The Mena weekly star., 1921-10-27
Making Over
 Boyville
Free Swimming Pool Works Miracle at Greencastle, Ind--Demanded
 Only Pledge of Clean Living.

Ile dFCAd6c hNAAbCA VI HAS~tstSfSao youngsters. But now all that is changed. Here is how it happened:
 Fred M. Walker arrived in town one day to take charge of athletics at De- pauw university. Up to that time Greencastle was the typical college town. The boys from 5 to IA had caught the spirit of student high jinks and had even improved on the college interpretation of what constitutes fun.
 Walkers job was assumed to be only that of sportive tutor for the stu dents at college. But Walker went beyond his designated role and tried an experiment with the youngsters of the town that has made the town of Greencastle proud of it's boys.
 Walker first gained athletic fame as gridiron star at the University of Chicago. Later he was big league pitcher. Then, deserting the diamond, he tutored the unbeaten Williams col- lege eleven of few seasons ago, di- rected the basket ball activities at Dartmouth, and then, until he went to Depauw, served as assistant to Alonzo A. Stagg, boss of athletics at the Uni versity of Chicago.
 Walker arrived in Greencastle last June, just when the torrid spell had started. There is no river, no lake no bathing resort in or around the town. The town sweltered. Walker had a thought-and carried it to George L. Grose, the college president
 Splendid idea-go ahead with it." answered Dr. Grose.
 Walker gathered a group of the kids, ranging in age from to 14, around him and told them he would permit them free use of the swimming pool all thru the sunlmer if they'd sign little pledge.
 The Pledge.
 He drafted the following pledge:
 In appreciation of the privilege
 of using. the Depauw gymnasium
 and swimming pool, hereby
 pledge myself to refrain from
 Smoking cigarettes or using to-
 bacco in any form.
 Swearing or using indecent lam
 guage.
 Using ungentlemanly language.
 And l further pledge myself:
 To be courteous and polite at all
 times
 TO be a booster
 To always take bath with soap
 and water before entering the
 pool.
 To do everything within my
 power to keep the campus. gym
 and the town of Greencastle in a
 more orderly condition.
 To always follow whatever df-
 rections may be given me by the
 coach or his assistants while using
 the gymnasium and pool.
 As seriously as he would have dis cussed things with college boys, he went over the pledge with the young sters under one of the trees on the university campus.
 Then and there the Boosters Club was formed, with about a dozen mem- bers. In three days it had grown to forty. In less than two weeks, it was l15. And, included in it's membership. was every sort of boy.
 Boys came from every part of the town to join the club; boys of all shapes, all sizes, all ages up to IA. all colors, all creeds and all social strata. All were welcomed.
 Keeping the Town Clean.
 One morning soon after the little club came into being, the news came that an assistant university coach had been hired. A cottage, long unoccu- pied, was rented for his use. The yard was overgrown with weeds: clut- tered with debris.
 That afternoon Walker, strolling to the college, passed the cottage. rhe yard, porch and walks were alive with Doys-boys of the Boosters Club each working like beaver.
 Whats this all about? 2" Walker asked.
 "Oh," answered Nut Murphy, bit sheepishly, i've thought the assistant coach would like nice, clean place. 20 we are getting it all fixed up. for him."
 A few days afterward Walker stood on the edge of the campus. looking down rather sadly. Lawn mowers had failed to remove some rank un- slightly weeds which dotted the entire campus. One of the little boosters came along.
 Whats the matter, Mir. Walker 2" he inquired.
 Walker told him.
 After lunch, Walker on the way to ehe gym, saw ll5 boys on their hands ana knees weedlng the huge campus.
 Afterward, Walker gathered the boys around him and said:
 AtA@S thS nplIits boys. It was wonderful. And I'm going to show you how 1 feel about it. I've talked things over with Dr. Grose and he is going. to set aside special section in the stands for you boys, this fall and you'll be permitted to see every one of our football games free" The town of Greencastle looked at sne walker experiment first, with Dit of skepticism, then unrest. then astonishment-and now with pride. TOT transformation had come. No woman, no elderly man ever attempts to cross city street without one of the youngsters bobbing up and offer ing help with the chivalry of Sir Wal ter, Raleigh. No longer do pet ami mais, panic stricken, race the streets With tin cans tied to their tails. No plece of rubbish shows on the streets oi Greencastle without cne of the kids snoWlng up minute later to grab if ana take 1t away to some rubbish re- eeptacie. And every last boy in inc town IS doing errands for his mother. aeoing little kindnesses for his fellows because the pledge has put him on his honor and Walker has convinced them mat bay false to his promise is a boy unworthy.
 SLAVE" AUCTION IN CAPITAL.