Rockville Ho!
Rockville Ho!
by Jack W. Henry, Jr.
It was a small but dedicated band of scholars that set out for the hills of Rockville during that famous Trek of ’65. We tearfully waved farewell to our former colleagues at Takoma Park, many of whom stood silently in doorways and at windows in the academic and science buildings—some with tearful and frightened expressions, other gleefully anticipating their moves to the now-deserted and spacious offices left behind by their departing colleagues.
A flood of memories poured over most of us as we turned to face the challenges of the unknown, memories of the happy times in the stuccoed and hallowed halls of Takoma Park:
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the joys of climbing to our offices on the fourth floor of the Academic Building (offices declared to be “fire traps” in 1966);
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standing in line to use the pay phone on the fourth floor (listed in the phone book under the heading “Hanks and Frank—Social Science Consultants”);
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hearing the cheery voice of Dean Lee Ehrbright at the switchboard when we called to see if the College was closed following the eighteen-inch snowfall on the previous night (Ehrbright lived within walking distance of the College);
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learning to discreetly rearrange misplaced lecture notes during the twenty-second pause occasioned by the passing of the Baltimore and Ohio train;
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waiting patiently for the “grand sweep” to begin during the last half-hour of registration as Dean Deyo surveyed the neighborhood in search of “late” registrants;
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eagerly awaiting Steve Wright’s (Business Administration) monthly discourse at faculty meetings on the merits of the current “water-it-down-and make-’em-happy” educational philosophy;
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the luncheon “seminars” at Phil’s Italian Restaurant or the nautical adventures at Crisfield’s (including the marvelous 95¢ shrimp salad sandwich!);
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the “spirited” faculty meetings when we debated the merits of Career Recognition and Professorial Rank;
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the herculean and successful efforts of Mildred Nichols (Music) to convert the cafeteria to a proper setting for “West Side Story”;
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the endless struggles with the administration over the dangers and strengths of introducing a system of faculty governance (to be realized in 1960!), one of the more productive outcomes of those “working in the workshop” sessions;
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the annual agony produced by the debate over the college calendar, snow days and professional days—and the day Bud Hanks explained how Einstein’s E = MC² applied to the whole question;
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the close, familial relationships that characterized faculty-student, faculty-administration relationships during those halcyon days of “Cambridge by the B&O”;
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and the sense of dedication that characterized those early faculty damsels and knights who struggled to maintain the high academic standards that were responsible for the early and distinguished reputation enjoyed by the College.
How few of us who started out in 1965, overcome with our memories but determined to reach the promised land of Rockville, could have anticipated the excitement awaiting us on the frontier? A portent of the brave new world ahead greeted us as we were introduced to our “Faculty Work Areas”—soon to be affectionately known as the “Bull Pens.” A brief cataloging of some of our early educational experiences included the following:
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the struggles to stake out “territorial claims” by using bookcases and boxes to delineate “offices”;
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a skeptical appreciation of the aesthetic appeal of the washbasins in the work-area;
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the face-to-face intimacy and instant communication afforded by the work-areas;
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the cultural interface fostered by assigning members of the Departments of History and Political Science and Athletics to the same work-areas;
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the historians’ privilege of discovering the intricacies of scheduling the College’s athletic program one year in advance, a privilege afforded by the intimacy of the telephone facilities available.
Like most pioneering experiences, ours were accompanied by many headaches and heartaches; but thanks to the patience and tolerance of faculty, students, and administrators alike, we survived! And grew! And prospered! And multiplied! (But Germantown is another story!)
Takoma Park and Rockville Campuses: Department of History and Political Science, 1957-1983; Professor Emeritus.