Posted 1:40 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30, 2013
Class of 1963 graduates reunite on campus in October to reminisce about the days they spent at Wisconsin State College-La Crosse.
[caption id="attachment_4057" align="alignleft" width="225"]
Dee (Delores)McClurg Washa with husband Geoff (Joseph G.) Washa, ’63 at their 50th anniversary party June 15, 2013. They married two weeks after graduating from UW-L in 1963.[/caption]
Class of 1963 graduates reunite on campus in October to reminisce about the days they spent at Wisconsin State College-La Crosse. They made new friends, met inspiring mentors and pursued their futures as major political changes and historic advancements transpired from the March on Washington to the space race.
“I hope that many classmates make an effort to gather Oct. 25-27 — it promises to be memorable,” says Dee McClurg Washa, ’63, who is helping to plan the event.
Washa and two other former classmates planning the reunion share many memories leading up to their graduation in May 1963.
John F. Kennedy addresses a crowd at Graff Main Hall in 1959. Image courtesy of Murphy Library, UW-La Crosse.[/caption]
Martin Luther King, Jr.[/caption]
UW-L Alum Dion Wheeler[/caption]
In February 1963 The Beatles record their first album and in March 1963, they went on their first British tour. Though they became more popular in the United States after the 1963 class graduation, Wheeler admits the rock band had some influence on him.
“Certain values and priorities were written into my personal blueprint and the Beatles didn't fit,” explains Wheeler. “Secretly, I enjoyed their songs on the Rustic Inn & Madrigal's jukeboxes. When I discovered that many girls had lost their minds about the Brits, I decided it was in my best interest to let my enjoyment escape into bare public.”
Moss says many students and some in his fraternity, Phi Sigma Epsilon, were wearing the tight leg pants and short trench coats made popular by The Beatles.
Washa recalls other music memories such as slow dancing to “Wonderland by Night” playing in the student union and listening to the folk tunes by The Kingston Trio or learning the newest dance to the song “The Twist” by Chubby Checker.
Dee (McClurg) Washa in 1963 yearbook.[/caption]
In April 1961 the Bay of Pigs, military invasion of Cuba, forced some students in classes ahead of them to drop out of school as their units were called to go to the west coast for reserve training in case they were needed, recalls Washa. Some returned to graduate with the class. The October 1962 Cuban Missil Crisis was another stressful time, notes Washa. Her then fiance Geoff (Joseph G.) Washa's draft status went from Student Deferment to High Draft Status within two days. Washa was thankful the Cuban Missile crisis ended, so Geoff was not drafted.
Orby Moss, '63, was admitted to the 2010 National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics Hall of Fame and earned the 2011 NIT Athletic Director's Award.[/caption]
Moss says fraternity membership led to some very close friendships, which he still values today. Close friends and his professor and adviser Don Willie, restored his self confidence after his freshman year when he received a pink slip and nearly dropped out of college. Moss recalls sitting down in Willie’s office as the professor asked him to reflect on his life and realize all the success he had up until college.
“As result of his advice, I returned to school that fall and during my professional career accomplished more than I had dreamed was possible culminating with election to my profession's Hall of Fame!,” says Moss.
Willie also shared his philosophy on life, one that still resonates with Moss today. Willie said a person is made up of four areas of growth — much like four wheels of a car. Each wheel represents an area of a person's development: physical, mental, emotional and social growth. If any one of these areas are neglected, it is like a car attempting to go down the road of life with a flat tire. When a tire fails, many people rely on their spare — that spare being their religious growth, explains Moss.
“His philosophy became more and more evident as I progressed in coaching and athletics administration,” says Moss. “I think it was in the late '80s when intercollegiate athletics and the NCAA began to focus on the student-athlete's total development. Much of this new way of teaching and coaching students included some of Doc Willie's philosophy.”
Dee (Delores)McClurg Washa with husband Geoff (Joseph G.) Washa, ’63 at their 50th anniversary party June 15, 2013. They married two weeks after graduating from UW-L in 1963.[/caption]
Class of 1963 graduates reunite on campus in October to reminisce about the days they spent at Wisconsin State College-La Crosse. They made new friends, met inspiring mentors and pursued their futures as major political changes and historic advancements transpired from the March on Washington to the space race.
“I hope that many classmates make an effort to gather Oct. 25-27 — it promises to be memorable,” says Dee McClurg Washa, ’63, who is helping to plan the event.
Washa and two other former classmates planning the reunion share many memories leading up to their graduation in May 1963.
John F. Kennedy
Washa recalls her fascination with John F. Kennedy’s eastern accent and his wife’s strong poise as the presidential candidate spoke to a packed Graff Main Hall auditorium in 1959. They would later see Kennedy become elected in November 1960 and learn of his tragic death three years later. “I will never forget where I was — in my first year teaching — when an learned of his assassination in November 1963,” says Washa. [caption id="attachment_4060" align="alignleft" width="550"] John F. Kennedy addresses a crowd at Graff Main Hall in 1959. Image courtesy of Murphy Library, UW-La Crosse.[/caption]
Announcement of sending an American to the moon
Dion Wheeler, ‘63, recalls the pride he felt when Kennedy announced in May 1961, that he wanted to land an American on the moon. “The confidence he demonstrated to the American people was inspiring. The nation's response to the Soviet's space travel successes was not going to be whining and incrimination, but a strong determination to marshal America's resources to compete and be successful,” says Wheeler. “During those turbulent times, with many memorable dates, I don't recall anything more than being in front of a TV somewhere.”‘I have a dream’
To this day, Orby Moss, ’63, regrets he was unable to attend the historic March on Washington when Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered his “I have a dream” speech. Yet Moss explains he was very familiar with MLK and "The Movement." Born and raised in La Crosse, Moss and his brothers were the only black kids in school. He didn’t experience any “in your face” racial discrimination until after he graduated from college and accepted a teaching job in Racine. There he was denied renting an apartment based on his race. This began his personal involvement in the civil rights movement. [caption id="attachment_4066" align="alignleft" width="550"] Martin Luther King, Jr.[/caption]
He joined the local NAACP chapter and picketed at the bank that held the trust for the owners of the rental property. “My case helped bring attention to the housing practices in Wisconsin,” says Moss. Moss helped to change state laws related to open housing and continued to get involved in the civil rights movement locally. He admired King’s strong efforts nationally. “I never met him, but like many others, I was totally impressed with his character and what he would do in the face of eminent danger,” says Moss.
The Beatles, The Twist and more
[caption id="attachment_4069" align="alignleft" width="200"] UW-L Alum Dion Wheeler[/caption]
In February 1963 The Beatles record their first album and in March 1963, they went on their first British tour. Though they became more popular in the United States after the 1963 class graduation, Wheeler admits the rock band had some influence on him.
“Certain values and priorities were written into my personal blueprint and the Beatles didn't fit,” explains Wheeler. “Secretly, I enjoyed their songs on the Rustic Inn & Madrigal's jukeboxes. When I discovered that many girls had lost their minds about the Brits, I decided it was in my best interest to let my enjoyment escape into bare public.”
Moss says many students and some in his fraternity, Phi Sigma Epsilon, were wearing the tight leg pants and short trench coats made popular by The Beatles.
Washa recalls other music memories such as slow dancing to “Wonderland by Night” playing in the student union and listening to the folk tunes by The Kingston Trio or learning the newest dance to the song “The Twist” by Chubby Checker.
Political conflict amid the Cold War
[caption id="attachment_4072" align="alignleft" width="164"] Dee (McClurg) Washa in 1963 yearbook.[/caption]
In April 1961 the Bay of Pigs, military invasion of Cuba, forced some students in classes ahead of them to drop out of school as their units were called to go to the west coast for reserve training in case they were needed, recalls Washa. Some returned to graduate with the class. The October 1962 Cuban Missil Crisis was another stressful time, notes Washa. Her then fiance Geoff (Joseph G.) Washa's draft status went from Student Deferment to High Draft Status within two days. Washa was thankful the Cuban Missile crisis ended, so Geoff was not drafted.
The people who made a difference
While many historic dates filled the early 1960s, what alumni remember most is campus life — classes, clubs and the courses that changed their lives. “I must confess that as a college student I did not think too much about politics or social issues of the time,” says Washa. “My interests centered around my studies — I especially enjoyed Dr. Vette's history classes, various art courses and survived that elective French class while earning my B.S. in Elementary Education with an art concentration.” Washa still chats with her college roommate daily on Skype. [caption id="attachment_4074" align="alignright" width="350"] Orby Moss, '63, was admitted to the 2010 National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics Hall of Fame and earned the 2011 NIT Athletic Director's Award.[/caption]
Moss says fraternity membership led to some very close friendships, which he still values today. Close friends and his professor and adviser Don Willie, restored his self confidence after his freshman year when he received a pink slip and nearly dropped out of college. Moss recalls sitting down in Willie’s office as the professor asked him to reflect on his life and realize all the success he had up until college.
“As result of his advice, I returned to school that fall and during my professional career accomplished more than I had dreamed was possible culminating with election to my profession's Hall of Fame!,” says Moss.
Willie also shared his philosophy on life, one that still resonates with Moss today. Willie said a person is made up of four areas of growth — much like four wheels of a car. Each wheel represents an area of a person's development: physical, mental, emotional and social growth. If any one of these areas are neglected, it is like a car attempting to go down the road of life with a flat tire. When a tire fails, many people rely on their spare — that spare being their religious growth, explains Moss.
“His philosophy became more and more evident as I progressed in coaching and athletics administration,” says Moss. “I think it was in the late '80s when intercollegiate athletics and the NCAA began to focus on the student-athlete's total development. Much of this new way of teaching and coaching students included some of Doc Willie's philosophy.”