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News Letters
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ENTRE
NOUS
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 2 LEHIGH
UNIVERSITY CLASS OF 1952 Winter, 2001
Our 50th Reunion in 2002 |
Lehigh Foiled by Future President
taken from "In Days Gone By," Charles G. Hafner, Class of 1946
| 1889
was an eventful year of significant
historical import. President Benjamin Harrison was inaugurated after
a noteworthy election in which he won the electoral vote 233-168, but lost
the popular vote to Democrat Grover Cleveland. North Dakota, South
Dakota, Montana and Washington were admitted to statehood. The
Department of Agriculture was given Cabinet status.
However, as autumn turned into winter on the campus of Lehigh University
and a successful football season reached its climax, the minds of most
students on Thanksgiving Day, November 22, were on the holiday feasts with
their families and (or) the climactic and crucial game that day with
Wesleyan University at Hampden Park, Springfield, MA.
One of the coaches of the Wesleyan team was Professor of
History and Political Economics, Thomas Woodrow Wilson. As a student
at Princeton University, he had been a "director" of its very successful
football team. At Wesleyan he was assisted by H.D. Slayback, team captain.
Wesleyan had had an
impressively successful season, defeating the University of Pennsylvania
10-2, Amherst 39-0, Williams 20-17, Rutgers 58-4 and Trinity 6-0.
There were of course a few losses, Princeton among them. Lehigh had
garnered victories over Haverford 60-0, Lafayette 16-10, Columbia 51-6,
State College (Penn State) 106-0 (that's right!), Pennsylvania 8-0, losing
to Princeton 16-0 and 16-4 and to Penn 6-4. Lehigh proudly flew the
Champion of Pennsylvania banner and later finished out the season
defeating Navy, Johns Hopkins and the University of Virginia.
C.F. Price, author of "When Woodrow Wilson Was at
Wesleyan," The Christian Advocate, August, 1919, included in the
anthology, "Woodrow Wilson, A Profile," by Professor Arthur Link, the
pre-eminent Wilson scholar |
and authority,
described the game and its importance. Wesleyan had clearly
established "its primacy among the smaller colleges of New England; and as
Lehigh had gained a similar ascendancy in her section, a great importance
was attached in the football world to the Wesleyan-Lehigh game. In
fact Lehigh supporters boasted that in case victory came their way, they
would insist on demanding Wesleyan's coveted place in the old
intercollegiate Football Association which included Harvard, Pennsylvania,
Princeton, Wesleyan and Yale." The playing field that day
was a sea of mud, a condition the players, however, did not necessarily
regret. They played without helmets and with minimal, if any,
padding, in a game that emphasized grind-it-out power with the flying
wedge in common use and the forward pass unknown. Injuries were so
common President Theodore Roosevelt a few years later advocated serious
consideration of outlawing the game.
Lehigh scored two quick and easy touchdowns. The
momentum seemed to be building to a potential out when a man dressed in
boots and raincoat strode out in front of the Wesleyan stands, and using
his umbrella much as a modern cheerleader would use a pompom, led the fans
in the Wesleyan yell. "This he continued violently until..." the
Wesleyan cheers heartened Slayback's men - and the tide of the game
turned. " Wesleyan scored two goals to tie the score. The Dynamic
and inspiring cheerleader was Professor Woodrow Wilson.
Twenty-four years later, almost to the day, on November
25, 1913, Francis B. Sayre of South Bethlehem married President Woodrow
Wilson's daughter, Jessie, in the White House. One can surmise with
a fair degree of realistic certainty that the Lehigh / Wesleyan game of
1889 was recalled in conversation between the President and his Bethlehem
guests, with a recounting of some version of his part in the outcome.
PLEASE NOTE: The championship game ended in a tie! |
MAKE YOUR
ACCOMMODATION
RESERVATIONS NOW!
Bill Smith, Social
Reunion Chairman, has reserved blocks of rooms at the following hotels and
motels in Bethlehem:
- Hotel Bethlehem - call them at 610-624-5000;
-
Comfort Suites - 610-882-9700; and the Lehigh University's
Tremblay Apartments, at 610-758-3000
Individual classmates are asked to make their own reservations by calling the
facility and identifying themselves as being with the Lehigh Class of 1952.
Rates will be quoted to you when you call. Early reservations are suggested.
|
Class of 1952 Reunion Fund Committee Met 9/21/01 |
Those in attendance included Class President,
Bob McCann, Reunion Co-chairmen
Ralph Fortney and
Ed Leidheiser,
Pat Moran, Bill Smith,
Ed Ruestow,
Chick Kuss, Frank Sgambelluri,
Cass Camarda, John
Kerr,
Wil Wilbern,
Bob Keisling and
Ed Flynn.
Our goals remain the some:
-
To have record attendance at
our 50th Reunion;
- To win the Petty Flag;
- To reach the class gift of $8.0 million;
-
To attain 75% participation toward the gift over the 5 year
cycle;
-
To attain a minimum of 50 Tower Society members;
-
To produce as many Asa Packer donors as possible.
Class of 1952 performance, year to date (as of September, 2001):
- Class gift: $4.8 million;
- 2000-2001 Annual Fund - $131,118 vs. a goal of $90,000;
- 2000-2001 Annual Fund participation - 57% vs. a goal of 60%
- 2000-2001 Tower Society members - 37;
- 2000-2001 Asa Packer donors - 36.
You can get all the information you need about the Tower Society and the
Lehigh Life Income Program by phoning Francis "Fig"
Figlear in the Development Office at 1-800-523-0565.
|
50th Reunion Yearbook Needs Your Input! |
For our 50th Reunion Yearbook, Classmate
Frank Sgambelluri requests individual
biographies of up to 250 words plus a current photo from each classmate.
Frank wants to know what you've been doing for the past fifty years: your
work history, children, hobbies, interests, social consciousness, travel
experiences, etc. These bios should reach Frank before the end of
2001. Send to:
Frank Sgambelluri
600 Martz Road
Stroudsburg, PA 18360-8850
You can email Frank at sgamb@ptd.net
Did you know... our youngest
member of the Class of 1952 is 70 years old and our oldest is over 80?
Did you know... the Lehigh
1950 undefeated football team was asked to the Sun Bowl and declined - and that
its final ranking was 19th in the nation, ahead of Texas A & M, Michigan, Notre
Dame and Stanford?
Did you know... in the 1880s
author-to-be, Richard Harding Davis "financed" the first Lehigh football team by
wangling $52 from the school funds to buy eleven Brown & White jerseys and one
football?!
Did you know... our
classmate, the late Bob Rodale, headed
up the Rodale Institute Experimental Farm, the nation's acknowledged leader in
regenerative organic farming and gardening? Did you also know that Bob
was the driving force behind the Lehigh Valley Velodrome, the international
bicycle racing track?
Did you also know... that
Ardath, Bob Rodale's widow, and the Rodale Foundation have
contributed to Lehigh at the highest level and are commemorated on the
Leadership Plaza?
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ENTRE
NOUS
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1 LEHIGH
UNIVERSITY CLASS OF 1952 Spring, 2001
Our 50th Reunion in 2002 |
|
Our 50th Reunion
Newsletter Series
Issue #1:
The 50th Reunion Committee has decided that it would be a helpful
idea to publish a periodic newsletter from now until our actual
reunion in June 2002 in order to keep you abreast of
developments. We really want to make this the biggest and best
gathering in our fifty years of existence.
The title of our publication, Entre Nous, defined as "between
us," comes from my father's boyhood club in Brooklyn. It
was a way of expressing their friendship and camaraderie.
We plan to pass along to you minutes of the committee meetings,
progress reports on the various phases of our reunion plans and other
items which may be of a timely nature or for which there is not enough
room in the Alumni Bulletin column for the Class of 1952.
Articles of interest to the class or by members of the class will
be printed. In this issue Frank
Sgambelluri requests help on the reunion book and I (Pat
Moran) start a column entitled "Do You Remember When ...
?" We welcome letters & emails from all!
It must be emphasized that this little newsletter is not a
substitute for the Class of '52 column in the Alumni Bulletin, and it
will only be published until the June, 2002 reunion. It is
essentially a vehicle to keep you informed as to our progress and to
interest you in joining the committee, helping the committee or, if
nothing else, to encourage you to attend the 50th reunion of the
greatest class to graduate from Lehigh! |
Reunion Committee Meeting
The Class of '52 Reunion fund committee meeting was held on
Saturday, September 30, 200 in Iacocca Hall. Ralph
Fortney and Ed Leidheiser
opened the meeting.
First report was that Howard Figueroa,
a member of this committee, had passed away. Condolences were
offered.
Frank Sgambelluri described
how the class yearbook will be formatted and the provisions for paying
the cost of printing. He said LU would fund the cost up to
$2,500 and said he is open to suggestions on the person(s) or idea for
which we will dedicate our yearbook. (Please see Frank's
letter to our class, elsewhere in this web page.)
Francis Figlear reviewed the
gift format for the 50th Reunion class gift. Options will be
presented to the class through this newsletter, Lehigh University
correspondence and our web page.
Ralph opened more discussion
on our gift goal, saying our 35th reunion goal was $350,000; our 40th
was $1.4 million, 45th provided no special goal. As of March of 2001
our class has been credited with $4 million in gifts, encompassing the
5-year period prior to our 50th.
Ralph explained that our
annual fund contributions are at 59% of our class of 420 members.
Using the past as a guide showed that $8 million would be an
attainable goal for our class. Given the current stock market
conditions, all agreed that we would probably need to reach a goal of
75% class participation to reach the $8 million figure.
Ralph further stressed that we
need to increase the number of Asa Packer contributors to a minimum of
75. (Our best previous record was 69 at our 40th Reunion) and also
raise class membership in The Tower Society to a minimum of 50
(present membership stands at 30).
We have a year to achieve these ambitious goals and ask that you
give these pursuits serious consideration There are a variety of
attractive giving options that can prove beneficial to both the donor
and the University. |
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1952-Your Year in
Review:
- Average Income - $3850
- New Car - $1754
- New House - $9,075
- Loaf of Bread - $0.16
- Gallon of Gas - $0.20
- Gallon of Milk - $0.97
- Dow Jones Average - 270
- President - Harry Truman
- Inventions
- Life Expectancy - 68.2 years
- Minimum Wage: $0.75
See Gus's comment on
these expenses - Gus |
The 1952 Reunion Committee in Session in Iacocca Hall |
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PLANNED GIVING and ENDOWMENT OPTIONS:
Helping Lehigh Yourself & Your Taxes
Outright Gifts:
- Cash
- Appreciated property
- stock
- real estate
- collections.
- Reduce income tax, avoid capital gains,
help Lehigh!
- Establish an endowed scholarship in your
name with a minimum outright gift of $10,000 in cash or stock. Don't
forget the power of your company's matching gift!
Gifts which Return Income to You:
- Pooled income funds: a gift here returns
income at a variable rate and pays dividends quarterly. Minimum
gift of $5,000; additional gifts of $1,000 or more.
- Charitable gift annuities - annuities
offer a reasonable fixed income for life. Single-life rate for a 70
year old is 7.5% with an associated charitable income tax deduction.
An annuity may be established with a minimum gift of $5,000.
- Call the phone numbers below to reach Francis
Figlear for income rates for single life and two-life
annuities.
- Charitable remainder trusts: Protect a
profit or reinvest for a higher yield while receiving income for life
and a charitable income tax deduction today for the expected present
value of the remaining assets. Due to annual administrative and
investment management costs, it is recommended to start with $100,000.
Planned Gifts Through Estate Planning:
- Charitable Bequests: Including Lehigh in
your will to receive a percentage of your estate or a specific bequest
allows you to hold onto your assets until you no longer need
them. Contingent bequests allow you to provide for others with
Lehigh as the default in the event they predecease you or disclaim the
property.
Life Insurance:
- Gifts of paid-up life insurance policies
generate immediate income tax deductions, while naming Lehigh as
beneficiary of a policy allows you to retain ownership and access to
the policy's cash value.
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FOR
MORE INFORMATION on PLANNED GIVING
CALL Francis Figlear
at
(800) 523-0565 or (610) 758-4749 |
Your input is
wanted...
by your Class
Correspondent, Pat Moran
As you can see from the article at the right, I have started a column
for our class to reminisce about our Lehigh experience. I have
begun with some of my own memories of the campus and classes, but I need
your input to make this work! My email address is
pmoran27@q.com.
You can also reach me by snail mail at 6481 E. Placita Acambay, Tucson,
AZ 85750. Or fill out the on-line
news form. |
DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN...? |
- WE WORE WIDE LAPELS AND SUNBURST TIES
- WE ATTENDED SUNDAY CHAPEL WITH
REVEREND BEAN
- WE WALKED "UP THE HILL"
AFTER SATURDAY MORNING CLASSES
- FOOTBALL HELMETS HAD NO FACE GUARDS
- SUNDAYS MEANT THE "BABY
PARADE" ON SOUTH MOUNTAIN
- WE CARVED OUR INITIALS ON THE TABLES
AT JOE KINNEY'S
- WE WORE COATS AND TIES FOR DINNER IN
THE FRATERNITY
- WE WALKED TO TAYLOR STADIUM AND
WATCHED "INTIMATE" FOOTBALL
- DR. DIAMOND THREW ERASERS AT THOSE OF
US WHO SLEPT IN CLASS
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Frank
Sgambelluri
NEEDS HELP ON 50TH
REUNION BOOK
Dear Lehigh '52 Classmates,
I'm writing to ask your help in putting
together our June 2002 50th Reunion Book to be distributed just before the
reunion. Over the last seven years or so, most classes have issued very
enjoyable books ... what would be a great asset to the book would be pictures,
publications and narratives connected with the Brown & White, House
parties, WLRN, Mustard and Cheese, Spring Music Festival, and any other
interesting social or sports events. Also, if you have any printable
anecdotes, these will be welcome. Of course, we will return any items
you request after we use them.
We are starting early, but please don't put
this off too long. Your input will really enhance our book. Regards,
Frank
Sgambelluri
600 Martz Road
Stroudsburg, PA 18360-8850
You can also use the on-line news
form and e-mail your pictures as an attachment. |
Revised:
February 08, 2009
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