Founders
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NS BLUES
Day Issue
Vol. 23, No. 5
QUEENS COLLEGE, CHARLOTTE, N. C.
January 25, 1945
Norman Cousins To Appear February 2nd
Queens College
Of Years
Gone By
The very name Queens College
seems to suggest a long and in
teresting history; and, indeed, one
is not disappointed. This collie
has been in continuous op>eration
since 1857 and it may be regard
ed as the direct descendant of
two much older institutions.
The first of these institutions
was a classical school established
in 1758 and called Queens Museum
in honor of Queen Charlotte. When
the Revolution broke out, the
name was defiantly changed to
Liberty Hall. The course that
was planned was similar to the cur
riculum of the University of North
Carolina, but more limited. In
1779 the Carolinas were invaded,
and the school was discontinued.
Sometime later the Charlotte
Male and Female Institute was
established. In 1822 it was di
vided and Female Academy moved
to College and Ninth Streets. It
was short-lived, however, for in
1829 it was closed.
In 1857 the Charlotte Female
Institute was founded and situ
ated on Ninth Street. It has
been in continuous operation un
der other names ever since then.
The first president of the em
bryo college was Dr. Robert Bur-
well. His wife, Margaret Anna
Burwell, for whom Burwell Hall is
named, was Dean of Women.
In 1894 the Mecklenburg Pres
bytery took over the old Female
Institute, renovated it, and chang
ed the name to Presbyterian Col
lege for Women. It continued at
Mint Street until 1912 when the
Presbytery contracted for fifty
acres of land in the Myers Park
section. All except twenty-five
acres were sold and an endowment
of $100,000 was raised. Five at
tractive buildings were erected of
Indiana limestone and tapestry
brick, and Queens College as we
know it today was established.
This is the past. What of the
future? If the greater Queens’
plans go through, we should find
changes as great in 1957 as those
fii curriculum and
the standards grow propyortionally,
we have every reason to believe
that Queens College will be one
of the most outstanding institu
tions in the south.
Long Dorm.
Named For
1857 Teacher
Long Dormitory, or North as it
is still called by the students, was
built in 1912 as one of the five
original buildings on campus at a
cost of $125,000. It was named
for Miss Lily Webb Long. Miss
Long had taught in the school
when the Burwells had been at its
head, and in 1857 she began a
school known as the Charlotte
Seminary. In 1895 when Mecklen
burg and Concord Presbyteries
wanted a school located in the
presbyteries. Miss Long gave up
her school and was given the posi
tion of Dean of the new school.
The new school was located on
College and Ninth Streets.
The first year that we notice
anything about the names of the
dormitories is in the 1922-23 cata
logue, as follows: “No longer will
the dormitories be known as North
and South Dormitories; but by
designation of the Alumnae As
sociation, the North Hall is here
after to be officially known as
Lily W. Long Hall, and the South
Hall as the Mildred Watkins Hall,
and students will hereafter be so
assigned.’’
Despite the fact that these two
dormitories have been named, they
are still known to the students
as North and South.
Mrs. Morrison
Makes Gift
Of Dormitory
Doubtless, many students a t
Queens know little about Morri
son Dormitory in which is housed
one of the most popular places
on campus—the dining room. The
dormitory, with a capacity of 42
students, was constructed in 1926
at a cost of about $90,000, after
a request from President W. H.
Frazer to Mrs. Cameron Morri
son that she give the building.
Originaly, there was a vague—
but very vague — plan that there
should be a swimming pool in the
present Recreation Room. But the
materialization of that idea is
quite obvious.
Prior to the construction of Mor
rison Hall, the dining room was
located into the library, with both
the kitchen and the small library
located in the business office.
A great improvement has been
made in the dining room since 1942
with the addition of the lovely
pictures of well-known colleges
and universities. The committee
appointed to choose these pictures
was composed of Dr. and Mrs.
Blakely, Miss Rena Harrell, and
Miss Alma Edwards at that time
a member of our faculty. The
pictures were enlarged from small
prints by a man in New Jersey at
a cost of $2 per square foot.
One picture in particular, that
of Magdalen College at Oxford,
was reproduced from an English
post card given by Dr. Dorisse
Howe, head of the biology depart
ment. However, it lacked clouds;
and so the man in charge had his
son fly over New York to photo
graph clouds to be superimposed
on the card.
The twelve pictures include Yale
University, University of North
Carolina, Duke University, Univer
sity of Virginia, Harvard Univer
sity, Princeton/ University, William
and Mary, Davidson College, Mag
dalen College of Oxford, Cambridge
University, Cambridge, England.
Attached near the entrance of
the Day Student’s Building hangs
a plaque with the following words
on it, “1935—This building the
Day Student’s Union is dedicated
to the memory of Elizabeth H.
Blair, Dean of Instruction and Ad
visor of the Day Student Council.
By request of the Day Students
of Queens Chicora College.’’
The Day Students building is
the “hang-out” for Queens who
live in town. It is a modern brick
building located on the campus
and is made up of a large living
room, equipped with lounges,
chairs, piano and radio-phono
graph. 'There is also a study room
with chairs, tables, and lockers, a
small kitchen, and a rest room.
Dr. Frazer, former president of
Queens, was one of those who
promoted the building of Blair
Union for Day Students. Since
the erection of the Day Student’s
building many appreciative Char
lotte girls have enjoyed its bene
fits, spending free periods there,
joining the gab-fest that go on,
or listening to the radio. Day
Students eat lunch in Blair Union
and often times gym class meets
here when the weather does not
permit outside activity.
Nancy Gordon
Is Elected
By Freshmen
Gift From
Mrs. Moore
Is Y-Hut
No news is good news
How often have you read it;
But you can bet most anything
The staff has never said it!
Many of us have wondered how
“The Hut” came into being. Its
origination is one example of what
Charlotteans are doing to promote
Queens College spiritually, as well
as scholastically.
While visiting her daughter at
Greensboro College early in 1926,
Mrs. Ernest Moore attended a few
meetings at their “Y-Hut” and saw
how much it meant to the girls
to have such a building entirely
for their religious meetings.
“Queens should have such a
building also,” was the thought
that busied Mrs. Moores’ mind
upon her retvum home. It was
not long until her thought ma
terialized into what all of us real
ize to be one of the finest and
truest expressions of thoughtful
ness.
In the first election of the new
year the officers of the freshman
class and the chairman of May
Day were elected.
As president of the freshman
class is Nancy Gordon. Nancy is
the daughter of Mrs. Frank Guth
rie Gordon of Washington, D. C.
While at Queens she has been
elected the representative to legis
lature and is a member of Alpha
Eta Sigma.
Suzanne Blackmon, daughter of
Dr. and Mrs. S. J. Blackmon of
Kershaw, S. C., is the freshman
representative to legislature from
South Dormitory, a member of Chi
Omega, a member of May Court,
and a reporter from the Blues.
She has been elected vice-presi
dent of the class.
Winkie Williams, secretary of
the freshman class is the daugh
ter of Rev. and Mrs. John Williams
of Spartanburg, S. C. She served
as chairman of the class the first
semester.
Mary Katherine Nye has been
elected treasurer of the class. She
is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. R.
Bruce Nye.
Sarah Virginia Neill, a junior
from Seneca, S. C., has been elect
ed chairman of May Day. “Gin-
ner” is the daughter of Mrs. R.
D. Neill. While at Queens she
has been chairman of the fresh
man class and a member of the
iLinnean Club her freshman year.
Burwell Hall
Named For
Noted Dean
I Noted Author
And Critic
WiU Speak
Blair Union
Erected For
Dean Of School
In the summer of 1912 five build
ings were erected in the Myers
Park section of Charlotte. In Sep
tember of that same year Queens-
Chicora College opened in its new
location in this section. 'These
five buildings were the science
and music buildings. Long and
Watkins dormities, and Burwell
Hall. The latter was construct
ed by John Nolan, internationally
known landscape architec and cost
around $345,000. Mr. Nolan was
from Boston and laid out all of
the plans for the Myers Park
Section.
Burwell Hall was the same to
day as it was then, except for a
few changes and improvements on
the inside. The present library
was used as a dining room from
1912 until 1926. The present busi
ness class room was the kitchen,
the home economics room was the
pantry, and the suite of rooms
Miss Harrell now occupies was
then occupied by the dietitions.
With the building of Morrison Hall
in 1926 this was changed.
The fireplace has been improved
by Dr. Blakely. Formally it had
two flues and much higher mantle.
A window was closed over with
beaver board between the two
flues. This was remodeled in 1940
at which time the library was re
modeled also.
Many of the pictures that show
fine art have been loaned to the
college by Walter Clark and Mrs.
Jacob Binder.
Every girl that leaves Queens
may forget many things, but the
name Burwell Hall will always
ring in her ears. It is named Bur
well in honor of the Burwells who
were administrators from 1857 until
about 1880.
NORMAN COUSINS
Science HaU
In Honor Of
1890 President
The Atkinson Memorial Build
ing, better known to everyone here
on the campus as the Science
Building, was built in 1912 when
all of the other larger buildings
were built. It was named for Dr.
William Atkinson who was presi
dent of the college in 1890. Among
his many duties he also taught
science. Queens College was then
known as the Charlotte Female In
stitute.
The main lecture room and the
adjoining rooms were construct
ed in the form of an amphitheater.
It was sloping so that it could be
better used for demonstration pur
poses. In the basement of the
biology laboratory there were orig
inally showers. There was a fire
in 1926 which came very nearly
being disastrous to the building.
It originated from the boiler one
evening about six o’clock when
everyone was at diner. Therefore
it had time to rage undetected for
some time. The floor was badly
scorched and charred. In spite
of the bad effects of the fire, it
was greatly improved when it was
remodeled and constructed as it is
today.
As the name implies it is the
building where all of the sciences
are taught, it has always housed
the home economics, chemistry,
biology, and physics laboratories.
The alumnae office which for
many years was the location of
the post office, is also in the
science building.
Editor, author, critic, and author
ity on democracy—that’s Norman
Cousins, the famous executive edi
tor of The Saturday Review of
Literature, who is coming to
Queens on Feb. 2. He is the sec
ond lecturer on the 1944-45 Con
cert Lecture Series.
Although Mr. Cousins is not yet
thirty years old, he is recognized
as a famous authority on world
affairs and non-fiction books, and
as the youngest editor of any ma
jor magazine in America.
This remarkable young man was
nominated for the Pulitzer Prize
before he was old enough to vote,
and only a few years later he was
called to Washington to serve on
a Presidential economic confer
ence. Later he was asked to ap
pear before a Congressional Com
mittee considering a new Cabi
net post for a Secretary of Arts
and Sciences.
F’rom 1935 to 1940 he was an
editor for Current History, and
since early 1940 he has been edi
tor of The Saturday Review of
Literature, the most distinctive lit
erary periodical in America. Others
on the Editorial Board include
Henry Seidel Canby, Elmer Davis,
Amy Loveman, Christopher Morley,
and William Rose Benet.
Mr. Cousins work on Current
History gave him an interest in
world affairs and there he gained
his reputation as a literary critic
and an authority on history-in-
the-making.
Besides his work as an editor,
Mr. Cousins has gained prominence
as the author of The Good In
heritance and The Democratic
Chance.
•lie has also directed literary
forums for the N. B. C., on which
many of America’s most noted au
thors have appeared.
Ninnis Music
Bldg. Honors
Mr. J. R. Ninnis
Some people never associate with
their inferiors because they can’t
find any.
Moye — “I passed Shakespeare
today.”
Libba—“Did he speak?”
The Ninnis Music Building, to
the north of Burwell Hall, was
built in 1914, and named in 1925
for Mr. J. R. Ninnis, former di
rector of music at Queens. Mr.
Ninnis studied in Vienna and Lon
don, where he was assistant or
ganist and choir director at the
Southwark Cathedral. He taught
at Queens from 1913 until 1934.
This building contains the col
lege chapel, which has a capacity
of five hundred, and in which
chapel services and concerts are
held. It is equipped with a three-
manual organ and concert grand
piano. This building also con
tains the music studios, classrooms
and practice rooms.
Last year she was a member of
I. R. C. and is secretary this
qear. She is a member of Alpha
Delta Pi, the Queens Players, and
is also a reporter for the Blues.
A young girl’s mind is like chick
en salad, it contains so many,
things a person never suspects.
A flirt is like the Tower of Pisa,
fehe is always inclined but never