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BELLES OP ST. MARY’S
Ayr^
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MUSE REVEALS PITTMAN HISTORY
STANDING THE TEST OF TIME . . . Eliza Battle Pittman Auditorium stiil looks just
as it did 66 years ago.
Delving into early 1900’s copies of the Muse
reveals that the Eliza Battle Pittman Memorial
Auditorium has an old and interesting history.
The Oct. 1905 Muse reads, “And here it
is well to speak further of the Pittman be
quest, received in Sept. . . . under the pro
vision of which two new scholarships are estab
lished and the erection of an auditorium as
sured.
This gift comes through the provisions of
the will of the late Mrs. Mary Eliza Pittman
of Tarboro, N. C. Mrs. Pittman’s maiden name
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Dear Editor:
We understand that in the over-all plans
for buildings during the “Decade of Renewal”
at St. Mary’s, a fine arts center including an
auditorium is to be built and the Eliza Battle
Pittman Auditorium is to be razed. We are well
aware of the need for a fine arts center and a
new auditorium, but we also feel that the Pitt
man Auditorium, though worn and greatly in
need of renovation and improvement, is a
graceful, charming, and acoustically superior
building that should be kept.
Acoustics can be of a very uncertain quality
The Belles Of St. Mary’s
Editor in Chief Margaret Stevens
Managing Editor Susan Gotherman
News Editor Pam Stroupe
Features Editor Barbara Urquhart
Art Editor Kathy Jordan
Photographer Ellen Henson
Circulation Candy Bunn
Trudy Glass
Typists Patricia Murphy
Margaret Williams
Advisor Mrs. Catherine Barnhart
NEWS STAFF
Carolina Barry Janet Davis
Melinda Byrd Lynn Jones
Velda Carter Anna Merritt Sullivan
FEATURES STAFF
Beth DeLapp Greyson Gates
Gail Shakelford
SPORTS STAFF
Susan Robinson Cava Skardon
Lorna Waltliall
in the construction of new auditoriums. Several
disastrous examples are in use currently in Ra-
leigh. To do away with a small hall with such
excellent acoustics would be a great loss. The
graceful lines of the interior would easily lend
themselves to renovation and redecoration that
could result in a really elegant little theatre,
unique in Raleigh.
It is obvious that the auditorium cannot be
“stfirioiate until the new building is
available. Rather than doing minimal repairs to
keep It usable until that time, it is our strong
desire that the campus planners seriously con
sider the saving of the Pittman Auditorium and
plan the renovation at as early a date as possible.
• much bulldozing of our past
m Raleigh. St. Mary’s-of all schools - should
stand against this wherever possible. Let us be-
gin With the Pittman Auditorium.
Sincerely,
Carolyn Myers Bizzell, ’57
Geraldine Cate, Dept, of Music
editorial
SMC’s “Decade of Renewal”
seen the renovation of Holt Hall
tion of a beautiful new cafeteria-sW
deD'*
Ragland Building, and a grand
ture days at SMC may dawn
when plans for a new fine arts bj^j^
auditorium, dorm, and infirmary are ' A
— - -
To complete this program and nia
improvements, certainly some
su&r. And admittedly no one will
the old infirmary tom down. It wou
lous to allow’ such an unattractive^
remain merely for the sake of tradid^®
id t
timentality. Pittman Auditorium
hop’s House, however, may be anota
In part, St. Mary’s is tradition ^ y
denced each Alumnae Day when w #
students proudly return to their A
But during this “Decade of Renewa
remember that the line between jf*
sentimentality is very fine. The
is a
Whatever the verdict, how’ever, the
must go and what may remain is
learn to coexist gracefully with
Mary Ehza Battle and by her fij*
she was Mrs. Mary Eliza Dancey.
in her will that one-third of her te t,#
___ _ ^
should be used for some religions ° i..n.
purpose to establish a memorial to n
Eliza Battle Pittman, who died in jef
son, Frank B. Dancey, of Atlanta,
and inasmuch as hot
ecutor . . .
man and Miss Pittman were
St. Mary’s,’ he decided to offer the
the trustees of St. Mary’s for me
“The Eliza Battle Pittman Alemooa lo
The value of the bequest was i
$13,000.” ^IA
Mrs. Pittman, who attended p
the 1840’s, was one of St. Mary® iy
dents. Miss Pittman attended in tne j
Finally, the June 1907 Mns® ^ d/,
Iiiiduy, uic juiic .
dedication of the auditorium as v
commencement exercises that year- ^
continues to describe the structure-
“The building is a model of y
pretentious, but well-adomed,
throughout. The central skyligb*
ing bit of adornment, and m tb
trical effects is lovely. The stage is ^
can be readily equipped with ^
ed to the various and varying \ '
student appearances, as was
OkUUWAil. Oi/i/W»A€»AAWW, AA., I
commencement, while it is at
could be wished lot lectures and r
^5 r
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNER
By Susan Gotherman
The moment I hit the Raleigh city limits,
I knew something was strange. There, wrapped
around the Hillsborough exit was a bedspread
which looked identical to mine. By the time we
reached Darylls, I had become conscious of
blue jeans and t-shirts draped across each street
light. As we entered St. Mary’s, I saw a laun
dry bag at half-mast.
I forgot about signing in and dashed to my
dom. Then I wished I hadn’t. The Tail of
baby powder was three inches thick. The trail
started at the front steps and led inside. By
this time, I recognized the poster of Jan-Michcal
Vincent as being mine. I ‘
marked by tennis shoes, hair rib
and old Tam’s albums. ioo.-’”tyi
When I opened the door to
aghast. In the comer, where
for nine months stood Jack P^saO*
. . . and nothing else. tb«
heard a noise outside and rushed to m y
There I saw my telephone dangh*’® '
'The whole hall started sirt^^ '
brought me out a Baskin-Robbio
cake. Mother must have called
and informed them of my
I finally got a blind date who di
own clothes.
I