River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1918-05-09
Professor SWenSOn
Leaves The Normal

All friends of the River Falls
Normal School were panied to hear
during the past week, that Profess
sor B. E. Swenson has accepted
position as playground director at
Stockton, California. During t h e
past few years Mr.. Swenson has re-
ceived many offers of positions as
playground and Y. M. c. A. director
from cities in different parts of the
country. He declined all of them to
remain with the River Falls Normal.
This offer from Stockton was so at
tractive financially and offered such
fine promise of advancement that
Mr.. Swenson felt constrained to ac-
cept it.
Mr.. Swenson came here as Physi-
cal Director and Athletic Coach in
the fall of 1912. For three years he
did the entire work of Physical Di-
rector for men and coach of the ath-
letic teams. During the past two
years he has had the assistance of
Professor Hayward with the foot
ball team. During his six years of
service the school has h e d the
Northern Championship in football
five times and the State Champion
ship twice. No other school in the
system has even approached such a
record. Before Mr.. Swenson's time
it was rare thing for River Falls
Normal team to win an internormal
game of basketball. His teams have
twice won the State Championship.
Not only has Mr.. Swenson p u t
River Falls on the map in an ath.
letic way, but he has helped to put
normal school athletics on the map
in Wisconsin. AS Secretary Of the
Wisconsin international Conference,
he has had much to do with the or
ganizatian and management of h e
conference. 1t is the work of this
conference that has made the settle
ment of state championships a pos
sibility.
While Mr.. Swenson h a done
great work for Internormal Athlet-
les, he has had the vision and train
ing to see that athletics, to meet the
demand of today, must be for all.
In no other school Or college where
interschool athletics are encouraged,
has there ever been a better devel-
opment of interclass athletics than
at River Falls. Mr.. Swenson has
been unremitting in his efforts to in
terest everyone from freshmen to
senior in some form of sports. The
intense competition for the C ass
trophy has been the result of his or
ganizing a b / ty and leadership.
During the past winter ten different
class teams were entered in the in
er C 8 s basketball competition.
EverNspring he managed base
ball league in which every boarding
club and other mems organizations
were represented. While this COM
petition has developed material for
school teams, Mr.. SWensons work
was done largely with view Of
giving every man a chance to take
part in some form of athletics.
While we shall all remember the
work of Mr.. Swenson for the cham
pionships he has helped us to win,
to those who know his work intim-
ately there is an even more endur-
ing satisfaction in the quality of
manhood "a d craftsmanship or
which he has stood. Nobody who
knows Mr.. Swenson could ever inn
agine him doing crooked or un-
sportsmanlike act to win any cham
pionship He is always and every
w h r e gentleman. No student
could long come under his influence
in athletics without coming to
realization that there are some
things worth more than winning
game, if the game had to be won by
CTOOhSu IuGdIlSs Ol CIlS lew OCcd'
sions when our teams have lost, the
entire student body has been with
Mr.. Swenson in accepting defeat in
a sportsmanlike manner.
Mr.. Swenson's personal qualities
have made it a pleasure to others to
cooperate with him. His relations
with other members of the faculty
and with the Athletic Board have
been the very best. There has new
er been a moment Of strained rela-
tions between the Coach and t he
Athletic Council which has the fl
nancial responsibility for athletics.
He has always been bic to see
things from another point of view
than his own. 1t is those who know
Mr.. Swenson's work most intimate
ly, who have the greatest confidence