- WP, The Magazine of
- William Paterson University
- P.O. Box 913
- Wayne, NJ 07474-0913
- (973) 720-2967
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- William Paterson University
Celebrating
50 Years in Wayne
Alumni Share Their Memories of the New Campus
--by Terry E. Ross
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For years, students and faculty at Paterson State Teachers College dreamed of a new, modern building and campus with room for expansion. The need became more urgent as the school entered a period of postwar growth. With veterans taking advantage of the G.I. Bill, enrollment more than doubled from 1945 to 1946. Civic groups, local newspapers, alumni, and friends of the college vigorously rallied in support of the school's plea for more adequate facilities. In 1948, the state purchased the Wayne estate of the family of Garret Hobart, the vice president of the United States under William McKinley. The longed-for dream turned into reality when the site, featuring 250 hilltop acres and a turn-of-the-century manor house, finally became the new home of the college in the fall of 1951.
Dr.
Clair Wightman, president of the College from 1937 to 1954, spoke
of his vision for the new campus in the 1951-52 freshman handbook,
The Flashlight: "The feeling that I want you to have on
this new campus, for yourself and for the college, is the feeling
expressed by Joseph Conrad in his book, Youth. 'Oh that feeling
that I could outlast the sea, outlast the sun, outlast the stars
and moon; that feeling that I could go on forever.' Yes, I want
you to help build a fine institution that will go on for all
time, and I want you to build in yourself something that will
give you the feeling that you can succeed, that you can go on,
no matter what happens."
Join us as we revisit the excitement surrounding the transition to the new campus. Here, from our collection of memorabilia, are some images of the early 1950s, including scenes of student and academic life, Marion Shea's inauguration as the institution's first, and only woman president in 1955, and Dr. Shea with renowned athlete Jesse Owens during his visit to campus. If you can identify yourself or your classmates in any of these photographs, write to us at the Office of University Relations, P.O. Box 913, Wayne, NJ 07474-0913. Or drop us an email at wpmag@wpunj.edu.We'd love to hear from you!
Lucy Stamila '53 signed on as a fifth grade teacher
with the Teaneck public school system immediately after graduation
and moved up the ranks to become assistant to the superintendent.
When the school was in Paterson, "we could walk down to
the shopping area," she remembers. For swimming classes,
"we had to walk over to the Y, and it was fun - a unique
experience. I guess most young people today wouldn't sign up
for a school if you had these problems, but we didn't see them
as problems, just great opportunities," she says.
Stamila joined the fencing team.
"We had a wonderful coach, Ray Miller," she says, "who
was a very talented fencer himself." The team traveled all
over the area to New York City and North Jersey schools for their
meets. "It was an expanding experience for us because it
gave us an opportunity to visit other campuses and meet other
people. We might have been small and we were not a major school,
but we could still go over to New York University and whip them,"
she laughs.
Dr. Marion Shea, who became the institution's first female president in 1954, used to love to personally conduct tours through the Hobart Manor building, remembers Stamila. "She was very approachable - a very lovely woman, very stately, very brilliant."
In those early days, the campus was mostly a large, wooded area. "We had science with Mr. Vivian, and we did many nature projects, wonderful units on birds and trees. We'd often take a bird walk at 7:00 a.m.," she recalls. Stamila is currently on the staff of Felician College and also works as a student teacher supervisor.
Vincent Moretta '52 was a member of the first class to graduate in Wayne. Moretta, who attended Paterson State on a basketball scholarship, warmly remembers the "smallness" of the school and how everyone knew him because he played on the basketball team.
One day Dr. Wightman, then president of the College, called Moretta aside on his way to class. "He said, 'Vince, we're going to have a special assembly to honor people who've done outstanding things. And because you've done so well in the area of basketball, we're going to give you a lifetime pass to all the physical activities that we have at the school.' I thought he was kidding me," says Moretta, "but they did."
"William
Paterson is a very special place because it gave me a new look
at life," he adds. "I was challenged in a lot of different
ways and realized I had an opportunity to do a lot of things
in my lifetime."
Barbara Grant '54 transferred to Paterson State from Beaver College in 1952, when her family moved to Paterson.
When she first arrived on campus, Grant spent a lot of time in the library in Hobart Manor. "I was taking Professor Karp's courses that were heavily weighted in reading and we had to read specific books at the library," she says.
Grant, who went on to receive a doctorate from Columbia University, returned to the institution to teach from 1963 until retirement. Other professors she remembers include Dr. Shannon for geography, Dr. Ellis for social studies, and Dr. Houston for psychology. "So many of these people I knew not only as teachers, my professors, but also as colleagues," she says.
Vincent
Moretta '52 was a member of the first class to graduate in
Wayne. Moretta, who attended Paterson State on a basketball scholarship,
warmly remembers the "smallness" of the school and
how everyone knew him because he played on the basketball team.
One day Dr. Wightman, then president of the College, called Moretta aside on his way to class. "He said, 'Vince, we're going to have a special assembly to honor people who've done outstanding things. And because you've done so well in the area of basketball, we're going to give you a lifetime pass to all the physical activities that we have at the school.' I thought he was kidding me," says Moretta, "but they did."
"William Paterson is a very special place because it gave me a new look at life," he adds. "I was challenged in a lot of different ways and realized I had an opportunity to do a lot of things in my lifetime."
Albert Doremus '50, a 19-year-old World War II veteran in 1946, originally planned to attend Montclair State to study history. But like many schools, it was overflowing with G.I.s at the time. So he choose to enroll at Paterson State Teachers College.
"I was told I could apply to be admitted to Montclair as a sophomore since a certain percentage of students drop out, but you know, I never did. I fell in love with William Paterson and made so many friendships there. And you couldn't have asked for a better faculty. All of us in the senior class knew Dr. Wightman, the president, and he knew us," recalls Doremus.
"Nine out of 10 of the men were veterans," Doremus adds, and some were as much as a decade older. "I was fortunate that I was still single and living at home. But those who were married - and quite a few were - would come to class and rush to their jobs. That's the only way they were able to pay their rent and keep a roof over their heads. Some of them had children."
Paterson had no physical facilities for outdoor sports, so "we had to use public parks for ball playing," says Doremus. Like many G.I.s, he joined a local bowling alley in Paterson which counted toward his physical education activity.
Despite all the rumors that he might graduate from the Wayne location, none of the buildings were completed. In May 1950, Dr. Wightman arranged for buses to transport the students to the new campus, recalls Doremus. "It was a day trip, we had a box lunch and it was an opportunity for us to take a tour of Hobart Manor." Although it had been unoccupied for years, says Doremus, "you could tell in its day it was a beautiful home" with its stained glass windows and beautiful flooring. Hunziker was still in the process of being built, and beyond it there was nothing, just woodlands and open space.
Doremus has been on campus in recent years to view Hobart Manor and is pleased with the latest renovations. "It never looked better than it does now," he says. (See also "Spotlight")
AnnE
De Spirito Arnowitz '50,
M.A. '68, remembers many of the social activities, including
the end-of-the-year Shaeffer Play Day, an annual boat ride that
everyone at the school attended. (The event was named in honor
of Dr. Roy Shaeffer, the former principal of Paterson Normal
School.)
When the school was housed in Paterson, Arnowitz remembers the "wonderful, complete Thanksgiving dinners" prepared by cafeteria workers for students and faculty just before Thanksgiving Day recess.
A faculty reception was held on the Sunday before graduation at Hobart Manor. "It was just lovely," she recalls. The event was by invitation and everyone's parents and family was invited. Back then, everyone was dressed up, "even to the hats we wore," recalls Arnowitz. (See also "Spotlight" ) WP
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