December 2007
News & Notes
 
Former President Thomas Richardson Remembered
It was with deep sadness that the University community learned of the death of Thomas Henry Richardson, the fourth president of Montclair State College, 1966-73. The following is provost and vice president for academic affairs Richard A. Lynde's thoughts on Richardson's passing:
      
“Tom,” to his friends and colleagues, was a consummate example of the type of individual Tom Brokaw characterized in “The Greatest Generation.” Tom finished his baccalaureate degree at the State Teachers College in Oswego, NY in 1943 and entered the Army Air Corps where he served as a Lieutenant in the European Theater. Following his discharge he took a position as an instructor of Industrial Arts and Social Studies at the New York School for the Deaf and went back to school, eventually earning an Ed.D. at Teachers College of Columbia University in 1951. During the course of his career he served as a secondary school teacher and principal of elementary and secondary schools with stops along the way in Brooklyn, England, Germany, and Attleboro, MA. From 1951 to 1955 he served as the Superintendent of the Air Force Dependent Schools in England, Germany, France, and North Africa. In 1958 he succumbed to the lure of University life when he became Dean of the College at Jersey City State College.

He became Dean of the College at Montclair State Teachers College in 1964 and almost immediately became Acting President on November 1, 1964. Two years later, on November 1, 1966, he was named the fourth President of Montclair State, in which capacity he served until August 31, 1973. While his time in office was relatively short, they were years of momentous change for the College and for higher education in New Jersey. Click here to read more.

San Diego Alumni see "Jersey Boys"

Alumni in San Diego gathered on Nov. 1 to take in a performance of "Jersey Boys" at the Civic Theatre. A pre-show reception was held at Napa Valley Grille atop Horton Plaza Shopping Center. "Unfortunately, due to the fires in San Diego the previous week, we did not have the turn out that we anticipated," said organizer Susan Guthrie Lowrance '68. "The show was great! A good time was had by all as we exchanged our MSU stories and talked about future events in our area." Pictured from left, back row: Dr. Bruno Paul '54, Christine "Chrissy" Cabral '93, Julie Adams, director of MSU's Alumni & Community Relations, Lowrance. Front row from left: Barbara Louis '63, '73 M.A., Helen Wilkes '67, '72 M.A.

Athletic Department Inducts Hall of Fame Members
The Montclair State Department of Athletics inducted five new members into its Hall of Fame this month: Charlie Coe '84 basketball; Kristi Kuchinski '94, softball; Alex Kaplanovich '71, football, Mark Arnold '76, swimming and diving and Rick Giancola, head football coach, 1983 to present. Also unveiled during the evening was the Century Club as Montclair State honored 12 of the 24 coaches in school history who have accumulated 100 or more victories. For more on the event including a photo and biographies, click here.

Alumni Connections will feature an article each month during the centennial year written by members of the Montclair State University Alumni Association. The retrospective stories will look back decade-by-decade at the school and the culture of the times. 

Alma Mater, dear Montclair: The Fabulous '50s
The Cold War well underway, the United States and the Soviet Union engage in an arms and space race that ignites suspicion of domestic communism; while one war ends, another begins, the Korean War (one of Montclair State’s own, Corporal Alexander "Sandy" MacMillan is killed in action, honored in the ’53 Campana yearbook); the nation grows to 50 with Alaska then Hawaii; racial segregation is ruled unconstitutional and Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat on the bus; Salk develops the polio vaccine; and rock and roll is born.

On the home front, Dr. Harry A. Sprague announced his retirement, and in 1951, E. DeAlton Partridge became Montclair State’s third president. A USMC officer program, a U.S. Army infantry reserve unit and a war veterans organization can be found on campus. Students reveled at the spring carnival and campus queen dances; proms were held at the Waldorf.

In 1952, the nation’s first educational programs were broadcast from campus. Ted Sheft ’52, a former faculty member, went on to design, build and equip the entire New Jersey Public Television network. Its studio was a converted bowling alley, and transmitters in four locations (including one on the Montclair State campus) sent signals covering New Jersey as well as parts of New York, Pennsylvania and Connecticut.

Montclair State received high praise when Harvard President James Conant cited MSTC as the Harvard of American Teachers' Colleges.

Also in ’52 the Alumni Association began awarding annual citations to distinguished alumni. The inaugural citation went to Grace Freeman ’18, a member of the State Assembly. (The’53 yearbook also is dedicated to Freeman and Sprague.)

Our basketball team enjoyed a stellar ’53-’54 season. After reaching the 100-point mark once in its first 25 years, Montclair did it 11 times that season, including a memorable game on February 9, 1954 as Montclair set a record for points scored in knocking off Bloomfield College, 120-102. The ’53-’54 squad went on to an 18-4 record, the best single-season winning percentage in team history. In addition, Montclair ranked as one of the highest-scoring teams in the nation, averaging 96.7 points per game, a record that still stands today.

The Montclair State campus experienced a great expansion during the ’50s. In 1955, Stone Hall, dedicated to John C. Stone, first chair of the Mathematics Department and author of more than 60 textbooks in the field, opened and housed up to 100 students. The opening of Finley Hall, dedicated to Charles S. Finley, former dean of instruction, the Student Center and Memorial Auditorium followed in 1957.  On Oct. 16, 1950, a story in LIFE magazine reported on the nationwide college facilities shortage as GIs flocked to college after World War II. Life Hall was dedicated to those who gave their lives in the service of our country. It houses Memorial Auditorium and the DuMont Television Center, named after Allen B. Dumont, a pioneer in the broadcasting industry.

Perhaps the biggest historical highlight of the decade came in 1958 when Montclair State Teachers College merged with Panzer School of Physical Education to become Montclair State College. Panzer College was the last of the private, single-purpose schools and colleges preparing teachers of physical education and health in the United States. Because Montclair State College was then considering the development of a physical education major, the timing for a merger was perfect. This historic event was engineered by Partridge, Dr. Margaret C. Brown, president of Panzer College, and the Panzer College Board of Trustees, with the approval of the State Board of Education. Panzer Gymnasium and Panzer Pool were dedicated to a Swiss-born gymnast, Henry Panzer, in 1958.

That year also marked the tradition of awarding honorary degrees chosen by the Board of Trustees. The first, an honorary Doctor of Letters, was presented to Dr. John H. Bosshart who served as state Commissioner of Education from 1943-1952. Since then, many alumni have been awarded honorary degrees. For a complete list of recipients, click here.

Alumni from the decade accomplished great things in many fields. Edward J.  Meade ’54 was the co-founder and first chair of the New Jersey Public Broadcasting Authority, a former member of the New Jersey Board of Higher Education, and a longtime member of the Ford Foundation where he sought for almost 30 years to improve the quality of public schools; Ray Michalski sang at the Met; William Shadel ’52 performed in the orchestra of several Broadway productions and Lew Erber ’56 held many coaching positions in the NFL throughout his career.  

Montclair State entered this decade with only four permanent buildings and with the mission to prepare teachers committed to public service. Both changed with the physical development of the campus and the new programs and degrees offered as a result of becoming a four-year college. Yet the atmosphere of a close-knit community of faculty, students and alumni remained the same thanks, in part, to the school’s leadership: from Chapin, inspiration; from Sprague, vision and diligence; from Partridge, diplomacy.