What was Union like 50 years ago?

Union College officially opened for classes in 1891. We are just past celebrating 130 years of operation. Fifty years ago, Union was very different. Here are some dates that you might recognize. These years, 1971-1972, were near the end of the Vietnam war. Walt Disney World in Orlando had just opened. The Watergate scandal happened just after the school year ended in June 1972. Now that you recognize where in time we are, let’s talk about Union things.

Nursing

The Nursing Program at the time was very different from the sophisticated department that it is now. The main classes met in the old administration building with the old clock tower. After the freshman year, the students had their “white coat ceremony,” except for them, it was a capping ceremony. They received pristine white nursing caps and ceramic oil lamps. Clinicals were not in local hospitals. For the last two years of their education, the nursing students traveled to Colorado where they worked and studied at the Boulder Memorial Hospital, coming back to Union to walk across the stage.

The Clock Tower

The clock tower was funded by the class of 1922 at their 50th anniversary. The 100-foot tall monument in front campus was built in the beginning of the school year and received a full page in the yearbook. When first built, the tower was installed with a carillon that would play after church services and on special occasions. The carillon is now officially abandoned in its dysfunctional retirement, while the clock continues to keep endless time.

The original clock tower was built into the administration building where most classes took place. This clock was also a gift from the class of 1922. According to Union’s website, the class decided to build the steel tower when the administration building was given a destruction date. For a fun Easter egg, the inscription beneath the tower bears the school motto, complete with a spelling error. 

Clubs

Clubs come and go, but there were some fun ones back in the day that probably wouldn’t make it today. Clubs that withstood the test of time include the International Club and the Pre-Med Club. Some that were lost in the past fifty years include the two glee clubs, the flying club, home economics club and the men’s club called Sigma Iota Kappa. That’s not to mention the 10 or so small music groups formed by students! 

By Annelise Jacobs