black, gray, or blue gowns; the green 25-cent stamps would go well with beige, gray, red, and
blue gowns; the blue 50-cent stamps would go well with the co-ed's yellow, red, or white
formal; and the brown $1.00 stamps would be the ideal decoration for green, white, and pink
dresses. These corsages most assuredly would be saved, and, after the war, redeemed for a
profit.
Swartwout Memorial.
Raising money during the fall term, members of Phalanx vowed to
present annually a memorial to the group sculpting the best ice statue at Ice Carnival in
February 1942, in memory of Ben Swartwout. (See 1941) This trophy was created by Phalanx
with the support of student and local merchants. It was awarded in the evening after the ice
statue judging on Thursday afternoon of Ice Carnival week. Lambda Iota won the first trophy
with its statue of a Marine in battle dress standing guard before the Marine Insignia embossed
on a 10-foot long wall.
Commencement.
The 43rd Commencement was held on May 11 in the Normal Auditorium
(Snell Hall Auditorium) where 98 undergraduate degrees were awarded. Among the graduates
were Paul Garvey, later a Clarkson Trustee, and George Maclean.
George Maclean.
George served as secretary, treasurer, and president of his class during his
first three years here. He was a letterman in football and hockey for three years. As a solid
tackle he served as co-captain of the football team and led his team to a crushing 26-0 victory
over St. Lawrence in his senior year. He was elected to Tau Beta Pi in his junior year, tapped
for Phalanx, was chairman of the Junior Prom, and became president of the Board of Governors
in his senior year.
In 1946 he returned to Clarkson to teach, and later to become chairman of the
Department of Mechanical Engineering, then director of Corporate and Foundation Relations,
and finally, director of Development at Clarkson before retiring in 1985.
Weston Trophy.
Even though by defeating St. Lawrence roundly and soundly 26-0 in the fall,
Clarkson had assured the return of the Weston Trophy to Potsdam, St. Lawrence delayed the
actual return of the cup for five months after their loss.
Jack Phillips, Yankee?
Jack Phillips, star first baseman, discussed leaving Clarkson to join the
New York Yankees; he already signed to join the team after he graduated. After he discussed
this move with Paul Kritchell, the famous baseball scout who had discovered Lou Gehrig, he
decided to complete his degree first.
Class Ring Design.
Butch Klein submitted the winning design for a Clarkson ring and won the
prize of $5. Board of Governor's committee judging the entries consisted of Prof. William
Farrisee, George Maclean, Paul Garvey, and Robert Bode.
Holcroft Flagpole.
The flagpole in front of Holcroft was erected in spring 1942 as a memorial
to Jack St. Leger who had been killed in an automobile accident shortly before the beginning of
the fall semester in 1941. That flagpole was an incredible labor of love and affection for the
dead student.
