1960-1969

Dickinson junior Judy Rogers, after spending the summer in Sierra Leone as part of the Operation Crossroads Africa (OCA) program, shared her experiences with her classmates and local communities. Rogers remarked on the similarities between African cities and American cities, and her own intimate participation in Sierra Leonean culture: students were expected to live as the local people did, eating their food and donning traditional dress when appropriate.

At the close of her sophomore year, Judith Rogers, one of the first African Americans to receive campus housing at Dickinson, had received two distinctions.

The Dickinson College Chaplain wrote a letter in October of 1969 (it is unclear to whom, or who this Chaplain is, for the document contains no signature) to offer the presentational services of the most-recently returned Project Africa participants.Dorothy "Dottie" Cole worked with twenty other students in Sierra Leone "building a hospital in the village of Mabai which will, when completed, serve persons from a 50 mile area in that country."

Paul E. Kaylor, Dickinson College's Chaplain at the time, wrote this letter to the Operation Crossroads Africa headquarters in New York City in December of 1967 to endorse Dickinson's two applicants for the year, Dorothy Lynne Cole and Barry Eugene Taylor. Kaylor recommends both students enthusiastically, writing "they are, as the reference forms indicate, young people of the highest order and will [...] prove to be excellent Crossroaders."

Barbara E. Hancock spent about six weeks during the summer of 1967 in Upper Volta, West Africa (present day Burkina Faso) where she lived with African students and helped to build a school. Upon her return to Carlisle, Hancock became Co-Chairman of Project Africa and wrote a letter to the "clergymen of Carlisle Area Churches" in an effort to "refresh [their] memories about Project Africa" and to offer them a presentation where she would show her slides and give a brief talk about her experiences.

OCA (Operation Crossroads Africa) was founded at Dickinson by Judy Rogers, '65. Rogers was the College's first representative in Africa in the summer of 1963. The following summer ('64) three other Dickinson students followed her lead.

Su Kenderdine, a Dickinson senior, spent 11 weeks in Barbour County, Alabama volunteering with SCOPE (Summer Community Organization for Political Education). Kenderdine joined other Northern college students in the South with the goal of helping "Negroes better their lives by arousing an interest in education and government." As part of their work, Kenderdine and other SCOPE volunteers set up schools in counties across the South and tried to "better job opportunities for Southern Negroes."

Maureen Newton (Class of 1965) is featured in the 1965 Microcosm as its Business Manager.

The Sentinel newspaper in 1962 documented the progress of the building of the new women's dorm, Adams Hall, at the ground breaking ceremony. The newspaper mentions that the 125-room dorm will cost around $850,000 and is to be completed by August 1963. Among the people involved in the ceremony was the dean of women, Barbara Wishmeyer, as well as three students from the women's dormitory committee.

A group of five unidentified women are captured in this photograph, circa 1969, standing alongside one of Dickinson's athletic fields and appear to be cheering. 

Historical sign regarding Metzger Hall, a women's dormitory. "Metzger Hall: One of the Dormitories of Dickinson College, Erected in 1881 as the Metzger Institute, By the bequest of George Metzer of the Class of 1798.
Karen Barrowclough '66
Ruth Ann Dorfler
Mary Nolan
Priscilla Hinebaugh '66
Kim Larsen '66

Barbara Wishmeyer, the Dean of Women for the Academic Year 1962-1963, included photographs of her female students in her scrapbook of their pledge formal attire during the sorority rush/pledge spring season. Women had the opportunity to pledge Chi Omega, Phi Mu, Pi Beta Phi, and Zeta Tau Alpha. In these photographs from top to bottom are:
Peggy McBee
Doris Detweiler '66
Carol Frey '66
Ann Davis
Elisabeth Lane '66
Lori Shimer

From the Wishmeyer Scrapbook, this listing provides over a dozen rules and regulations for all girls rushing sororities. Things like social phone calls between upperclass women and freshman  and showing any "preference between upperclassmen and freshman or rushee or unaffiliated upperclasswoman going through rush" are absolutely forbidden. In the text here, counselors must remain impartial and not support any one sorority by wearing letters or insignia or discussing certain sororities.

A photograph from the Wishmeyer Scrapbook shows a room ransacked of its contents during the rush season. The caption reads: "During the 'Silent Period' we raided our counsellors' room of all contents- what could they say??!" This probably relates to the many rules, also found in the Wishmeyer Scrapbook, listed as Fall Panhellenic Rules, that female students faced while rushing and pledging.

Female students sunbathe outside behind Metzger Hall in May 1963, relaxing or perhaps studying. Swimsuits showing lots of leg obviously in style!

From the Wishmeyer scrapbook, this schedule of meals includes etiquette regarding when to say or sing Grace before meals, seating assignments, and dress code. All meals are family style and occur at specific times throughout the day, much unlike our modern cafeteria meal plans today.

An entire page in the Alpha Delta Epsilon scrapbook is dedicated for the creed of the new organization.

The new chapter of Alpha Delta Epsilon sorority documents a new design for their pledge pins, ribbons and their flower for pledgeship in their scrapbook.

Pictured here is the original crest of the new sorority, Alpha Delta Epsilon, which is illustrated in ADE's scrapbook.

In addition to the borrowed tunes from Phi Mu that contribute to the spirit of the new Alpha Delta Epsilon, an original song, entitled ‘Warmth,’ was composed and seems to “typify ADE to all sisters.”
 

Alice Watts, Priscilla Hinebauch (Class of 1966), Elizabeth Wagner (Class of 1966, and Joanne Harris (Class of 1965) dress up for Saint Lucia Day in Metzger Hall, January 1963.

Within a week after declaring their disassociation with the National Phi Mu organization and their founding of the locally autonomous, Alpha Delta Epsilon, the sisters went to work on writing ceremonies, by-laws, and songs for the new group. Included in the ADE scrapbook is sheet music for the group’s songs, which they humorously say they sometimes “borrowed” from Phi Mu.

Kim Larsen (Class of 66) returns indoors through a Metzger Hall window after being serenaded by a male student outside.

Jackie Jackson (Class of 1964) of Metzger Hall rushes to kill a bug that has found its way inside.

Kim Larsen (Class of 1966) and Sally Stevenson (Class of 1966) of Metzger Hall in its final years study for Spring semester courses.

The new members of the Alpha Delta Epsilon Sorority received much support and praise for their courage in creating a new organization. President Howard L. Rubendall wrote to Diane Obersheimer, ADE’s President, congratulating her and her sisters on the courageous and honorable steps they took “to maintain the high integrity of the group.” The Dean of the College wished to the new sisters “a successful future” as a locally autonomous sorority.
 

An article from The Evening Sentinal on Feb. 8, 1962 announces the groundbreaking of a new women's dorm to be built on South College St. It was scheduled to be finished by August 1963 for the new academic year. It would have 125 rooms and would cost $850,000.

Tardiness required suitable excuses or punishments were inevitable! This is report to the House Council in Barbara Wishmeyer's (the Dean of Women) Scrapbook for Zelda Clutch on January 4th, 1963. She was 5 minutes late on this Friday night for curfew because she had an argument with her date.

An article in a local newspaper documents the end of Dickinson College’s association with the national fraternity, Phi Mu. The article says that the Beta Delta Chapter of Phi Mu voted unanimously on September 25 to disassociate with the national organization, and the former chapter “will continue as a new local women’s fraternity, Alpha Delta Epsilon.” The article includes comments from Diane Obersheimer, Alpha Delta Epsilon’s president, Dean Gillespie, the Dean of Students, and Dickinson’s President, President Howard Rubendall.
 

The only foreign student at Dickinson during the 1962-3 year was Hsiao Mei Tsou from Singapore. She remarks in this article on the differences between America and Singapore, most notably that girls never talked to boys back home. Very studious, she works often in the library but wishes that it were open later, but finds the Dickinson students very helpful. In Singapore, about half of children go to school and even less complete post secondary education. Hsaio loves the United States and thinks she wants to stay after graduation.