McNeill Calloway of Hender
son, Nathalie Woodward of Raleigh,
Georgie Brewer of Raleigh, Cornell
Brunt Harris of Charlotte, Dorcas
Stanley of Smithfield, Dwanda Bis-
sette Roberts of Raleigh, and Onefa
Holder of Lillington.