THE CHOWANIAN
Volume 1 — Number 2
Murfreesboro, N. C., December 1953
Subscription: $1.00 a Year
CLASSES. EQUIPMENT INCREASE IN BUSINESS EDUCATION
Fourth of $200,000 Chowanl
Fund Drive Has Been Raised
One fourth of the $200,000 fund
campaign for Chowan College,
v/hich was launched last winter,
has been raised, according to Rev.
Oscar Creech, associate to the
president of the college.
The need for the money as out
lined by the college when the
campaign was announced included
living endowment for operation,
$25,000; pay debts incurred in re
modeling buildings and erecting
four cottages for boys, $50,000;
equipment for better teaching,
$10,000; build graphic arts build
ing, $10,000; pay for farm acquired
in January and erect farm build
ing, $15,000; build dormitory for
boys, $60,000; add to endowment,
$20,000.
The amount of $14,000 was con
tributed by the churches of the
Chowan, West Chowan and Roa
noke association in July and
August in connection with Chris
tian education day, Rev. Creech
stated.
“This was indeed a gratifying
amount by the churches,” Rev.
Creech said. “Far more has been
accomplished at the college with
this money than the amount would
indicate. With the amount for
operation the college closed the
year July 1 in the black, with
some balance. The interest on the
debts was paid and the indebt
edness was refinanced with a loan
of $60,000 from the Planters
National Bank of Rocky Mount.
All creditors oif the original loan
were paid and the college has ten
years in which to pay the new
loan. This has made it possible to
proceed with the building pro
gram,” he added.
Rev. Creech said that much
equipment for the classrooms has
been added this year. The graphic
arts building was constructed dur
ing the summer. The cost was
$10,500. The farm building was
begun the first of August and is
now about completed at a cost of
$5,000. Nearly all the materials
for this building were donated.
The farm of 54 acres was purchas
ed last winter by two individuals
and $2,000 has been paid on the
purchase price. The rent from the
farm this year will pay the interest
so there has been no obligation
to the college in connection with
the farm so far.
The old president’s home has been
renovated and the commercial
department is using it. The stone
building also has been renovated
for the fine arts department. Thus
Several classes have been moved
from the basement of the admin
istration building.
“Fiv'e of the seven objects as
set forth in the beginning of the
campaign have been fairly well
taken care of,” Rev. Creech said.
“Certainly, much progress has
been made this year. For the
amount of money received in view
of the amount of work accomplish
ed it looks as if the ‘loaves and
fishes’ have been multiplied. The
way has now been cleared to be
gin on the objective, a dormitory
for boys to house at least one
hundred and fifty.”
Meet Our Two Neiv Deans
Dean of Instruction
L. Robert Grogan was appointed
to the position of Dean of Instruc
tion and head of the English Depart
ment of Chowan. The staff vacan
cy was created when R. H. Wood
land resigned to continue graduate
work at the University of Texas.
A graduate of Reidsville High
School, Grogan attended Wake For
est College, receiving his B. A. de
gree in 1949. Recently he completed
work for his Masters of Education
degree at Woman's College and is
working for his Master of Arts de
gree in English.
While a student at Wake Forest
College, Grogan was active in the
publications field, editing the news
paper, working on the staffs of the
magazine and yearbook, and head
ing the Publications Board. He is
a member of Omicron Delta Kappa,
national honorary leadership fra
ternity, and is listed in Who’s Who
Jn American Colleges and Univer
sities.
For three years after graduation
Grogan taught at Wentworth High
School. He joined the Reidsville
High School faculty last year and
taught Freshman English. In Rock
ingham County he held several of
fices in the local unit of the N. C. E.
A. and the Schoolmaster's Club.
Grogan Is married to the former
Marilea Roberts of Wentworth.
They have one child, a son Keith.
Glee Club Is Active
During November
The Glee Club has been very
busy for the last month working
on itheir Christmas program and
music for their public appearances.
The members of the Glee Club
will travel to Hickory, Va., and
Elizabeth City, Sunday, November
22. They sang for the congrega
tions of the First Baptist Church’s
of these towns.
On November 19, the student
body entertained by the Glee
'Club. The Program was as follows:
God of Our Fathers: Now We
Thank Thee Our God; Trusting in
Thee, solo by D. C. Williams;
Thanks Be to God, trio by Nancy
Rainey, Anne Marie Long, and
Patrica Guthrie; Faith of our
Fathers, by the Men’s Chorus.
The program ended when the Glee
Club sang an old German round.
All Praise to Thee My God This
Day.
Dean of Men
Dr. Joseph I. Reece was ap
pointed to the position of Dean of
Men and head of the Mathematics
department this year due to the
vacancy created by Mr. Henry L.
Reeces, who resigned to take a
position in the University of Mis
sissippi.
Dr. Reece received his B. A. de
gree at Carson-Newman College
in South Carolina and his M. A.
degree at Harvard University. He
received his second M. A. degree
at the University of North Carolina
and his Ph. D. at the University
of Chicago.
Dr. Reece is a brother of Con
gressman Carroll Reece of Tenn
essee. He was the former dean of
Carson-Newman College, and
since early in World II, Dr. Reece
has been teaching mathematics
and science in the 'high schools of
South Carolina. He has also been
doing special teaching in the
“psychology of method” at Wof
ford College, Spartanburg, South
Carolina.
Ministerial Student Is
Gates Guest Speaker
Charles Midleton, of Daytona
Beach, Fla., a ministerial student
at Chowan College, was the guest
speaker at Reynoldson Baptist
Church, near Gates, Sunday, Oct
ober 28, at the morning service.
Mr. Middleton's subject was
“Faith”, and his scripture was He
brews 11.
He used Noah from the Old Test
ament to demonstrate that Noah
had faith in Christ, and preached
to the people that the world would
be destroyed by water.
In the New Testament Peter, Mat
thew, and Paul were used as iillus-
trations by Mr. Middleton to sig
nify that they had faith in Christ.
Other guests attending the service
from the college were Misses Vir
ginia Powell, Mildred Mizell, and
Mary Lou Harker, Dan Page, and
Charles Fulcher.
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Mi.ss Virginia Powell, instruc-
ter in office machineiy, in the
Bi;.
explains operation of Grapho-
type to Eugene Furgerson of
'ij.i *a. V 1.io-
The Department of Business
Education of Chowan College is
the oldest department of the Col
lege offering courses in terminal
education, naving offered certi
ficates in this field as far as 1918.
The catalog for that year listed
courses in bookkeeping, typewrit
ing, and shorthand and stated that
a certificate would be awarded
upon successful completion. Thir
teen girls were listed as commer
cial students in that catalog. These
courses were apparently offered
to meet the extraordinary demand
for women in industry because
of war, as the whole commercial
program was dropped from the
college catalog in 1921, and we
lind no further mention of bus
iness subjects until 1928, when
once again bookkeeping, type
writing, and shorthand are listed
in the catalog.
From that time on business
courses have been offered each
year the college has operated.
In addition to being the oldest
department offering terminal edu
cation, the Business Department
has been, since the re-opening of
the college in 1949, the largest
department in the school. During
the past four years enrollment
in this department has represented
between 40 and 50 percent of the
total enrollment.
Because its size required ad
ditional space and facilities, the
Business Department this fall of
1953 took over the large white
frame building known as the “Old
Presidents’ Home.” This building,
which had been completely re
novated during the summer, gives
the department additional space
for classrooms, machine facilities,
and office room.
New machinery and equipment
have been added each year, so
that the department has grown in
the quality and quantity of its
offerings as well as in number of
Btud^'nts enrolled. Instruction is
13U3II'»E53, 4;
Jean Parker of Silverdale, tran
scribes dictation from a Dic
taphone in a typing class in the
Business Education department.
Much equipment has been added
to this department during the
year, and placed in the renovat
ed “ old presidents’ home.”—
Photos by Chowan News Bureau
Visiting Around Inside the Various Offices
By BARBARA THORNE
In the offices of adminstration
and heads of departments of
Chowan College many students
are holding responsible part-time
positions, aiding in office work
and at the same time getting val
uable experience.
As you enter the doors of Cho
wan College, you will probably be
greeted by Miss Addle Mae Cooke,
dean of women, Mrs. Mary Ken
nedy, assistant dean of women, or
one of girls of their office staff.
These girls are Barbara Thorne,
Wilson; Ethelene Simpkins, Enurl;
Betty Lou Reinhardt, a sophomore
from Hillsboro, and Rosalyn
Hamill of Enfield.
Miss Cooke and Mrs. Kennedy
have found their staff very help
ful. They believe that they have
an excellent group of girls.
It is the duty of these girls, as
receptionist, to greet all visitors
and welcome them to Chowan.
Their other duties consist of an
swering the telephone, typing,
and keeping the office tidy. Every
girl who desires to be a secretary
would enjoy this work, as the girls
who are working do. Each of them
seems to be pleased with their
new jobs.
In Mr. John McSweeney’s office
in the Graphic Arts building, you
■will find another of our fresiimen
girls. Betty Ruth Boyd is Mr. Mc
Sweeney’s secretary, and she
hails from Monroe. Her duties con
sist of filing, typing and mailing
out publicity stories, and other
general office tasks.
Gloria Cox, a sophomore from
Conway, is assistant to Miss Arelia
Adams, bookkeeper and registrar
to Dr. F. O. Mixon, president, and
Mr. Oscar Creech, associate to the
president. She takes dictation,
does some filing, and types.
Now we shall get a look at the
office of the dean of instruction,
which is a very necessary part
of Chowan College. Mr. L. Robert
Grogan is our dean of instruction.
The dean is responsible for the
administration and supervision of
the entire instructional program.
It is his duty to keep student and
faculty records, and to procure
follow-up information on each
student. His secretary, Mrs. Robert
Boston, is certainly a necessary
helper. Mrs. Boston keeps records,
helps with registration, simmu-
lates and handles correspondence,
and works with schools and
church guidance personnel thro
ugh correspondence in the student
solicitation programs. Yes, she al
so forwards our dear report cards
to our parents.