Player and Best Forward. Kingman of Brown defeated Art Smith for the Outstanding
Defenseman by one vote. In the All Tri-State League (Clarkson, St. Lawrence, RPI, and
Middlebury) voting, Art Smith, Al Ziebarth, Eddie Rowe, and Tommy Meeker were placed on
the first team, and Jack Porter and Grant Childerhose on the Second.
Don Seale, a member of the undefeated team, was the only negro to play for Clarkson,
or for any other college hockey team up to that time.
NCAA Invitation
. Clarkson's undefeated hockey team was not invited to the NCAA
Championships. Instead, the NCAA chose St. Lawrence and Boston College because of the
NCAA ruling that Clarkson had eight seniors who had been playing varsity hockey for four
years which, under NCAA rules, made them ineligible. The team voted not to go without them
and turned down the NCAA bid.
This caused quite a protest, since BC and St. Lawrence, the two teams chosen to
represent the east, had been beaten decisively twice by Clarkson; BC was beaten 7-6 and 5-2,
and St. Lawrence by 8-3 and 7-4.
Ice Carnival
. The Ice Carnival theme was "Disneyland in Snow," for which the Minto Club
returned, and the Dave Brubeck Quartet played.
Burnap Library
. Clarkson's first library was located in a room in the president's home. As the
school grew and the library expanded accordingly, it moved around to various buildings until
the early 1950s when it was placed in the top floor of Peyton Hall, the chemical engineering
building. There it remained until early 1954 when plans were drawn up to turn the old
Pierrepont gym into a library.
This idea of a conversion originated when plans for the Alumni Memorial Gymnasium
were finalized. When it became plain that the old Pierrepont gym would no longer be necessary
for its intended use, thoughts turned to alternatives. A library seemed to be the most logical
choice. Space in Peyton was cramped and the chemical engineering department wanted the area
occupied by the library for its much needed laboratories. With the library moved into the old
gymnasium and the laboratories made from its old space in the chemical engineering building,
two problems would be solved.
But an even bigger problem had to be faced: paying for the project. This problem was
solved on July 15, 1954, when Dr. Van Note, president of the College, announced the receipt of
a donation of $50,000 from Kansas City philanthropist Frank P. Burnap in memory of his
deceased wife, Harriet. Burnap's cousin, W. Allan Newell, a life Trustee of Clarkson, had
convinced him to contribute the money for the library. Thus, the Harriet Call Burnap Library
was born. In his speech, President Van Note expressed the relief felt by all:
Mr. Burnap's generous contribution will remedy the problems enhanced by our already
cramped library facilities which are located in one of our classroom buildings. The need for the
library is great, and I hope we can move into the Harriet Call Burnap Library within the next
two or three years.
On May 24, 1955, work began on the project. Egbert Bagg Associates, a contractor
from Utica, began tearing out the inside of the old gym. According to him, the old gym was an
excellent choice to remodel as a library due to its condition and strength. On June 16, less than
one month after the start of the renovation, more good news arrived. Frank Burnap, pleased
with the progress already made, donated another $50,000 to the Library Fund.
