Guelph Alumnus Magazine, Fall 1969, Alma Mater Special Issue

UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH

ALMA MATER SPECIAL ISSUE, SEPTEMBER, 1969

U GUELPH ALUMNUS INDEX Guelph, Its History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The People Working for Alma Mater . . . . . . . .

The Campaign and its Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Scholarships and Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A Big New Stadium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Living Laboratory" Arboretum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Mem Hall to Get Repairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Helping Art, Music, Drama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Our Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .................

3 5 6 7 8 11 14 16 18

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I N AID OF ALMA MATER This special issue of the Guelph Alumnus is devoted to the Alma Mater Fund, a major new program of alumni involvement sponsored by the University of Guelph Alumni Association. The projects and programs to be supported by the Fund have a proud tradition on the Guelph campus. We have tried to illustrate a little of their history, as well as what we hope

is the future for these beloved parts of campus life.

What is the Alma Mater Fund? From now on, it will be the only fund-raising appeal directed towards alumni of the University. It will be an annual fund, expanded to incorporate the periodic campaigns previously made by college alumni associations. Alumni, through the

Alma Mater Fund Advisory Council (see pages 5 and 6). will assess the needs and help to determine the disposition of the monies received.

The dedicated alumni leaders who have initiated this new program hope you will join in helping to make your Alma Mater a better and more valuable institution to its students and to society.

MESSAGE FROM DR. WINEGARD

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For some months now all of us in the university community have been involved with "formula financing."

This is the means by which the government is trying to divide fairly the monies it has available for higher education. I have no doubt that you have heard of the system, and of the problems faced by the University of Guelph unless we receive private support.

All of us at the University, therefore, are pleased and grateful that the University of Guelph Alumni

Association has decided to begin an annual Alma Mater Fund campaign.

The projects which are to be supported by this fund are of immeasurable importance to the quality of academic and social life on this campus.

Your financial support is needed and it is vital. We invite you to participate in the campaign and in the life of the University.

W. C. Winegard, President, University of Guelph.

Guelph: a new University - a long history "The Dundas road," wrote Professor 0. J. Stevenson, 45 years ago, about the new agricultural school of 1874, "was then the dividing line between two parts of a large stock farm. The three main ridges of the farm were cultivated fields, in which there were occasional stumps and scattered stone piles. In the lowlands lying between the ridges there were patches of swamp and stumpy, halfcleared fields with large stretches of woods, for about one-sixth of the farm was still uncleared."

The farm that Professor Stevenson mentions was the 500 acre Moreton Lodge Farm, bought by the Ontario government from F. W. Stone in 1873 for $75,000. In 1874, the first class of the "Ontario School of Agriculture and . Experimental Farm" was enrolled.

The engraving above dated 1884, shows that muddy Dundas road and the newly enlarged main house of the farm which was by then a residence for students and the President, Dr. James Mills. That building stood for nearly 60 years, and was replaced by what was called "the new Administration Building" in 1931. The building has recently been renamed Johnston Hall in honor of the first president, William Johnston.

Under Presidents Johnston and Mills student life was fairly rigidly prescribed.

"The students rose at 5:30," continues Professor Stevenson, "attended morning prayers at 6, breakfasted at 7, worked until 9, attended classes until 12, worked

again in the afternoon, had tea at 5, studied till 9, attended evening prayers. and at 9:30 all lights were out and the doors locked. As a part of their practical work, students were taught how to fell trees, to use the scythe and flail, to shear sheep, to sow grain broadcast, to run a threshing machine, to construct roads, and to repair breakages of all kinds. For their labor they received from two to ten cents an hour, and any student who failed to earn enough to pay for his board and lodging was sent home."

In 1880 the School became the Ontario Agricultural College and the College was affiliated with the University of Toronto in 1888. The affiliation was maintained for 76 years until the founding of the University of Guelph in 1964.

In 1903, Macdonald Institute accepted its first homemaking students. The Institute was financed by a gift in 1901 from Sir William Macdonald. Its purposes. in the words of President Mills, were "for the establishment of a department of domestic science, nature study and manual training, to train public school teachers from any part of the Dominion, and provide practical education for women, especially farmers' daughters.

Surely these two events in the same year (the gift of Massey Library in 1901, from the Massey family of Toronto was the other "event") constitute an epoch in the history of the College."

The oldest of the founding.colleges is the Ontario Veterinary College. Its roots

go back to 1862 when Dr. Andrew Smith was granted a private charter t o establish the Toronto Veterinary College. It was acquired by the Province of Ontario in 1908 and moved from Toronto t o the Guelph campus in 1922.

Since then, of course, the campus has changed out of all recognition t o any of the "old-timers" of the early In 1962, OAC, Mac, and OVC were combined under the title "The Federated Colleges of the Ontario Department of Agriculture."

Dr. J. D. MacLachlan, the President of OAC, became the President of the Federated Colleges. Then in 1964. the University of Guelph was created and the newest college, the Wellington College of Arts and Science was born. Dr. Maclachlan retired in 1967,and Dr. W. C. Winegard became the eighth president or principal to hold the major office on the campus.

Now, just five years from the 100th Anniversary of the founding of the original 0ntario School of igriculture. huge new buildings tower over the suddenly tiny looking buildings from half a century ago and more.

That first class of 1874 had 34 members. In the anniversary year of 1974, enrollment is projected t o be 10,000and the 1980 enrollment is expected t o be 17,000.

A history of the campus would fill a large book, but the important part of the colleges' history is the personal history that each graduate has in his memories.

On the following pages, the story of the new Alma Mater Fund and its projects

is told. Graduates of all of the colleges of the University have a stake in improving the qual,ity of academic and social life at this new, yet very old, institution. The

projects have strong ties with history on this campus-most of them are at least a part of the personal history of every graduate.

Johnston Arch: A Living - Symbol .

Ontario Government in 1873. The farm house became the first school building of the Ontario School of Agriculture, and within the next few years, extra storeys and wings were added t o the original house. The President.of the college lived in one corner of the house-the rest was student residence.

Finally, in 1928,the building was demolished t o make way for the new Administration Building. But the committee in charge of planning the new Building decided that the portico should be preserved, and moved to another site on the campus. The portico was carefully dismantled, and its parts stored away for six years. In 1934, at the alumni weekend celebrating the sixtieth year of OAC, the doorway was dedicated at a ceremony at which the address was given by W. P. Gamble, '97.It was then placed in its present location, t o the side of the front campus between the new Administration Building (now Johnston Hall) and Mills Hall.

Since then there have been unsuccessful campaigns, notably in the mid-fifties, t o have the portico moved t o the lower part of the front campus amid the trees and shrubs.

The portico, somewhat worse for its 100 years of weathering, still looks over the campus green, properly archaic in its role of the reminder of the long proud history of this campus.

The Arch symbol will be used on all Fund literature and materials.

Y As the only original piece of architecture on the campus, Johnston Arch is a fitting symbol for the new Alma Mater Fund.

Its columns have looked over the graduation of every student from this campus in its 95 year history.

The Arch was originally the portico of the main farm house on the William Stone farm at the time it was purchased by the

ALMA MATER FUND ADVISORY COUNCIL

The people working for Alma Mater

Many months ago, the University of Guelph Alumni Association appointed a committee to study annual giving of Alumni to the University. In its report, the committee said: "The object of the University of Guelph Alumni Association is t o mobilize on behalf of the University all of the strength of the alumni: moral, spiritual and financial." At the same time, the committee felt that the special interests of college alumni programs should be recognized.

It soon became apparent that an annual fund combining already existing college programs was the best way of organizing alumni giving. In this way alumni could be assured that the Alma Mater Fund would be the only fund to which they would be asked to contribute.

But what should be the purposes, or projects of the Fund, and who should decide the disposition of the money received? The committee felt an advisory body having representatives of every college alumni association and existing

Chairman: F. T. Cowan. OAC '65 Memben: Macdonald Institute Alumnae Association Miss H. McKercher '30 Mrs. J. W. Raithby '53D O.A:C. Alumni Association F. T. Cowan '65 G. R. Greenlws '62 O.V.C. Alumni Association Dr. H. M. LeGard '23 (to be named) Wellington College Alumni Association Mrs. M. L. Garrett '68 L. P. Ratferty '67 O.A.C. Alumni Foundation P. W. Couse '46

alumni fund raising organizations on campus should be formed. This group is the Alma Mater Fund Advisory Council.

Working under general guidelines established by the Board of Governors of the University of Guelph, the Council sets objectives and recommends allocation of the funds collected. A listing of the members and their affiliations is shown on this page.

For their part the Directors of the University of Guelph Alumni Association undertook to enlist a competent Alma Mater Fund Campaign Management Committee to conduct the campsign itself.

The Committee is under the Chairmanship of John Lindley, OAC '53, President of Campbell Soup Company Limited, Toronto.

Mr. Herb Schneider, OAC '48, VicePresident and Director of Operations of J. M. Schneider Limited, Kitchener, is the campaign Vice-Chairman. Division Chairmen are: Special Gifts-Dr. Alan Secord, OVC '29, Secord Animal Clinic. Toronto; Direct mail-Mr. Ev. Doherty. OAC '54.

Vice-chairman: Dr. H. M. LeGard, OVC '23 Ex-Offielo member% Hon. President U.G.A.A. Dr. W. C. Winegard President. U.G.A.A. D. M. Adams, OAC '49 Senior VIcaPresident, U.G.A.A. Mrs. W. A. James. Mac '34 Chairman, Campaign Management Committee J. M. Lindley, OAC '53 ViceChairman, Campaign Management Committee H. J. Schneider, OAC '48 Director of Alumni Affairs and Development J. K. Batcock. OAC '54 Secretary (nonvoting) J. J. Elmslie, Development Omcer

Vice-President and General Manager, Checkerboard Farms Limited; Class Organization-Miss Rosemary Clark, Mac '59, Supervisor, County and District Home Economists; Campus-Dr. John Robinson, Department of Microbiology and Past President of the Faculty Association; Telefund-Mr. Bill Christner. OAC '49, Vice-President of Operations, Thomas J. Lipton Limited. The Information Committee Chairman is Mr. Bob Smallfield, OAC '52. Manager of Public Relations for United Co-operatives of Ontario, while Mr. John Babcock, OAC '54, Director of Alumni Affairs and Development, serves as Administration Chairman. Mr. Dave Adams. OAC '49. Secretary-Treasurer of the Meat Packers Council of Canada sits on the Committee in his capacity as President of the Alumni Association.

Each of the Division Chairmen in turn has appointed his own active committees and further alumni volunteers have been enlisted as class agents, campus and special names canvassers and telefund callers. W

Campaign Management Committee, from left, Bob Smallfield, Bill Christner, Ev Doherty, Herb Schneider, John Lindley, Rosemary Clark. Dave Adams, John Babcock, John Robinson, Jim Elmslie. Missing. Dr. Alan Secord.

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The Campaign and its projects The Alma Mater Fund Advisory Council had as its first task the determination of the particular needs of the University of Guelph at this stage in its development, and how best its alumni could help meet those needs.

The first thing the Council examined was the financial situation of the University. Government financing provides a major portion of the University's budget under two sections: the operating budget (funds for the day-to-day running of the University, including salaries) and the capital budget (funds for building. renovations to older buildings and for major equipment purchases). Under recent government economy moves, universities in the province have been placed under formula financing, a system which attempts t o fairly divide the funds the government has among the universities of the province. Simply put, these funds fall short of what the universities need, and every university has had to cut back on many of its programs. It was explained in a previous issue of the Guelph Alumnus how the University of Guelph is particularly hard hit because of the vast amounts of research done under contract for and under grants from the Ontario Department of Agriculture and Food, the National Research Council, and other agencies and businesses. Although President Winegard is hopeful that the situation will be changed, the government has included these research facilities in its calculations of Guelph's academic space requirements. The result is Guelph will receive much less government support than it had hoped. In addition t o this

the Council found that government grants may not be used for facilities which fall outside the definition of basic capital expansion for academic purposes, and of operating expenses. This includes such things as stadia, cultural acquisitions and SO on.

I t became clear that private support is more than ever important to the University. In an effort to encourage it, the government does not take into account the support that the University receives from private sources. The money received from alumni, for example, does not jeopardize the amount of the government grants. More important. private support in no way duplicates government fund sources as it helps to finance projects for which the University must raise money on its own.

Armed with this background, the Council sought guidance from President Winegard about the University's particular needs. From these meetings came a list of projects which everyone in the University community felt strongly about, but which could not be financed except by the University's own fund raising activities, which are extremely hard pressed in these austere times. The objective for this year's Alma Mater campaign has been set at $60,000. This sum, the Council feels, will make a good start towards providing meaningful support for the projects selected.

THE PROJECTS: One project, by general agreement has priority over all others, and that is the financing of scholarships and awards.

High School students who enter the spring semester under Guelph's early admission plan are not eligible to receive Ontario Scholarships of $150. They are penalized in a sense for entering this semester at Guelph. Also, established scholarship programs of the various college associations which have up till now conducted their own campaigns, have agreed to give up these campaigns with the assurance that the Alma Mater Fund will maintain the scholarships. The aid of needy students and the reward of excellence is the most important contribution that alumni can make to their Alma Mater as a respected academic institution.

The other projects of the Alma Mater Fund are all of great importance to the University of Guelph. They are: renovations to War Memorial Hall, a new Stadium, an Arboretum, assistance for cultural activities, and the conversion of part of Massey Hall into a theatre.

The Alma Mater Fund Advisory Council feels that most alumni will be interested in every one of these projects. The Council has carefully planned the distribution of funds received among them. But the Council also recognizes that some alumni will feel strongly about one or several of the projects to the exclusion of the others. For this reason, provision has been made for alumni who wish to designate a preferred use of their gift. In addition some classes may wish to make specific gifts from funds already in their class treasuries.

On the following pages we outline the projects, a little of their past, and what we hope is their future on this campus.

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ALMA MATER PROJECT

Helping the best at Guelph: scholarships and awards

Guelph's spring admissions program is the only one of its kind in the province and is now in its fourth year. It has been successful beyond anyone's hopes. However, the excellent students who have entered the program have suffered a steadily decreasing level of scholarship support.

In 1966, university administered scholarships funded by the government amounting t o a total of $900 could be gained by a top student.

But in 1967. all provincial grants t o universities for undergraduate students were abolished, and the government assumed control of fund dispensation with its Ontario Student Award Program. In 1968,the amount of the Program's "Ontario Scholar" award was set at $150.

But the top students who now enter Guelph's spring admissions program are not even eligible for the "Ontario Scholar" awards because they leave Grade 13 early.

The end of Provincial Scholarship support for spring admissions students is particularly discouraging for a program designed to attract some of the best students to this campus. There is little doubt that very good students want to come at this time of year to this University. The spring admissions class at Guelph has consistently outranked its

contemporaries in fall admission. In the three years between 1966 and 1968,the percentage of the freshmen class in regular fall admission who achieved 75 per cent or over in Grade 13 had been slightly more than ten per cent. In the spring admissions classes for the same period. over 31 per cent of the class entered with first class honors or better in their Grade 13 marks. More than that, spring admissions students have gone on t o show an extremely low failure rate.

"It's ironic." says Ron Heath, Assistant Registrar, Admission, "that the very best get nothing. They are penalized for choosing spring admission at this University."

The Alma Mater Fund Advisory Council considers that helping these excellent students is without a doubt the most important project of any that the Fund will be supporting. The spring admissions program was initiated with the support and encouragement of the Minister of Education, and it has been referred to by education authorities as the first major change in university educational patterns in Ontario in this century. Students with good records, and who intend t o go on . to graduate or professional schools. choose this program because they can get started on their academic careers in a shorter time.

The Alma Mater Fund will help students in every college at the University. The annual canvas of the QAC Alumni Foundation has been merged with the Fund, and that part of the Foundation's scholarship program will be sustained by money from the Fund. Prospective OVC students who take their pre-veterinary work in the spring admissions program may qualify for Alma Mater Fund Scholarships.

(The Fund will also support a new Veterinary Graduate Travel Bursary).

Macdonald Institute students will be eligible both for the Fund scholarships for spring admissions and for the new Dr. Margaret S. McCready entrance scholarship. And Wellington College entrants, especially poorly supported by scholarships, will qualify for the Alma Mater Fund Scholarships.

Special class scholarships, some of them in existence for many years, will be continued. Alumni have shown an excellent record of support for those following them at the University and scholarships and gifts from classes and individual alumni will continue to be encouraged within the new Fund.

The attraction of good scholars is by far the best indication of the worth of a university. Top ranking teachers are attracted, and the whole University community is upgraded. The Alma Mater Fund will devote its best efforts to this purpose. rn

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ALMA MATER PROJECT

A big new stadium for a campus with a long history of sports champions

Immediately after the finish of this year's football season, work will begin on a 4,000 seat stadium, with change rooms, washrooms and many other facilities. This structure will serve as the first phase of a stadium which will eventually seat 25,000.

Support from many sources is rapidly growing for the stadium. The student body has decided to turn over all of its gate receipts, and the Administration will temporarily borrow money to get the project going. Instrumental in the decision of the Board of Governors to go ahead with the stadium was the news that alumni would provide support each year throuah the Alma Mater Fund. here has been much concern in the past few years about the inadequate seating facilities for football games at the University of Guelph. A rapidly growing student body creates larger crowds than can be safely handled with the existing bleachers. The President of the University has made it clear that 1969-70would be the last year for Guelph's participation in inter-colleaiate football if a new stadium could not bebuilt. Now the "signals are green", and work on the stadium will proceed.

It is expected that the first phase will be completed before the start of the 1970 season. The "module" design of the stadium is an important feature of the overall plan, allowing the University to build in stages and still achieve a properly designed stadium in the end.

Dropping out of intercollegiate football competition would have been a hard blow for a campus so interested in, and successful in, athletic competition. The first gymnasium was built in 1892 when the main sports interest was confined to gymnastics, boxing and club swinging.

Harriers likely was the first major sport to be organized, and runners from the campus have been notably successful during the whole history of the campus.

Possibly boxers and wrestlers have exceeded the fame of the runners from Guelph. Exhibition bouts were staged at OAC as far back as 1900, but the College first entered intercollegiate competition in 1914. Many from college teams,

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Doug Harcourt, OAC '49, at practice on front campus.

Football moved behind Vet College during the fifties.

Present field in use since start of the sixties.

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Left, bowls were a favorite at the turn of the century; below left, half rnilers in 1960, right, women's tug o'war, about 1915.

Interfaculty champs from 50 years ago a t OAC met a t a recent reunion. L t o r. are John Steckle, '20, wrestling; Gerald Grant, '19, boxing; George Lindala, '22, wrestling; Art Musgrave, '20, boxing; and Cecil Eidt, '21, fencing.

notably wrestlers, have won Provincial and Dominion honors outside of intercollegiate circles over the years.

Of course, with the present gymnasium facilities associated with the School of Physical Education, a wide variety of sports are played at Guelph. This $1,000,000 plant was completed in 1959, giving Guelph one of the best gymnasium facilities in the country.

But the football teams for some years have lacked good facilities at Guelph.

What was then called "Canadian rugby" was introduced on campus in 1899,when a junior team was formed. Many intermediate intercollegiate football titles were won by the old Redmen teams.

For most of the 7 0 years that football has been played games were staged

New stadium will seat 4000

on the front campus. Then increasing crowds forced a move during the fifties to a field set up behind the Veterinary College. The present site north of the Physical Education Building has been used since the start of the sixties. It was created by cutting the former slope running east to west down towards the power house, and balancing cut and fill.

This resulted in a natural "amphitheatre" on the eastern side of the playing field. and bleachers seating 1200 were set up on the west side. The bleachers will be moved and incorporated into the first phase of the stadium. A small and crowded field house at one end of the field presently serves as changing rooms for the teams.

It has been agreed that because

revenue from intercollegiate football games will contribute substantially towards the cost of the new stadium, football needs will have priority. but not to the exclusion of other activities. Track and field and other intercollegiate competitions requiring large seating capacity and field demonstrations will all use the stadium. The facilities may be made available to the City of Guelph and outside organizations and the public in general when the University does not require them.

Guelph will be placed in "the big leagues" of outdoor intercollegiate athletics by the new stadium. If alumni are able to provide a significant and sustained contribution to the financing of the stadium, it is proposed that the name may be "Alumni Stadium." W

Dr. R. J. Hilton, former chairman of the Department of Horticutture, and now on sabbatical leave in the West Indies. will return latet this year to assume diwctarship of the Arboretum.

The Brief spells out clearly the difficulties students and facutty are having in obtaining plant material for study.

'Those utilized", the Brief says, " 'happen' to mist on or relatively near the campus.

RoadsMes, gardens of faculty members and bush and swamps on local farms are the areas normally used now for study of form and general characteristics of the plants as well as for the colkction of specimen twigs and leaves."

With this major new facility, expensive and the-consuming field trips, loss of gaod specimens to the building program and difficulties in cataloguing will a11 be a thing of the past.

Three departments will make the most use of the Arboretum: Horticrllture, Botany and Landscape Architecture. The Arboretum will serve as a "living laboratQtyW for the study of the woody species, their growth requirements, diseases, interaction with each other, the testing of species mot native to this area, and for the design of outdoor areas using trees. shrubs and water. Also, a regular supply of expendable specimen material such as twigs, flowers, fruit and so on is required far classroan teaching, lab exercises and research projects.

But of course the arboretum will Ix, more than a breezy laboratory. As one of the more than 300 arboreta and botanical gadens in the wortd, the Ouelph arboretum will put the University on an important level in international research.

The third of its general type in Ontario, the Guelph Arboretum will supplement in many ways the programs a t the National Arboretum in Ottawa and the Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton. Situated between the two established locations, the Arboretum hbre will be important for Ontario, and add greatly to plant research activities in Canada. It is expected to become in time, a centre at which landscape desJgners, aontracbrs, nurserymen, gardeners and the general public will see for thamselvcr; new uses for known plants. and the merits of new plants.

For the university cammunity and the general public, the long-awaited arboretum will be a valuable addition to the facilities of the University of Gwelph. rn

ALMA MATER PROJECT

M e m Hall to get repairs

college's history,-and there was great interest on the part of the academic community to erect some kind of memorial to those who paid the sacrifice. The final choice was an auditorium, which was badly needed on campus.

But there was a problem. A history of War Memorial Hall, written by Professor D. R. Sands, OAC '15, tells the story: "The place most suitable was on the north side of the campus between Mills Hall and the Highway. Many students lived out of residence and this site was close to the street cars which ran along the side of the township road (College Avenue).

However, the space between the driveway and the township road was not wide enough for the building, and besides, three f h e trees were growing on this site.

The layout of the campus. with its circular driveway, fine trees. shrubbery and flower beds was admired by faculty, students and visitors alike. A bend in the driveway could be made without interfering much with the general appearance of the campus, but how about the trees?

Well, one morning when daylight broke. â‚Źhe forbidding trees lay prostrate."

The direct way was the way things were done in those days, but in any case the way was clear for War Memorial Hall.

Professor Sands gaes on: "The Provincial Government would provide funds for this purpose, if the faculty and students contributed a certain amount. The building fund was opened and money was being added from various sources. The students, under the leadership of the senior year, Class '22, worked to supplement the Fund: they held rummage sales at the city market, a group of students called the "Sod Busters" put on many concerts around the country during the holidays; the faculty, alumni, students and others contributed to the fund, and so it grew."

In the fall of 1920 the Minister of Agriculture, the Honorable Manning Doherty, OAC '95, turned the first sod.

The building was officially opened on June 10, 1924 at the 50th Anniversary of the College.

Since then, alumni have contributed greatly to the facilities of Memorial Hall.

The class of '22 presented a piano, an organ was presented jointly by the classes of '36, '37, '38 and '39 and the Students'

War Memorial Hall, i n the twenties, soon after completion.

Hon. Manning Doherty turns the first sod.

Cooperative in honor of Dr. 0. J. Stevenson, and the class of '40 presented the chime system.

Much improving and necessary refurbishing has been done over the years. Now. 45 years after its opening. more of the inside furnishings of Memorial Hall need replacement, but University operating funds are not now available. Some of the work to be done includes new balcony seating and carpet for aisles, new footlights, ropes and pit floor for the stage, work on the

basement and washrooms, and the upgrading of the fire alarm system and electrical supply to the building.

Memorial Hall. which has probably had more direct student and alumni support than any other on campus, is particularly suitable for support from the Alma Mater Fund. Constantly used for plays, concerts. lectures, Convocation, and as a general meeting place. "Mem" Hall continues to be a useful and valued part of campus life.

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ALMA MATER PROJECT

Helping Art, Music, Drama, a part of college life for generations.

Thomson's "The Drive"

The collection on exhibit

Travelling show: Sorel Etrog sculpture

From its very beginning, this campus has had a vital interest in the arts. Paintings and sculpture began appearing on campus many decades ago, serious actors and actresses, and some not so serious, capered on the boards. Curtain Call and such ancestors as the Athletic Club Variety Shows have long been a beloved and much anticipated part of college life.

Now, as the University begins to earn recognition in these fields through its established departments, the Alma Mater Fund will supply much needed support for drama, music and for the acquisition of fine art and rare books.

Alumni have contributed a truly impressive number of fine paintings and sculpture to the colleges and to the University, beginning over 40 years ago.

Classes and individuals have slowly and steadily built up what has now become the permanent collection of art of the University of Guelph, a collection which is known as one of the best collections of Canadian art in the province.

Possibly the keystone of the collection is the best known of Guelph's paintings, Tom Thomson's "The Drive". In 1926, "The Drive" was presented to the Ontario Agricultural College as a result of hard work by students and Professor 0. J. Stevenson, Head of the English Department. For more than five years, public

lectures, concerts and other activities were held to raise money, a remarkable feat for a college which had been accused of having interest only in the sciences.

Ever since, students, alumni, the colleges and later the University itself have shown a great interest in the fine arts on this campus. Dozens of class presentations and individual gifts are scattered across the campus in almost every major building. According to Judith Nasby, curator of the collection, this scattering of the works and their availability t o a large percentage of the people on campus, is one of the most important features of the "art scene" at Guelph.

The founding colleges. Mac, OAC and OVC each had accumulated good collections over the years and these form the basis of the present University collection.

Mrs. Nasby has recently begun the job of cataloguing the works, and is still finding more than she knew existed. "As far as I can tell," Mrs. Nasby says, "it's safe to say that gifts from alumni and students make up about half of the works in this valuable collection."

The core of the collection is a total of 14 paintings by Canada's famous Group of Seven. But Mrs. Nasby stresses that other works in the collection represent a good cross-section of Canadian painting from the 1890's to the present. Not only

paintings, but prints, drawings and sculpture are in the collection.

The Alma Mater Fund will direct some of its funds to the acquisition of works of art to strengthen this valuable collection. But individuals and classes will still be encouraged to make the donations they think suitable. By working through the Fund, and the University Committee on Art Acquisitions. individuals and groups will receive receipts for income tax purposes and also whatever expert advice they wish.

But the Fund will not confine itself t o art objects. Another of the very oldest traditions on campus-drama-will receive much needed help from the Fund.

Each year, eight or ten full scale works are staged, some entirely written, directed, produced and acted by students.

Unfortunately, the drama workshop facilities in the Arts Building are inadequate for public performances and a small theatre is badly needed. Only two years ago, there were three drama students, but the enrolment is now over 65. The lecture room of Massey Library has been suggested as the site for the theatre, (see next page) but help is also needed to finance the performances.

The Alma Mater Fund plans t o provide help for these bustling new activities. W

Our objectives: what we can accomplish together

Stadium

Many organizations these days find that they must campaign for finances to allow them to carry on their programs. The young University of Guelph, just beginning a remarkable period of expansion is no exception. Sometimes in large campaigns it is unavoidable that one is asked to contribute to a very large overall objective.

There's the feeling of not really knowing where one's money will go.

The objectives of the Alma Mater Fund are immediate and tangible. We have the chance to show you, as an alumnus interested in the welfare of your alma mater, what your contribution can do. We have attempted to use that opportunity with this issue of the Guelph Alumnus.

What we hope to do and why we hope to do it-that has been our theme.

Unlike older universities, the University of Guelph has no large portfolio of stocks and bonds in an endowment fund to provide that margin of financial flexibility so urgently required in creating a good academic and social environment for its students and faculty. It must rely on current private support-the support of alumni and friends.

And so for most of us the question remains: what should I do, how much have my classmates and other alumni given, how much is enough to really help?

Arboretum

Mem Hall

The familiar answer is the true one: every little bit helps. No contribution is too small to be very welcome. On the other hand, the larger gifts are needed too. Thoughtful and proportionate giving according to one's means is the key to dedicated alumni support and participation.

Just the same, perhaps you would appreciate some figures. For 1965-66, the average'annual gift by alumni at Dartmouth was $83; at Colgate, $80; at Princeton, $96; at Yale, $102; and at Haward, $128.

Alumni fund campaigns are a more recent development in Canada, although McGill University in Montreal has conducted its McGill Alma Mater Fund for some 2 1 years. Its 1967-68 average gift was $45. The number of contribut,ions of $100 or more in the Varsity Fund of the University of Toronto has risen substantially since the initial year of its campaign, 1961.

Here at Guelph the Alumni Division of the Development Fund achieved an average gift of $226 over the five-year pledge period. or just over $45 a year.

The founding colleges of the University of Guelph have been internationally known for many years. OAC. Mac and OVC are all justly respected for the

Cultural Ufe

tremendous contributions they have made in their particular fields. Now, as Guelph enters into a new era in its history, the University as a whole is steadily achieving the reputation of a top-flight, and respected, institution of higher learning.

Its research activities are in many ways unique in Canada. Certainly. their tremendous scope is impressive for a university of this size.

One good reason, of course, is the continued strength and vitality of the founding colleges. Each of the three older colleges is expanding, extending into areas unthought of a few years ago. They make this campus indispensable in its contributions to life in Canada and abroad.

The duty of the newest college. Wellington, to quickly become a worthy member of this community was a particular challenge. The respect that its departments are achieving in their fields is testimonial that Wellington is meeting the challenge.

We have come a long way, we have a long way to go, and you can help.

Sincerely, D. M. Adams, President, University of Guelph Alumni Association.

Letters Macdonald graduates have always occupied a special place on the campus which is now the University of Guelph. We have our special loyalties, in addition t o partaking of the opportunities presented by a large and varied University.

It is especially gratifying to add our approval of the Alma Mater Fund, which will be supporting a number of projects close t o our hearts. The refurnishing of Mem Hall, the recognition given t o Dr. Margaret S. McCready with a scholarship in her name, these are only two of the activities of the Alma Mater Fund which I am sure will draw your interest.

We of the Macdonald lnstitute Alumnae Association wish t o add our support t o the Alma Mater Fund.

Annette Yeager, '62 President, Macdonald lnstitute Alumnae Association.

The most important thought which I and my colleagues should keep in mind regarding the new Alma Mater Fund is that OVC and other colleges are an integral part of a larger whole, the University of Guelph. The advantages of being part of a large university with

increased public and governmental recognition cannot be too strongly stressed.

Our professional image can be enhanced i f we provide our alma mater with the necessary funds to enrich the lives of the new generation of veterinarians attending the University of Guelph. The campus with its mixture of personalities and places provides an enriched cultural environment for students. As alumni, our responsibility lies in the maintenance of the campus.

I as President of the Ontario Veterinary College Alumni Association wish t o extend my support for the new Alma Mater Fund. I have made a donation. I hope every OVC grad will do the same.

Dr. W. G. Whittick, '55, President, OVC Alumni Association.

By means of the Alma Mater Fund the members of the OAC Alumni Association will be given an opportunity t o supply financial support for many important projects. The unified Fund will provide the President of the University, Dr. W. C. Winegard, with the means t o initiate or complete projects which are vital t o the academic and social life of the University.

I wish t o emphasize the fact that existing program commitments of all the colleges are being maintained by the Alma Mater Fund. It is felt by your executive that the concept of only one annual appeal t o alumni is a valuable one, and our efforts on behalf of OAC scholarships, for example, will be supported and extended by the Alma Mater Fund.

I ask you to join with your fellow alumni in this endeavour.

Harold Minshall, '33 President, OAC Alumni Association.

I welcome the establishment of an Alma Mater Fund t o channel alumni donations through one annual campaign with broad and worthwhile objectives for the University as a whole.

Wellington graduates at this stage are small in number, but every donation is as important as another, and the number of Wellington alumni is growing at a terrific pace, with new graduates every three months.

Please support the Alma Mater Fund this fall.

T. 8. Radford, '68, President, Wellington College Alumni Association.

UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH ALUMNI ASSOCIATION HONORARY PRESIDENT: Dr. W. C. Winegard PRESIDENT: D. M. Adams, OAC '49 SENIOR VICE-PRESIDENT: Mrs. W. A. (Dorothy Anderson) James, Mac '34 VICE-PRESIDENTS: Dr. Helen C. Abell, Mac '38, P. W. Couse, OAC '46, Dr. T. A. H. Sanderson, OVC '61, Catherine G. M. Woodburn, Well '68.

SECRETARY: T. B. Radford, Well '67 TREASURER: J. J. Elmslie, Development Officer, University of Guelph.

DIRECTORS: Mrs. F. R. (Jean Keeler) Chapple, Mac '55; G. R. Greenlees, OAC '62; M. G. Greer, OAC '41; R. W.

The Guelph Alumnus is published by the Department of Alumni Affairs and Development, University of Guelph.

This special issue was edited and printed under the supervision of the Alma Mater Fund Information Committee: R. H. Smallfield.

OAC '52, Chairman; J. C. Beaton, OAC '51 and J.E. Bates.

OAC '60, Editor.

Clark, Well '68; Dr. M. D. Harlow, OVC '48; Dr. D. House, OVC '48; Mrs. D. J. (Jean Kellough) King, Mac '52; Dr. W. H. Minshall, OAC '33; Helen M. McKercher, Mac '30; Dr. V. C. R. Walker, OVC '47; Julie A. Whelan, Well '68.

EX-OFFICIO DIRECTORS: J. R. Flegg, Well '68, President, University of Guelph Students' Union; Dr. W. H. Minshall, OAC '33, President OAC Alumni Association; T. B. Radford.

Well '67, President, Wellington College Alumni Association; Dr. W. G. Whittick, OVC '55, President, OVC Alumni Association; Miss Annette Yeager. Mac '62, President.

Macdonald lnstitute Alumnae Association; J. K. Babcock, OAC '54, Director, Alumni Affairs and Development.

The Editorial Advisory Board of the University of Guelph Alumni Association: R. A. N. Mercer. OAC '59, Chairman; Mrs. D. M. (Marilyn Inglis) Robinson. Mac '55, Vice-Chairman: Dr. A. E. Austin, Dept. of English; Dr. Joan Budd. OVC '50; Prof. K. E. Chamberlain, Dept. of Fine Art; J. Ferris, student; A. R. J. Marr. Well '68; Ex-Officio: D. M. Adams, OAC '49 and J. K. Babcock. OAC '54.

Undelivered copies should be returned to Alumni House.

University of Guelph, Guelph, Ont., Canada.

Sept. 29 - Oct. 5

AGRICULTURAL WEEK

Oct. 3

FALL CONVOCATION

Oct. 18

1969 HOMECOMING 10:OO a.m. - Float Parade 11:15 a.m. - University of Guelph Alumni Association Annual Meeting 12:OO noon - Alumni Reception 12:45 p.m. - Alumni Family Luncheon 2:30 p.m. - Football Game, Guelph Gryphons vs.

Windsor Lancers 6:30 p.m. - Wellington College Alumni Association Reunion Cocktail Party, Annual Meeting Various class reunions and dances

Oct. 16 - NOV.22

ARTS FESTIVAL