October 9,1969
THE TWIG
Page Three
But Only for Visits
“School Sick” Miss North Carolina Returns
By Brooks McGirt
Being Miss North Carolina isn’t
easy! It’s having to worry about
how you look, how you sound, how
you feel in everything you do. tt’s
not having very much time to “let
go”, to really relax and know you’re
not on display, and don’t have to
watch everything you say or do.
Patsy Johnson has found a place
where she can do just that — here
at Meredith.
Patsy, who would have been a
junior here this year were it not for
her winning the state title, has made
Meredith her “second home.” In
fact, with all the traveling she has
been doing recently, it may seem
that she has spent more time at
Meredith than she has at home.
Two Visits Already
In the short time since school be
gan, Patsy has already paid two
visits to the Meredith campus, most
recently to sing at the Board of
Trustees dinner, September 26.
Later visits are also being planned
—the closest one for an appearance
at the N. C. State Fair.
The reason for all these visits?
Quite simply, Patsy misses school.
Those who find it difficult to un
derstand how anyone could actually
miss school must take into ac
count Patsy’s unique situation and
realize that if they too were suddenly
prevented from returning to campus
they too might find themselves pin
ing for life there.
And most probably, they would
miss it for the same reason Patsy
expresses, to wit: “The thing I miss
most is being with my friends,” add
ing that as Miss North Carolina she
rarely has the opportunity to speak
with or meet people of her own age.
That’s why, when she can return
to the dormitory for a few hour’s
respite from her busy Miss N. C.
world, she has to make up for lost
time.
She’s Still Patsy
Being hailed as a beauty queen
has not really changed Patsy, unless
to make her crazier than ever when
she can finally “let down her hair.”
There is never a dull moment, as
Patsy relates some of the less well-
known problems of having to be
pleasing to the eye all the time. She
jokes, she laughs, she blows soap
bubbles with the girls on the hall,
she eats and eats and eats, she
clowns — she does everything but
act like a Miss North Carolina —
perhaps because at Meredith she
once again can become just another
student.
No Real Escape
But it is impossible for her to
escape completely the Miss N. C.
world, when there are always people
asking questions for articles like this
one. And Patsy is always gracious,
although it is easy to understand
how tired she must get of inter
views. But the interviews keep com
ing and she keeps answering the
questions — questions like “What’s
it like to be Miss North Carolina?”
to which Patsy replies thoughtfully,
“It’s a combination of fun, oppor
tunities, disappointments, tired feet
—and a certain kind of love.”
Any discussion of her duties as
the State queen leads naturally to
the area of the Miss America page
ant. Says Patsy, “It was wonderful!”
and adds, “The most fun was gen
erally getting to know the girls!” But
she adds there was also much work
mainly in the form of 8:00-5:00 re
hearsals each day.
Of the girls she met she says,
“There were many wonderful con
genial and Christian girls there.”
At the national pageant, Patsy
had her own cheering section from
Meredith (see Sept. 25, 1969
Twig), of which she says, “That
was really neat. In fact, one of the
best things about the pageant was
knowing that so many of my friends
were behind me!”
Although Patsy may feel “home
sick” for school, as she reports she
was at first, it seems almost impos
sible for her to escape completely
from it, she notes. In fact, she re
ports, “Most everywhere I’ve gone,
I’ve either met a Meredith alumna
or a relative of one.”
Double Representative
Also, Patsy is not unaware of her
role as a representative of her school
as well as her state.
The dual role doesn’t bother her
too much, however. She says, "If I
live up to all the rules I have as
Miss North Carolina, I don’t think
I’ll have to worry about being a
representative of Meredith!”
The life of a Miss North Carolina
is not an easy one to live, even if
you are Patsy Johnson. It takes a
goal and some basic ideals.
Says Patsy, “I really have no pro
found goals. I know everyone al
ways says ‘A Good-Will ambassa
dor,’ but my personal goal is for me
to get to know the people as people
all over the state and for them to
get to know me, not just as Miss
North Carolina, but as Patsy John
son,”
For Meredith girls who them
selves have aspirations for beauty
contests, she advises, “Be sure of
what you want for your life before
you start, because it’s awfully easy
to stray from the really important
things in life.”
And for all her Meredith College
friends at this, her home away from
home, she adds an emphatic, “I miss
ya’!”
The feeling is mutual.
Patsy Johnson, Miss North Carolina, talks over old times with h«r ‘Svouldhave*becn”
roommate. Fair Mcrriinan, during a rcccnt campus visit.
Pupil Personnel Services Workshop
Unilerway at Meredith Through Friday
A workshop on Pupil Personnel
Services sponsored by the North
Carolina Departent of Public In
struction is being held on the Mere
dith campus today (Thursday) and
Friday, October 9-10.
Students are invited to attend the
general meetings, says Miss Kathryn
Ray, state supervisor of pupil per
sonnel services, to hear speakers
“well-known in their fields.”
Friday speakers will include Miss
Barbara Brown, school social work
er from Rockdale County Schools in
Georgia speaking on “School Social
Services” at 10:30 a.m. and Dr.
Paul W. Fitzgerald, director of pupil
personnel services in Florida, who
will conclude the workshop at 2:15
p.m.
Speakers during Thursday’s pro
gram discussed topics such as “Psy
chological Services” and “Testing
and Pupil Appraisal.” Among those
appearing were Dr. Gordon H.
Rettke, director of psychological
services for Charlotte - Mecklenburg
Schools and Dr. Hugh 1. Peck from
the Learning Institute of N, C.
All meetings are being held in
Jones Auditorium.
John Vassilion's
North HilU Steak House
& Tavern
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Dean Allen Burris takes a break from daily routine in his paper*strewa office.
Dean Burris Stresses Action
In Role as Meredith Dean
Transfer Forum Held
The Meredith Transfer Forum
was held on campus October 8 for
counseling personnel from private
junior colleges in the state.
The Admissions Office is making
a concerted effort to attract gradu
ates from junior colleges, note of
ficials.
Representatives from Brevard,
Chowan, Lees-McRae, Louisburg,
Montreal - Anderson, Peace, St.
Mary’s and Wingate were expected
to attend Wednesday’s forum,
October 16, a second forum will
be held for counseling personnel
from Community Colleges in the
state.
By Jane Holt
History majors — Prepare your
selves to welcome a guest lecturer
who will soon speak on his pet sub
ject, “British History.” He is Dr.
Allen Burris, the new academic dean
who professes to be an avid history
fan and admirer of Arthur J. Bal-
fore.
Dean Burris is a graduate of Win
gate College where his father was
President for several years. He also
graduated from Wake Forest Uni
versity and received his doctorate
from Duke University. Majoring in
history, he concentrated on political
theory and British and Constitution
al History. Before accepting the
deanship at Meredith, he was a his
tory professor at St. Andrews Col
lege at Laurinburg.
When asked why he accepted his
new position as Dean, Dr. Burris
replied, “I feel Meredith has poten
tial to which I can contribute.” He
added, “I must admit that my fath
er’s active role in the development
of Wingate College influenced my
decision.” Dean Burris regards his
new office as a “suspended state”
between administration and faculty.
The faculty is his primary concern,
however, and he will attempt to be
come its sounding board. New de
velopments in the Raleigh College
Cooperation Program are underway
as well as future team teaching
which Dean Burris plans to instigate
this spring.
Dean Burris is a family man as
well as a college administrator, and
shares his interests with his wife
Jane and their two children. Dr.
Burris, who has been “singing all
his life” plans to seek out the male
choral group here at Meredith. Be
sides tentatively planning a book,
the title of which he would not re
veal, he enjoys reading the comic
strip, especially Orphan Annie and
the Wizard of Id.
His “new challenge” is striving to
become an efficient dean at Mere
dith, although he admits that he
finds it difficult to not know students
personally and misses the exchange
of philosophical ideas. Learning is
a “muntual obligation between stu
dents and professor,” he says, and
both must work at understanding
each other. He reminds all Meredith
students to keep the quality of gen
tility Meredith girls are known for.
With President Heilman, Dean
Burris shares the desire to make
Meredith College “one of the finest
in the South.”
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