“Preserve This For Future Use,” 1925

One of the most interesting things I’ve come across in a good long while is a small pamphlet issued by the Rice YMCA in the fall of 1925. I discovered it tucked away in the information files of all places, correctly filed in a folder called “YMCA.” There’s a lot packed into this document, many rich details of daily life as it was lived on this small campus in the middle of the 1920s.  I’ve learned a great deal from it although it does feels a bit strange to be the unanticipated future user.

One interesting side note: the archivist who saved it (probably Miss Dean, as that looks like her handwriting) labeled it as copy 3. I can only wonder where the other two have gotten to.

It is fascinating from the first page, which is where I will begin:

Bonus: We’ve been getting some great stuff in to the Woodson this summer. If you’ve got something you’d like to donate just let me know.

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4 Responses to “Preserve This For Future Use,” 1925

  1. loki_the_bubba says:

    Do you have a bottle of the Saint Arnold Centenni-Ale? For some reason I have an empty on the shelf in my office if you want it.

  2. ghhudson says:

    The words shown under “For Rice’s Honor” are somewhat different from what I recall were the words to “Rice’s Honor” that I remember from the late fifties. How do they compare with today’s version?

  3. marmer01 says:

    The written words are the ones I remember. I suspect that they may have changed to fit the tune, which is the trio of the _Our Director_ march by F.E. Bigelow. I also believe the Sibelius tune _Finlandia_ was also used at times for an Alma Mater.

    • Francis Eugene "gene" Pratt, Rice Institute 1956 says:

      “Finlandia” was tried around my time. No one knew the words. No one knew the tune.
      No one cared:
      We drank our beer and sang the old song and cried over our losses, for 3 out of 4 years.
      Coach Neeley pulled us out a win every 4 years or so.
      Suman got us a bigball win every so often with Gene Swinger & Don Lance & Popeye Beaver.
      Then our time was up and we went uphill or downhill thereafter … sometimes both.

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