Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1916-06-15
COLLEGE COMMENCEMENT


recitals ever given at the college, and
certainly the best of recent years.
The work of Miss Barnes is such as to
entitle her to much credit, which her
fellow college students have not been
slow in giving to her.
Tuesday noon a large number of
Alumni gathered at Wright hall for
the annual alumni dinner, and num-
Der of short talks were given by the
old timers, after the dinner was over.
Ralph Ely of Deming, New Mexico,
and candidate for governor of that
state, was one of the speakers.
On Tuesday a meeting of the board
of trustees was held in the presidents
office, which was an important one in
many respects.
1t was moved to announce at the
annual commencement on Wednesday
that approximately $4,000 had been
so far pledged for the Alma college
endowment campaign fund, which is
going some, when one remembers that
the campaign has been in progress
just a month today. $4,000 of this
is pledged by the college board of the
Presbyterian church so that it will
be all paid in when 100000 has been
secured. The board will pay 81 900
with each $4,000 secured from other
sources. The college board of the
Presbyterian church has given $4,000
towards endowing the chair of Bible,
making total Of $4,000 for this
chair so far. The older members of
the faculty of Alma college have
pledged $4,000 and the board of trus-
tees has pledged the rest, and this
portion will probably be materially
increased as some pledges from the
members of the board of trustees are
not yet in. There were announced on
commencement day
The board of trustees of Alma col
lege voted the degree of ID. D., to the
Rev. George f. Barnes of Battle
Creek, and the award was announced
after the diplomas and honors had been
given the graduates. Rev. Barnes has
spoken at Alma college couple of
times this year, and is fairly well
known in Alma. He was a Rhodes
scholar from the Synod's Board of
Home missions. The degree was con-
ferred at the exercises on commence
ment day.
The board of trustees also voted to
take the necessary legal steps TO IN
crease the membership of the Board
of trustees from twenty to twenty
four members.
Another important act of the trus-
tees was to secure the services Of DR..
James NJ. Barley, Detroit pastor, and
chairman of the board of trustees for
the college, Rev. Barley, known for
years throughout Michigan, has been
secured for the promotion of the en-
downment campaign. he is not TO
solicit funds for the endowment, but
to work up sentiment favorable TO
Alma college and the endowment cam
Iaign. He resigned as pastor I'm De-
trost some time ago, and this reslgna-
ton viii take effect soon, after which
he will take up active work for the
college. 1t is also limited that an
office of vice president might be
created for DR.. Barley.
1t was announced that the board Of
trustees had come into possession OF
legacies during the past year to the
amount of $5,500.00 and a further
legacy of $4,000 was announced, this
being from the John, Bird farm In
Lenawee county, but which has not
yet been obtained.
The much discussed question of
when Alma's new president Will be
inauguarted has been settled, the
dates for the affair having been set
for October 9th and 18th.
The resignation Of Miss Waite,
Dean of Wright hall was accepted.
No successor has yet been secured.
One of the most interesting pro-
grams, and yet simple ones, was the
presentation of the flagpole TO the col
lege by the class of 1903, on Tuesday
afternoon. Rev. Hugh n. Ronald OF
Thornton, Indiana, made the presen-
tation. Rev. Ronald dwelt at consld-
cradle length on the debt that the
class owed Alma college, and what
he personally was indebted TO the col
lege for. He then made mention of
the fact that of the eighteen gradu-
ates in his class only two were ath--
letes. Only two so far, have passed
to the Great Beyond, these two being
the two athletes, Pearl Fuller and
Arthur Helmer. Then came the sug-
gestion that modern athletics might
have had much TO do with causing
these untimely deaths. Mention was
made of that famous Alma athlete,
whose death last fall, was deplored by,
all friends of the college. To adf
to the suggestion the untimely death
of the famous Yale hero of athletics,
Tom Shevlin was also made. With
this came also a request that the
fiagpole be used for no class PUSHES;
used for nothing except the colors of
the United States, the glorious stars
and stripes. or for the colors of the
college. With the close of his presen-
tation speech, Miss Sadie Messenger
of the class of 1908, raised aloft, the
large American emblem. The men in
the audience barred their heads, and
the entire gathering joined in singing,
"America."
The Hon. Lester A. Sharp Of this
city. speaking for the board of trus-
tees, accepted the fagpole and its
waving emblem for the college. Mr..
Sharp thanked the class of 1908 for
the gift, congratulated the class for
the success of its members. Then he