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Alumni recall daijs of the past
Memories
of Chowan
As members of the Class of 1937
look forward to celebrating their
50th reunion at Spring Festival on
April 25, 1987, they remember the
strict rules and other differences
which separate their class from to
day’s Chowan.
Several members of the Class of
1937 were asked to share their
memories with readers of THE
CHOWANIAN. Excerpts from the
responses of Mrs. Julia F. Penn
ington, Mrs. Ethel Jones Pittman,
and Mrs. Martha Revelle follow.
“One Big Family”
Mrs. Pennington recalls, “We
were one big family — not even
100 in number in the entire stu
dent body. That was nice as
everything was on a personal base
instead of a number. The rules
were many and very strict: no
card playing, in fact, no cards
allowed; no dancing; all dating
chaperoned on campus and off.
When you left the campus, you
signed out and signed in upon
return, never alone.”
She related one amusing inci
dent while she attended Chowan.
“I lived only three miles from the
campus so my father would be up
the street sometime. One day I
was reported to the Student
Government talking to a male. The
male was my father; for this I
received a call down (a certain
number of these would campus
you). I did get this one canceled.”
Only One Building
She also pointed out another dif
ference between Chowan then and
now. “We only had the Columns
building where we attended class,
ate, slept, worshiped, and socializ
ed.” ITie gym and auditorium
were also located in the Columns,
she said. There was “a separate
building for science and one small
one for music,” she added.
“Since I was an only child I
thoroughly enjoyed my Chowan
family. Chowan has come a long
way, but I believe I’d prefer the
old days to the present,” she
stated.
Responded Mrs. Pittman,
“Many pleasant memories are
associated with my four years at
Chowan. However, one in par
ticular stands out as a favorite.
This little story brings out the
kind understanding and sense of
humor of a very beloved presi
dent, the late Dr. W.B. Edwards.
Guests at Home
The story goes: One weekend two
of my friends went home with me
for a visit. They were very pretty
and attractive young girls. My
Alumni register for class reunions
to be held during Homecoming activities.
older brother thought so too
because they made quite an im
pression on 1^”.
“When we left home to return to
Chowan, my brother presented
them with a box of ‘goodies’ —
candy, gum, cookies, fruit, and
such. The following Monday after
our return, my friends decided to
throw a small party and invite a
few friends to share the contents
of their box. The party was a huge
success; all had a go^ time amid
lots of noisy laughter.”
“There was one detail they
overlooked. Members of the Stu
dent Council patrolled the hall to
broke into a delighted laugh and
sigh of relief. I always
remembered him for the way he
handled that situation. ’ ’
No Dancing Allowed
Mrs. Pittman also recalled the
ban on dancing and how the
students got around that rule in a
limited way. “She said that
although dancing was against the
rules,” “Chowan is where I learn
ed to dance.” After the evening
meal, we would enlist the help of
a good pianist (one of the girls)
and retire to one of our two Socie
ty Halls, close the door and dance
until someone in authority would
“P-Nutting at the Christmas Season
was filled with surprises and
much excitmentf”
—Mrs. Martha Revelle
Class of 1937
Former classmates recall “college days” during the
traditional Alumni Luncheon.
keep order and quiet. They also
had permission to enter your
room if anything seemed amiss.
That night one did enter their
room, very briefly.”
“The next morning. Dr. Ed
wards called me to his office for a
little chat. In a kindly manner, he
told me he had heard about our
party and the good time we had.
That was fine but he was disturb
ed to hear that we were smoking.
That was strictly forbidden.”
“He asked me what I could tell
him about that. I smiled and told
him, yes, Dr. Edwards, everyone
in the room was smoking —
smoking candy cigarettes. He
open the door.”
Accompanied by Professor
She continued, “I remember as
a freshman if you had a date to
go to a movie in Ahoskie, you
could go only if you were ac
companied by a faculty member.
I remember when we had to sign
out and sign in whenever we left
and returned to the campus.”
while the rules were strict,
c were many special events to
ook forward to and enjoy. She
named some of these as “the
traditional Brown Lady Night,
Sophomore Day, May Queen
Court, Jr.nSr. Banquets and other
PAGE 10—TheChowanian, December, 1986