pledges in the College's history: $101,655. That amount was raised in the first six months of
the academic year, leaving the rest of the year to reach an even higher figure. It topped by a
substantial amount the previous year's $72,902.
Space Travel
. In a speech to a packed Snell Auditorium on Dec. 3, 1968, Willie Ley, world
famous authority on rockets and space travel, predicted that the next 10 years (until 1978-80)
would be the most interesting time in our history of space exploration.
He verified his opinion by reporting that just recently an enterprising scientist contacted
leading industries throughout the USA and asked if they would be interested in renting
laboratory space on the moon. The replies were astounding. Almost 100 said that they would
be, while nearly 40 said that they were involved in projects that could be studied better under
environmental conditions on the moon because of the moon's gravity which is one-sixth that of
the earth.
Calendar Change
. Beginning in 1969, the Clarkson College academic calendar would change
radically. To allow the fall semester to end before Christmas holiday, classes had to begin two
weeks earlier than usual. For this change, classes had to be lengthened to 55 minutes from the
standard 50 minutes. The spring semester began on January 19, spring recess held from March
7 through March 22, and Commencement held on May 24, two weeks earlier than usual. Under
previous calendars, the semester ended with final examinations late in January, and books taken
home over Christmas for pre-final examination cramming usually returned to campus with
thick coats of dust.
Lacrosse Star
. Shattering all school team records for the most goals scored, Arthur Scottow,
Jr., was named to the Honorable Mention All-American Intercollegiate Lacrosse Team for
1968. A junior management major, Art scored 15 goals as a center mid-fielder, breaking the
previous record of 10. He was named captain of the 1969 squad and also served as president of
his fraternity, Delta Upsilon.
Other Sports
. In cross country, Clarkson's harriers garnered a perfect dual-meet record with
victories over Utica, Union, Hobart, and Potsdam State. At the Le Moyne Invitational, Clarkson
finished 8th out of 16 entrants, and tied for second in the Upstate New York Championship
with stellar performances by Ed Hoy, Frank Chetalat, and Fred Reusch, and particularly by Bob
Hurdle's firsts in four dual meets.
Even with a 7-20 record, Clarkson's basketball team had highlights. Its problems lay in
the second-half statistics in many games: leaving the court at halftime with a lead, and then
losing it in disastrous second halves. In the last game of the season, however, the team avenged
an earlier loss to St. Lawrence when Russ Hall's 30 points led Clarkson to an 82-65 victory with
fine support by Dave Snare, and co-captain Arkley Mastro. Earlier, Clarkson had defeated RPI
by the score of 106-86 with its finest offensive day of the season as every member made the
scoreboard.
Clarkson's wrestlers were beset by bad luck as they posted a 3-7 record, losing players
to illness, injuries, and grades. They couldn't present a consistent team, even forfeiting matches
late in the year. Bob Monks' graduation in January with a career record of 34-1 left a large gap
in the lineup. Earlier he had been named the Most Valuable Player in the Rochester Institution
