Athletic Field.
Miss Annie Clarkson donated to the College a large section of land to the west
of the family home, Holcroft, for use as an athletic field.
Scholarship Cup.
Given by Mr. George W. Cook of Potsdam, a scholarship cup was to be
awarded annually to the fraternity whose members during the past year had maintained the
highest average scholarship. In 1922, it went to Theta Pi Epsilon.
Fund Raiser.
In February, with the help of people from Potsdam Normal and the town,
Clarkson staged a musical, All Aboard, to raise money for athletics, which heretofore the
students had had to pay from their own pockets. At the alumni dinner in May, Prof. Wilson
spoke about the proposed athletic field, saying that through combined efforts of students and
faculty alike, about $1,000 would be ready to help with the athletic field by the end of the year.
SLU Defeated.
Clarkson defeated St. Lawrence in football on November 11, Armistice Day at
Weeks Field, Canton, by a score of 26-0. "Red" Boucher was the star of the day. He served
almost as a fifth man in the backfield, for he switched places from halfback on offense to right
end on defense.
Farrisee Joined Faculty.
William J. Farrisee joined the Clarkson faculty in 1922 as an
instructor in civil engineering and served in that department for 23 years, rising to the rank of
full professor before assuming administrative duties as dean of men, then dean of the college,
and finally as dean of students in 1946.
As dean of students, he was the students' closest link with the administration. In that
position, he was the judicious counsellor for men who sought financial aid, who had scholastic
difficulties, or who had any other "urgent" difficulties confronting them.
He was an ardent advisor, participant, and supporter of many student activities. Called
"Mr. Clarkson" for years, he was proud of his membership in such organizations as Pi Delta
Epsilon, the collegiate journalism society into which he had been initiated for his work as editor
of the Clarkson Alumnus magazine. He also was advisor to Lambda Iota for 28 years.
Additionally, he sponsored many organizations. For example, when Clarkson petitioned
for a chapter of Tau Beta Pi in 1941, Bill attended the conclave and made the petitionary
speech. Other organizations he sponsored were Phalanx, the Varsity "C" Club, and the student
chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers. He was an ardent sports fan, seldom
missing a Clarkson athletic contest at home. That lifelong interest in sports had been called
upon only two years after his arrival on campus when he was asked to become secretary to the
athletic governing board.
Students remembered him not only for all these accomplishments, but also for the 12
years his piano-playing ability was demonstrated as a member of the Clarkson Melody Boys, a
group consisting of Bill, Ted Batchelder '25, Clarence E. Premo, Lou Weller, Mike Cowie '25,
and Bert Cornelius '25, playing at dances throughout the north country.
He was the first executive secretary of the newly organized Clarkson Tech Alumni
Association, and established and served as first editor of the Clarkson Alumnus magazine.
Bill received his bachelor of science degree from MIT in 1919, and a master of science
degree from Clarkson in 1932. He also taught at Illinois, Yale, and Syracuse Universities. His
