Opposite: Students in the old gym Top Right: Snow Normal College Marching Band Center Right: Snow College Band marching down Main Street in Ephraim Bottom Right: Snow College Football Team
Despite the hardships of the Great Depression, Snow College continued to grow under the direction of President James A. Nuttall. Improvements included the creation of the Vocational Arts Building, the construction of Greenwood Hall (as a boys’ dormitory), the purchase of a field for athletics, the creation of an agriculture program, and the building of a new gym. During this period of the 1930s and 1940s, huts were set up as housing for men until a permanent dormitory replaced them. A new auditorium was built and bleachers were installed on the athletic field, along with fencing that was provided by a donation from the student body.
World War II, Snow College, and Civilian Pilot Training America’s entry into World War II brought Snow College, along with the rest of the nation, out of the Depression. During the summer of 1940, President Nuttall saw the need for Snow College to train future servicemen for the Air Force and appointed Dr. Hans Reed Christensen to be the director of Civilian Pilot Training (CPT) at Snow College. By October 7, 1940, the first unit of Snow College student pilots had passed the required physical examinations and had entered ground training. This group of 11 future pilots learned about aviation, meteorology, plane flight theory, and instrument flying in classes taught by Dr. Christensen. Their actual flying took place at the airport in Mt. Pleasant, where licensed pilots supervised the 10 to 12 hours of flight training. The final phase of the CPT program required 35 to 45 hours of solo flying for completion. While the men were away at war, women gathered to do what they could to support the troops, often filling roles that were traditionally filled by men. One local woman remembered, “The girls at home got together once a week to show off diamonds, sew on trousseaus, tell about sweethearts, have a social life, and keep up our spirits, as well as finding new ideas to keep up the spirits of our servicemen. Music kept our spirits high and enthusiasm going. There were many types of music that had a beat, a rhythm and a message to keep up our spirits, whether we were feeling patriotic or sad, or if we just felt like having fun, dancing, or marching around.”
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