that the rally would provide an excellent opportunity to bring a touch of spirit to the campus
and to back a promising soccer team.
Despite a few showers during the day, the weather cooperated so that students met at the
arena at 7:00 p.m., where cars were decorated by the Class of '64. At 8:00 a parade of cars
proceeded to President Whitson's house to have him and Mrs. Whitson join the parade back to
the "monster" bonfire on Snell Field. Although no actual count was made of the cars
participating, the parade was so long that it encircled State campus completely on its way to the
Hill.
Then Mrs. Whitson "baptized" the "Golden Knight" armor making its first appearance
with a person inside. (See 1959) After the soccer team had been introduced, a figure
representing the Ithaca soccer team was burned in effigy on the huge bonfire. Following the
fire, students enjoyed a dance in the Hill Annex cafeteria and free refreshments of hard cider.
Unfortunately, Ithaca won the soccer game 2-1.
Launch Pad.
At its Cape Carnival launch site in Cape Vincent, N.Y., five members of the
Clarkson Rocket Society spent Saturday, November 9, completing the steel-reinforced
launching slab that was able to support a more rugged and versatile launcher than an earlier
launch pad. This site already had a cinder-block blockhouse; the group planned to erect a wood-
reinforced sandbag photography bunker in the spring, but the bunker never was constructed.
Tops in ECAC.
With a record of 10 wins, no losses and one tie, Clarkson's Golden Knight
hockey team breezed into the ECAC Holiday Tournament in December, and skated away with
top honors by rolling over Loyola 13-2, Brown 5-1, Boston College 9-3 and 4-3, and Princeton
13-3, followed by a 2-2 tie with St. Lawrence. Corby Adams was chosen the Most Valuable
Player of the tournament. In the Princeton game, three players scored hat tricks: Adams, Brian
Wilkinson, and Gary Bray.
Whitson's Promises.
At a convocation held in the arena in October, President Whitson made
six promises to the students: to put Clarkson on the national educational map, to increase
scholarship funds, to increase library facilities, to purchase more laboratory equipment, to
encourage faculty development, and to reduce the dropout and attrition rates. He encouraged
more active participation in extracurricular activities, and enlisted the aid of students as peer
tutors to reduce attrition.
Then he went on to describe the future of Clarkson as he saw it. He foresaw by 1971 an
overall enrollment of 3,000, new curricula in such areas as aerospace engineering and
astrophysics, expanded liberal studies and humanities, and PhD programs in at least eight
departments. New buildings would include a library, laboratories, classrooms, a swimming
pool, and hockey arena, and a golf course along the river. He called it "Operation '71."
Family-Style Dining.
Slater Food System changed its method of serving food in the dormitory
cafeterias to a family dining style. Seated at tables for eight, students would be served by a
student waiter. Each table had a tablecloth, a basket of bread or rolls, and eight place settings.
The waiter brought the main course, the vegetables, and the dessert to the tables for the students
to help themselves. Its one major disadvantage was that it set a general time for the meal to be
served so some men had to wait for a free table. It did offer employment to some 60 student
waiters, however.
