Record
OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY AND ORGAN OF THE ALUMNI
VOLUME 59
COLLEGEVILLE, MINNESOTA, THURSDAY, JUNE 20, 1946
NUMBER 11
Commencement Day Exercises Bring Music Recital Fr. Walter Reger Celebrates Silver Eighty-Ninth School Year To Close Features Miss Jubilee; Fr. Abbot Preaches Sermon
#The eighty-ninth annual commencement of St. John's students was held Friday, June 7. Twenty-three college men received Bachelor degrees, and 31 prep school graduates received their diplomas. The exercises opened in the morning with the celebration of a Mass of Thanksgiving at 7:30, offered by Rev. Martin Schirber, O.S.B., Dean of the College; Rt. Rev. Alcuin Deutsch, O.S.B., president of the university, gave the baccalaureate sermon.
Induction into the Alumni Association was held at 2:10 in the afternoon, with Rev. Walter Reger, O.S.B., and George Durenberger, officiating at the ceremony. Following this, the students and faculty lined up in front of the chapel and proceeded to the auditorium.
The Reverend President, after -------------------------------------------
pronouncing the invocation, delivered the introductory address, in which he spoke briefly to the students on their responsibities as graduates of St. John's. In the name of the students, he expressed appreciation to the faculty, and then thanked the students for their cooperation with their teachers.
The speaker for the commence- sociation has allotted St. John's ment exercises was Rev. Wilfred University 5 army-type barracks Mallon, S.J., Regional Director to alleviate the heavy influx of of Education, Jesuit Educational students. The barracks, which
measure 100 by 20 feet, will pro- vide housing for 80 students.
Situated near the prep baseball filed north of the handball courts, the buildings will be partitioned to form individual rooms.
Army Barracks To Accommodate 80 Fall Students
#The Fedral Public Housing As-
Association, and former Dean of the Graduate School, St. Louis University. Fr. Mallon, a native of Minnesota, spoke warmly of his love for his home state, and of the respect in which he holds St. John's. Briefly reviewing the history of the Benedictines in Minnesota, he said that
Heat, light, shower and lavatory facilities will be installed^
Expected to arrive soon from
the entire state, but particu- Camp Grant, Illinois, the houses larly Stearns County, was in- will be available for the faft debted to
E. McClellan
#A musical recital, presenting Elaine McClellan, coloratura soprano, was held in the St. John's University auditorium June 2 at 8:30 o'clock. Miss McClellan, although suffering from a throat ailment, gave an inspiring performance. Rev. James Kelly, O.S.B., accompanied Miss McClellan on the piano.
Charles Wagener, a student of St. John's and an accomplished pianist, rounded out the program.
Miss McClellan, a resident of Bismarck, N. Dak., recently completed a spring tour with the Bismarck High School Concert Choir, and received the highest rating in North Dakota Annual High School Musical Festival.
St. John's Holds Rural Life School In Early August
them for their .civilizing and educating influence.
term students. The erection
of tne barx&'cks
He then spoke at length on the will not relieve S%. Benet Hall, obligations resting on a Catholic however, as the high registra-college graduate, accentuating tion makes doubling up in all the fact that a man is only what rooms a necessity,
he makes himself, and that re- —-----------------------s--------------_
sponsibility for his conduct cannot be shifted to anyone else. "We get out of our schooling exactly what we put into it, and we take away from St. John's whatever we put into it in the way of earnestness and sdncer-» ity." Of paramount importance^ Fr. Mallon insisted, is the application of Catholic principles # Fifty of morality to business, or professional life.
The College valedictorian, Ro-
50 Alumni Meet Irv Milwaukee; Officers Elected
St. John's men met ut the Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee
on Sunday, June 9, at 6 p.m. fox an organizational dinner meet-
bert Hovda, of Minneapolis, fol- ing of the alumni of the Mil-lowed Father Mellon. Uooert, waukee area. Thirty sent xe-who has been m the Seminary grets at being unable to attend, for the last tv?«> years, chose for Elected to office In the m-ew his Subject th-e idea of integrity, branch were: President—Wtxan «r wholeness Starting with Krier, '22; Executive Secretary of feic Gill's Judgment on modern the Wisconsin Association 'of In-'Catholics, in which he accuses surance Agents; Vice-President Catholics of l>eing hardly dis- —Peter Kitzberger, '43, New mm, cernible from their non-Chris- medical student at Maxquette tian neighbors, Kobert proceeded ^-1 Secretary-Treasurer—Patrick to point out the touchstone of Dougherty, '23, Engineer at Wis-the true Christian spirit. consin Telphone Co.
U-oDert E. Benson, of Grand Among the special guests and Forks, North Dakota, gave the speakers of the evening were: College Preparatory valedictory &ev. Walter Reger, O.S.B., >21, address. "We will all recall, Collegeville; Army Chaplain M&j. ¦with happiness, our years spent Emeric Lawrence, O.S.B., '35, on at St. John's, and we will keep terminal leave from the Aleu-the Johnny spirit aMve wherever tians, and Professors Emerson we .go." Robert, a pre-dlvinity Hynes, '38, Collegeville, and student, is studying ffor the Fargo Thomas Cassidy, formerly a mem-diocese. ber of the faculty at St. John's
The College degrees Trere con- and now at Notre Dame, ferred by the Reverend President, following the valedictory, with Father Martin calling off the names of the graduates. The following were singled out for special distinction: Donald E. Campion, B. S. with great honor, and James F. Reilly, B.A. with honor.
Preparatory school graduates were called to the stage when the ¦ College Preparatory valedictory was over, and the diplomas were given out by the
•Continued on page 2
Eather Walter pleasantly sur-
Continucd on page 4
On behalf of the faculty and student body of St. John's, the Record staff extend their condolences to Fr. Alfred on the death of his father, Mr. Charles Deutsch, who died on Saturday, June 15. Mr. Deutsch was also a brother of Fr. Abbot- Your prayers are requested for the repose of his soul. R. I. P.
;. John's will add to its reputation as a rural life center when it holds a three-day rural life school Aug. 6 to 8, just after the close of the summer session. Speakers for the rural life classes will feature topnotch agriculture leaders, including the U. S. undersecretary of agriculture, Nor-ris E. Dodd.
Theme of the school will be "Looking Forward with American Agzacoltrrre," with Mr. Dodd speaking ot. the general outlook. Dr. Ray Miller, president of "the American Institute of ¦Cooperation, Philadelphia, will (discuss the future in regard to agricultural cooperation. The Canadian slant on co-ops will ibe presented by A. B. MacDon-aJd, head of the Cooperative Union in Canada.
3RAiral education will be thor-'OTX^Hly x-rayed by experts: Dr. J,. fO. Ohristianson, superintendent of the school of agriculture, University of Minnesota and Dean M. Schweickhard, head of :£he Minnesota department of education. They will deal primarily with the problems of the small rural school.
The future of the rural community will be discussed by Dr. J. H. Kolb, professor of rural sociology, University of Wisconsin, and Emerson Hynes, professor of sociology, St. John's University.
Dr. Orion Ulrey, counselor in the bureau of agricultural economics, TJSDA, will talk about agriculture from the international standpoint.
Enrollment of the school is expected to be around 60 or 70 —large enough to provoke interesting and varied discussion, and small enough to permit informal discussions. The individual sessions will be held in small group meetings, according to Rev. Martin E. Schirber, O.S.B., director of the school.
A novel feature will be the session in which rural-area priests who have been particularly successful in some rural life activity will explain their accomplishments.
3 Students j oined with the community in commemorating the silver jubilee in the priesthood of Rev. Walter Reger, O.S.B., on
Saturday, June 1, 1946. Beginning the day's festivities was a Solemn High Mass sung by the jubilarian, at which the Rt. Rev. Abbot Alcuin Deutsch, O.S.B., preached the sermon.
A testimonial dinner held in the student refectory and attended by the lay faculty and members of the alumni association climaxed the official celebration. Father Abbot, principal speaker at the dinner, commended Father Walter for the excellent work he has done and the tremendous influence he has been among the students.
Joe Benda, varsity coach, was toastmaster at the dinner. Other speakers included Rev. Martin Schirber, O.S.B., dean of college, George Durenberger, director of athletics, Dr. Stangl, attending physician of the university, and Fred Hughes, representative of the alumni association.
In behalf of the Alumni Organization, Fred Hughes presented Father Walter with a wrist watch. The student, body gave the jubilarian a pen and pencil set which he values highly, a three-year subscription to World Report, and a spiritual bouquet.
Born in Minneapolis July 25, 1894, Father Walter came to St. John's in 1908 to pursue his studies in preparation for the holy priesthood. He entered the novitiate here in 1914 and was ordained in 1921. Twenty-two of the twenty-five years of priestly life were spent by Father Walter in the service of the school and the student body.
After his ordination Father Walter spent a year in New York, where he attended graduate sessions at Columbia University. He returned in 1922 and became
Rev. Walter Reger, O.S.B.
Twenty Courses Offered In Sixth Summer Session
first prefect of St. Bede's Hall until he was elevated to the office of high school dean in 1924. He organized and accompanied a tour of thirteen students to Europe in 1926, the jubilee year. He spent one year, 1926-27, at the University of Minnesota pursuing graduate work in medieval history. He became dean of men in 1932 and has held this position until
#With approximately 160 stu- the present time. Father Walter dents registered, St. John's sixth has been teaching for over twenty-annual summer school got under $ve years and is now head of way last week. Of the twenty- tne history department at St. odd classes which began on the John's University, morning of Tuesday, June 11, incidental among these varied those in philosophy, history and positions were his .contributions chemistry have the largest en- t0 inter-collegiate activities For rollments. The general trend tne past fourteen years he has among the summer collegemen been st> John's faculty repre-seemed to be an honest attempt sentative to the Minnesota Inter-to ease back into the proper collegiate Athletic Conference, study habits by way of the time- He has served for several years honored courses which all schol- as secretary of the Council of ars in all ages have considered Minnesota Colleges. As member basic. With morning classes six of tlle Minnesota Historical So-days a week, many a nedgling oiety, he has held the post of philosopher or mathematician president of the Stearns County hoped that the warm, summer Branch. In 1944 he added to his afternoons would make coming other activities that of the A-back to books a pleasureable iumni Association secretary, a process. position which became increas-------------------------------------------- ingly important with the entrance of alumni into the service.
Father Walter has twice been St. John's delegate to the Benedictine General Chapter and is Abbey representative to the Sen-
• As a result of cooperation ior Council- He has also f011" among the various groups at St. V tribute* articles on the teaching John's, the food drive for the of Teh^ion and the teaching of benefit of starving Europe reached history to the Benedictine Educa-the goal of $1,000. The great need tlonal Rmm>-
University Food Drive Nets $1000
for relief was presented through
Students of St. John's, past,
means of a campaign consisting P"3611*' and fto, co™\ wlU *"
of a "starvation meal" and a ways be eyeful *° Father Wal-
"butterless day," and a special ter for his deeP mterest and
issue of the Record in which the tlreless efforts. ln Promoting
horrors of starvation were writ- camPuso activities and making
ten as happening here. J*e a* St" Jo^n s ve)? attractive.
Thanks to him, the Student
Of the $1,000 collected, $185 Coun(jil became the influential
represented the savings from the yoice o{ the gtudent body. The
"starvation meal" and $50 from International Relations Club,
the butterleSS day." Continued on pnn<' -1
