Then on Friday evening, everybody turned out for the pep rally and bonfire. As
required, the freshmen attended in their pajamas to add color to the parade from Old Main to
the Clarkson estate, and the bonfire where songs and cheers were rehearsed. Then the parade
journeyed to the Rialto theater for a free movie,
One Rainy Afternoon
, starring Frances Lederer
and Ida Lupino. The next day, 7,000 fans watched Clarkson and St. Lawrence play to a
scoreless tie.
Clarkson ended its season on the following weekend by losing to a powerful Boston
University squad 14-7. Down 14-0 with less than a minute to play, fullback Bill Fiesinger from
his own 30-yard line passed to Francis Blackley who lateraled to Gustave Hutteman, who raced
45 yards to the Boston 10 where, just as he was about to be tackled, he lateraled to Howard
Ewell who plowed to the two-yard line before being tackled. Wood, coming on the field as a
substitute, plunged across for the score. Fiesinger added the extra point as the game ended.
John R.Weston
. A loyal and devoted Clarkson Trustee, John R. Weston, known to students
and townspeople alike as "Uncle John," died on November 11, 1936.
Born in Canada in 1863, J.R. moved to Potsdam early in his adulthood, and began a
bookstore with a man named Clark. After a disastrous fire in downtown Potsdam destroyed it
and many other businesses a year later, he reopened the business in partnership with Frederick
Weed, owner of Weed's Hardware Store. Within three years, J.R. bought out his partner and
moved the store to its present location, although it was only one-third its present size then. He
retired from active participation in the store, incorporated it, and named Glenn R. Morse and
Murray Walker as vice president and secretary-treasurer, respectively.
J.R. also was a pioneer in the development of the telephone industry in northern New
York. A member of the executive committee of the New York Telephone Company, and
resident director for the company in the village, he also was one of the founders and president
of the Potsdam Savings, Building, and Loan Association, a director of the Citizen's National
Bank, and past president of the Bayside Cemetery Association. He also was a member of the
Potsdam Citizen's Club, the Potsdam Rotary, the Masons, and served on the Board of Education
for over 20 years. Although he never attended college, the Class of 1902 made him an honorary
member. In his memory, his family created the J.R. Weston Memorial Football Trophy in 1937.
Science Demonstration Day
. On May 9, 1936, all northern New York high school juniors and
seniors who had expressed an interest in or were intending to follow some branch of science
were invited to Clarkson to watch various demonstrations performed on campus.
Beginning at 10 a.m. and continuing throughout the day, these displays showed what
goes on in an engineering college. The goal of this exhibit was to show how interesting and
fruitful the study of engineering could be, and how Clarkson carried it out. Over 150 students,
including eight from as far away as Rockland County, attended. During the luncheon break, the
Dramatechers put on two one-act plays,
The Laziest Man in the World
and
The Municipal
Barber Shop.
ROTC On Campus
. A unit of the Reserve Officer Training Corps was established in
September under the direction of Capt. Timothy L. Mulligan, Corps of Engineers, US Army.
The first year's group of cadets were organized into one company composed of 59 men. The
cadet officers appointed were L. C. Welch, Capt.; W.W. Sedr, 1st Lt.; and C.E. Wheelock, 2nd
Lt. Their first drills were conducted in the gymnasium.
