I found a box full of old recruitment brochures the other day and I was fascinated with two things: they gradually become much more elaborate and they give us an official description of student life. (To be taken with a grain of salt, naturally, but still valuable information.)
First up, 1956. It’s just a small, thin three-fold pamphlet but it’s from the last year before the advent of the College System, giving us a glimpse of the campus social world in the olden days:
Next, we jump forward to 1971 and a much thicker and more professional looking book:
It seems like a different world. This is, I think, only partly because of the switch to the College System. Part of it was clearly the era. But just as important, if not more so, was the beginning of tuition charges in 1965, which I have come to regard as of momentous consequence. Paying customers expect different things.
Bonus:
On the 1956 map, what is that “student union” near where Allen Center is today?
https://ricehistorycorner.com/2014/04/17/a-change-of-mind-1955/
Biggest change from 1966 when I left, and the 1971 brochure……paragraph 3 – “All rooms are air conditioned……”
That project took a long time and the men’s colleges were last on the priority list.
Will Rice, at least, didn’t get air conditioning until sometime late in the fall of 1966.
I never knew there was a student center and chapel about where Lovett College is today, but I guess it makes sense there was one somewhere. Melissa, do you have any photos or information about the old student center?
It was never built–they changed their minds. https://ricehistorycorner.com/2014/04/17/a-change-of-mind-1955/
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What is the date of the photo? It looks like pre-1975, since Hanszen Commons is the old one before the fire. Everything looks familiar to me except the trees in the stadium parking lot. I matriculated in 1976.
This is the photo that was in the 1971 Prospectus. I admit I didn’t look at it long enough to be sure when it was taken. I will do so now . . .
I think the old Rice Chamber Orchestra only made one trip to Europe, at least by 1971. We must have done well to get good reviews in France, since we only went to Germany and Austria. 🙂
That is a great photo of Powderpuff Football in the 1971 brochure. And what an interesting thing to include. There are six photos of students and one of them is Powderpuff.
That’s my team!! L-R, as my memory serves me: #66 Julie Gianelloni (Jones ’73); (determined ball carrier); Susan Clements (Brown ’72); (blond, Connie? “74?); me, grimacing; and then way over on the right, the profile belongs to Cheryl Szpak (Jones ’73). Note: I started out as right guard for the Jones team
but when it became clear that I confused right/left under stress, the coaches moved me to center, “Just hike the ball and fall down.” Fun times!!!
That’s my team! L-R: #66 Julie Gianelloni (Jones ’73); (determined ball carrier); Susan Clements (Brown’72); (blond Connie Jones ’74?); me, grimacing; and that’s the profile of Cheryl Szpak (Jones ’73) on the far right. Note: I started out at right guard, but when it became obvious that I mixed up right/left under stress, the coaches stuck me at center: “Just hike the ball and fall down!”
It’s interesting in 1971 that we were allowed to bring our own stereos, TVs, and fridges. No mention was made of personal computers. I guess they didn’t fit in the dorm rooms at that time.
There was a guy in Will Rice who had an LPG-30 in his room in perhaps 1970-71. He lived in the short hall on the first floor. Unfortunately, I can’t remember his name, but Mark Williamson would probably remember.
I probably should remember, but I was out of the dorm by then. By 1971, I was on staff.
Someone had that heavy monstrous keyboard in a DORM!?! you must have had large dorm rooms hahaha. I had a trash 80 at my house in the early 80’s. Took a 86-Dos to college, no hard-drive, tape and floppy only till i upgraded it to a 10MB HD and society called it a FAD! lol