Browse by Date

Virginia Weber (Class of 1946) explains in an interview that women who attended Dickinson during World War II did not drink. According to Weber, female students were forbidden to drink whether or not they were 21. Although Seller admits that some women tried to buy drinks, she says that "they would not serve you in town even if you wanted to drink."

Joyce Rinehart Anderson (Class of 1945) reports in an interview that the dean of women, Josephine Brunyate Meredith, locked her in the infirmary when she was sick. The dean feared that Joyce had scarlet fever, but Joyce claims that, in locking her in the infirmary without care, they "practically killed me." According to Anderson, not only did this quarantine cost her a semester in college, but it also led to other problems later in her life.

Dorothy F. Nagle (Class of 1946) describes the night before the servicemen left and the subsequent changes at Dickinson in an interview. In 1943, Dickinson hosted a large dance the night before "the fellows were going to be leaving" from the Carlisle Railroad Station. Students were permitted to remain out an hour later than normal curfew (twelve o' clock instead of eleven o' clock) and to rise early the next morning to see the men off.

Dorothy F. Nagle (Class of 1946) reports in an interview that the departure of male students during World War II had an immense impact on the campus community. After they left, there were no football or basketball games and only a few "intramural attempts." Many of the female students who had boyfriends in the service waited to receive mail, and female students kept track of friends and followed war campaigns.

Dorothy F. Nagle (Class of 1946) recalls in an interview how she joined the Nurse's Aide program at the Carlisle Hospital during her freshman year at Dickinson. Twelve female students signed up for the program and received training at the hospital. The hospital needed help at the Carlisle Barracks because their nurses were overseas. Nagle believes she learned more in the program than she did during her four years of college and comments that the army "treated us like queens, but did they work us!" Working for the Nurse's Aide program gave Nagle the sense of contributing to the cause.

As explained in her interview, Kathleen Briner Meals class of '44 became the second editor-in-chief of the Dickinsonian. At the time this position which carried the title "Co-ed", partly because of the  lack of men around, was a title that was appointed by the school's administration.

As World War Two reached its peak in the years following the early 1940's, as Margaret MacGregor recollected in her interview, many Dickinson students supported the war effort by taking time off of school to work in the factories. In the years 1942 and 1943 Margaret recalled that she stayed at home to work in the York Safe and Lock company as a means to manifest her patriotism and save money (York Safe and Lock had defense contracts). She returned to Dickinson in 1945 alongside the other Dickinson students who had gone off to join the war effort overseas.

As illustrated by Margaret MacGrefor in her interview she stated that in dormitory life, rules and regulations were implemented and monitored by proctors. Members of the opposite sex were not allowed inside the female dorimitories only in the parlors prior to curfew. When the womens relatives or acquaintances would come to pay them a visit the ladies were allowed to leave with them for the day only upon signing in and out. If you intended on staying out late or leave for the entire weekend special permission was required to be obtained.

As expressed by Margaret MacGregor in her interview she evoked that during the Second World War the great majority of Dickinson College women were extensively involved in social service deeds. As a result of drastic nurse shortages brought about by the global effort overseas, dozens of women would take the Red Cross nurses aid course and for several hours a week worked at the Carlisle Barracks, the Army War College, and the Carlisle Hospital.

Being a former member of Chi Omega sorority Margaret MacGregor reported in her interview that in order to govern and monitor student conduct across campus, sororities
had what were called patronesses, ladies from the area who were a part of that
Greek organization or were simply interested in volunteering their time towards
that sorority. Visitations to these chapter patronesses were required and
entailed formal wear in which the ladies had to "get dressed up with white
gloves and hats..." with "... their best finery." If for some

The Little Theater group was a special interest group who under the extensive support of English Professor John C. Heppler congregated and acted and directed plays. According to Margaret MacGregor who during her interview explained that if a student was an active member of the theater group who consistently helped out or performed in plays then they too would eventually become a part of Tau Delta Pi, an honorary dramatic fraternity.

Once again the infamous iron fist of Dean of Women, Mrs. Meredith was mentioned by Margaret MacGregor in her interview as she touched upon the strict regulations implemented at the college. There was no smoking, drinking, curfew was very strict, the essence of anything coeducational was nonexistent, as well as the women were not allowed to wear slacks or shorts. To consolidate this rule of conduct, Dean Meredith instituted a Bifurcation Edict which established that "no female could wear trousers", a judgement that was opposed by a group of individualist women.

As dozens of incoming first years arrived on the Dickinson Campus for their orientation ceremony and activities there was a distinct factor among the men. As was explained by Margaret MacGregor in her interview by Renee Leszczynski, during orientation only the new male students were required to wear red beanie hats called "dinks", a tradition that undermined the presence of first year women.

Wilma B. Prescott (Class of 1945) shares in an interview how she married her husband during her senior year at Dickinson. Her husband had graduated in 1943 and was at the Great Lakes. When he had ten days furlough in February 1945, Prescott took ten days off to marry him. When she returned from her honeymoon, Professor Grimm, who taught Spanish, greeted her, "Buenos dias, senora," referring to her marital status. Prescott reports that it was normal to be married while still attending college. Other female students married their husbands-to-be.

Wilma B. Prescott (Class of 1945) describes in an interview the discrimination that the sorority Chi Omega practiced during the World War II. According to Prescott, the Chi Omegas discriminated in their membership policies, which explains why the sorority is no longer on campus. Chi Omegas could not take "oriental or Jewish" members into the sorority. As Prescott explains, "You were a WASP...." Prescott points to the war as an explanation for discrimination against the Japanese in their membership policies.

Wilma B. Prescott (Class of 1945) recalls in an interview that Professor Milton Walker Eddy of the Biology Department never flunked a female student in his class. Prescott refers to the professor as a legend and claims that he was called by the attorney to solve cases by using strands of hair. According to Prescott, Professor Eddy "felt sorry for those girls who had to take it [the required course] and weren't, did not have that bent."

According to their constitution the purpose of this group was to promote a healthy attitude toward sexuality, to promote responsible sexual behavior as well as to provide accurate information about human sexuality to the general campus community, among other purposes. The group sought to have at least three advisors who would be chosen from Dickinson faculty and administrators, and two officers who would serve the roles of Coordinator and Secretary/Treasurer.

During the peak years of the Second World War it was a common trend that women did not apply to graduate schools even though the majority of the women attended school because they wanted to obtain a career. As explained by Ruth Murphy in her interview, "back then girls didn't apply like now", despite the fact that she, like other women on the Dickinson campus, eagerly wanted to attend gradute or law school after graduation.

In 1990, Women's Track and Field participants included first-years Michelle Bailey, Pam Byron, Susan Ferguson, Rachel Huffman, Jessica Hyde, Leslie McCleary, Laurel Ryan, and Wendy Sutton. Patricia Gaffney was the MVP for the year.

According to Sara Andrews as explained in her interview, the Metzger Hall council was the established governing body for Metzger House. The council met on a regular basis as a means to address and simultaenously try to resolve any complaints presented by the student body. Dean Meredith often times reached the council in order to receive feedback or help in implementing disciplinatory regulations.

While the majority of the male population lived in fraternity houses on and off campus, their female counterparts resided in primarily off-campus establishements like Metzger Hall, which were located some blocks away from Dickinson. Due to the lack of housing and the influx of female students, the College began to house its female students in places such as Old West. Such was the case that was described by Sarah Andrews in her interview. Also, at the time there was no Sorority Housing in which they could have meetings and hold social events like the fraternities did. 

Dorothy L. Roberts describes her reasons for leaving Dickinson College in an interview. Roberts only attended Dickinson from 1941 until 1943. According to Roberts, the "war really hit our classes" on December 7, 1941. Until that point, Dickinson College had been a heavily male school.

As explained in her interview, Professor Barbara McDonald, who began teaching at Dickinson during the Fall of 1956, described the atmosphere of the campus post the "La Vallee Affair" as being one of widespread conflicting feelings. At the time, being one of the few female faculty members at Dickinson, Professor McDonald did not become conscious of the predominance of men for "it just seemed to be the way it was." Even though there were a large amount of female students enrolled in general biology classes "there were very few women on the faculty."

While interviewee Mary Synder Hertzler did not mind the quality of the food at Dickinson's dining hall during the World War II period, not every student agreed with her. Other students "objected" to the food, and one female student took her steak and put it on a spindle on Dean Josephine Brunyate Meredith's desk. Hertzler claims that she "would have no more done that than fly to the moon." This student "evidently didn't care for the steak."

In an interview, Mary Synder Hertzler reports that groups at Dickinson College did discriminate in membership policies or in rush during the World War II period. "We were the only ones that did," says Hertzler of her sorority, the Pi Phis. The Chi Omega sorority "left," according to Hertzler, because the national chapter prohibited the extension of membership to minorities. Hertzler initially claims to remember one woman of color at Dickinson College but later revokes that statement, recalling that there "were some Puerto Ricans or somebody" at prep school.

Nancy Watkins Lucas reports in an interview that female students corresponded with soliders and sailors during the World War II period. Lucas, who smoked at the time, recalls that cigarettes were difficult to obtain. In fact, the brand Lucky Strike Green, whose cigarette packaging was green, started a campaign during the war, "Lucky Strike Green - Gone to War." Lucas claims that "the servicemen could always get you cigarettes." Lucas dated a sailor who brought her cigarettes during the war.

In an interview, Phoebe Jane Dixon (Class of 1940) comments on the quota system for women. When asked how women felt about the quota system, she answered that she did not know because they never talked about such topics.

Christine Crist (Class of 1946) describes the heavy-handedness of Dean Josephine Brunyate Meredith when the cadets arrived on campus. Although Crist remembers a date with a cadet from Texas, she says that the dean did not tolerate such fraternizing. The female students received an earlier curfew when the cadets arrived.

Mary Snyder Hertzler describes social and dating life at Dickinson during World War II in an interview. Women could not wear slacks during that period. Mary VanAuken was the only exception as she took flying lessons. During the winter, women wore heavy socks to stay warm as they walked from Metzger Hall, located off-campus, to their classes. Men lived on campus. Hertzler, her beau, and two other couples were once caught by Dean Josephine Brunyate Meredith at Snyder's Drug Store in Mount Holly.

Miriam Riley Weimer (Class of 1940) reports in an interview that college relations with the town of Carlisle were "very good." Some "townies" attended Dickinson College, and women in town welcomed students into their homes. She admits, though, that some "town girls" thought the college women were snobs. According to Weimer, town and college boys did not share the same type of relationship as town boys did not like college boys.

Marguerite W. Gale (Class of 1943) reflects on changes in the status of women and in her life during World War II in a 1990 interview. Due to the absence of men, Gale coached a boys' basketball team. When the war began, she and her husband, Bill, were pinned. Bill left for the service and did not return until 1946, which postponed their marriage.

Kathryn Thomas Daugherty (Class of 1946) describes her experience as a commuter student in an interview. She chose to complete two years of study at the college before taking courses in Harrisburg to become a medical technician. Although she had planned to become a doctor, finances prevented this course of action. In order to pay for school, she worked in the library as an assistant to the librarian, shelving books and helping library users. In order to commute to Dickinson from Harrisburg everyday, she and three or four other students paid a Dickinson professor to drive them to school.

In an interview, Helen Alexander Bachman (Class of 1946) explains that the role of women changed during World War II: as men joined the service, women became leaders at Dickinson. She remembers one female classmate who became editor, or another high-up position, for the Dickinsonian.

According the Helen Alexander Bachman (Class of 1946) in a 1990 interview, Dickinson students informed themselves about the war and the world situation via radios and newspapers. Female students with boyfriends in the service received news through letters. Although the military censored correspondence between soldiers and the home front, recipients were often able to determine whether servicemen were in the Euroepan theater or in the Pacific.

In an interview, Helen Alexander Bachman (Class of 1946) claims that a majority of the students belonged to a sorority, fraternity, or other organization on campus. Bachman estimates that 99 percent of female students belonged to one of the four sororities. The fraternities owned houses while sorority women had apartments in Carlisle. Fraternities "dried up" during the war due to the absence of men. Sororities, however, had meetings, social functions, bridge parties, suppers, and community service events.

Helen Alexander Bachman (Class of 1946) describes in an interview the changes that occurred at Dickinson when World War II began. Among these changes were the reduction in class size and the shift in academic calendar. Before men began leaving the college for the war, courses were divided into two parts, one during the first semester and one during the second semester. During the war period, students took semester-long courses in order to cater to students who might be drafted into the military.

Helen Alexander Bachman (Class of 1946) describes social events during World War II in a 1990 interview. Dickinson College had sororities and fraternities, which planned pledge dances and parties. As a Zeta Tau alpha, Bachman remembers using the fraternity houses for sorority pledge dances. Professors and their wives would chaperone dances and other student activities. When male students were drafted into the army, it affected the social life on campus. Female students went to the movies, played bridge, or went to dinner.

In an interview with Helen Alexander Bachman (Class of 1946), the Dickinson alumnus describes the rules for student conduct and dress codes during the World War II period. Dean Josephine Meredith supervised the women, requiring them to sign in and out of their dorms, to act in a lady-like manner, and to avoid drinking. Moreover, female students needed to receive signed permission from parents if they wanted to visit home for the weekend. Bachman explains that these rules "existed to protect the girls...." Dress codes for the female students were strict; they coudl not wear slacks.

In a 1990 interview, Christine Crist (Class of 1946) explains the presence of Varga Girls in a yearbook from the World War II period. Artists drew pin-up girls, and Varga girls were "a little bit more classy than Petty Girls." According to Crist, some servicement might hang a calendar of Varga Girls in their tents. The section for Varga Girls in the yearbook probably referred to campus beauties, perhaps selected by the Varga artist himself. The female students were then photographed in evening gowns for the yearbook.

Christine Crist (Class of 1946) tells about the rivalry among sororities during the World War II period. As a pledge mistress and, later, president of Chi Omega, she spent a lot of her free time planning sorority events. She organized an alumni event for the 50th anniversary of the founding of Chi Omega.

In an interview, Christine Crist (Class of 1946) recalls the "big revolution" the students organized in December 1945. Although Dean Josephine Meredith had appointed Crist as a student government representative when she arrived on campus, Crist eventually became dissatisfied with the rules that the Dean of Women imposed on the female students and the "ridiculous authoritarianism that crept in" to the administration.

In an interview with Christine Crist (Class of 1946), the Dickinson graduate describes life at Dickinson College when a majority of the male students left for World War II. She guesses that the ratio of men to women prior to the war was five-to-one and reports that, in 1943, "the heart of the student body was picked up." In 1945, 11 men and 41 women graduated from Dickinson College, reflecting the male-to-female ratio after the war began.

In an interview, Christine Crist (Class of 1946) recounts the story of a secret marriage between an "impressive senior" at Dickinson who married Soupy Campbell, a soldier in World War II, the year before her last on campus. She left school without receiving her diploma, and Crist later discovered that she was married and pregnant. Campbell died during the war. To Crist, this story "stands out as a symbol of those years."

Miriam Riley Weimer (Class of 1940) describes student-faculty relations in an interview. She remembers that Professor Mulford Stough, who she paints as "a character, but a nice guy," dropped a note in Miriam's lap during an exam in Bosler Hall. As Miriam recalls, the note read, "With the sun coming in on your hair, it's just the color that I'm sure the hair of all James Fenimore Cooper's heroines had." At the end of the note, the professor asked if Miriam played bridge. According to Miriam, Professor Stough and Dr.

In an interview, Christine Crist (Class of 1946) recounts her experience working for The Patriot News after she graduated from Dickinson College. She worked for the morning paper of The Patriot News during the summer of her junior year and, after she graduated, became the only general assignment woman on the staff not assigned to the social department. During this period, protective laws for women prevented Crist from getting reporting assignments after 10 o' clock because she could not work overtime like the men on the staff.

Miriam Riley Weimer (Class of 1940) recalls in an interview that she knew only one student who was thrown out of school: Bes Jones. Weimer calls her "a rebel in her time" who was caught sneaking out of Metzger Hall on multiple occasions. Dean of Women Josephine Brunyate Meredith threw her out of the college. According to Weimer, Jones became a librarian, presumably having finished her education.

Christine Crist (Class of 1946) describes the only dances that took place at the college during the WWII period. In December, the school hosted the Doll Dance in the gym (now the Weiss Arts Center). The Doll Dance was a formal dance for which attendees would bring dolls as a donation to disadvantaged children. The men used this opportunity to "look over the...newest freshmen girls...so we all got a big rush." The Mid-Winter Ball, held in January, was the last dance the college hosted for the duration of Crist's academic career.

Christine Crist (Class of 1946) reports in an interview that the Air Force cadets came to Dickinson's campus in March 1943. At this point, the 44 men and "central part of the student body had just left." The presence of the cadets wrecked havoc on campus life.

Christine Crist (Class of 1946) shares about female student life during World War II in a 1990 interview. Rations affected everything from food to clothing. She remembers collecting tin cans and having ration books for food and other supplies. In the Crist family, Christine's father did not acquire a new pair of shoes for the entire duration of the war, getting shoes instead for Christine's "two younger sisters with fast-growing feet." Nylons, just introduced in 1940, went off the market during World War II since the material was used in parachutes.

As explained by Margaret McAdoo in her interwview, Josephine Brunyate Meredith also known as "Dean Meredith", was Dean of Women from 1919 - 1948. She goes on to describe that due to  her ominous presence, partly as a result of her somber appearence, Dean Meridith was regarded as being "very, very strict" when it came to dating, (Margaret McAdoo stated that Dean Meredith suggested that girls should always carry with them a newspaper of some sort of stacked paper just it case the girls needed to sit on a boys lap), school dances, as well as womens everyday wear.