About the diary writer

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Kansas City, Missouri, Alexandria, Virginia, United States
~ About: A 1961-65 Park College Diary ~ As a high school girl and then a college coed in the first half of the 1960s, I wrote nightly entries on the pages of one-year diaries. In January 2010 I began transcribing the entries into a blog and gave each one a title. I grew up on three farms within 30 miles of Iowa City and the University of Iowa with its Iowa Writers' Workshop. As the oldest of four daughters, in my diaries I sometimes referred to my sisters as "the kids" or "the girls." We helped our parents, but we also had good, wholesome fun - a characteristic I took with me to Park. Park is 300 miles southwest of West Chester, Iowa, in Parkville, Missouri, on the Missouri River 10 miles northwest of Kansas City, Missouri, and across the river from Kansas City, Kansas. In 2000 Park College became Park University. Today Park's flagship campus is in Parkville and there are an additional 41 campus centers across the nation. Park was one of the first educational institutions in the United States to offer online learning. My last post was on May 22, 2018. I may be followed on Twitter @BarbaraMcDWhitt.

Stylus Had a Lot of Feature Articles - Thursday, September 20, 1962

The Stylus looked pretty good tonight - it had a lot of interesting feature articles. In my spare time today I typed my religion paper. Glad I had the foresight to get it written Tuesday morning. The sociology test was almost a snap - only a 20 point quiz. I may have lost a few points but nothing hurting. The last ten of us to finish had to circle our names so he can see if we did better or worse than the others! We learned several new series in modern dance. Wonder how stiff I'll be in the morning. Have to finish reading history and psychology. I can't figure out how I've escaped getting a cold. They're an epidemic around here.

Vivien and Charlie Are Engaged - Wednesday, September 19, 1962

You make yourself go forth. You tell yourself you'll do it. And you look forward to Saturday morning when you can sleep all morning because, luckily, the French test isn't till Tuesday. You remain optimistic although there is a strong desire to be pessimistic. I have a soc. test tomorrow. But I'll also have to type my religion paper, do my French and history assignments, read three chapters in psychology and study for the test - for Friday. Carol didn't use my article on the Language Institute - or at least I saw nothing of it when Regina and I read proof tonight. All of these are my responsibilities. Vivien and Charlie are engaged. Such is life.

English Language Institute Director - Tuesday, September 18, 1962

That I haven't even begun a long French assignment is momentarily beside the point. At least I have an extra hour to work on it since she has changed our French class (for part of us) for the second time - from 9:00 TTHS to 1:00 MWF to 2:00 MWF. I also have a French test, sociology test, and psychology test this week and a religion "paper" due on Friday. This afternoon after phys ed I interviewed the director of the English Language Institute and tonight wrote hurriedly and took down to Carol at the print shop what proved to be a quite long article. Was she ever glad to see me. She assigned it to me at 2:30.

Courses Are So Interesting - Monday, September 17,1962

We had a history quiz this morning. I had a feeling we might but wasn't really ready in spite of the fact. We had to write on "the principal Colonial objections to the Townsend Acts." I just didn't have any luck getting news this week that had been assigned to me. Everyone wants to hold their news till later. I read psychology in the library this afternoon and tonight. My courses are so interesting - I hope I can do them justice. We had a house meeting tonight.

To Church in Parkville This Morning - Sunday, September 16, 1962

This morning I went to church with Nancy and Carlyn. I like the minister, Jerry Belt. (His name's a lot like the Wellman Baptist minister - Jerry Beltz - who went to Korea.) Another of my little worlds was shattered today - as if I should be idealistic. I walked up to Alfalfa Point with Chris Hayward, a freshman farm girl from Ohio, and Dick Peeke and two other guys were up there in a sports car drinking beer. But then I got to thinking such is life and maybe I'm getting into more of the true college spirit. I've been making myself conform to a "sheltered" life but have been opening up - there's even more illegitimacy in the Bible than I thought. I just read about it for Religion 101.

Whole Class Gets "Outstanding Frosh" Award - Saturday, September 15, 1962

Hell Week was really good this year. We did have some faculty objections , but as students we "got back at them" through several things said at frosh court. For instance, the goon squad gave the "four outstanding frosh" award to the whole freshman class because of the way they had taken the opposition. Kathy was "found guilty" of "importing sugar into America." Then there was "Leaky Peekey" (Brian Peeke), etc. I went with Barb Page to the softball game. The upperclass won. Jim Peeke was sitting on a bench by Mackay alone this morning when I came out. I've been waiting for a "lifetime" for a chance like that, and then I didn't stop to talk to him. Oh, Barbara McDowell, will you ever learn?

Watching the Goon Squad at 4:00 This Morning - Friday, September 14, 1962

Margie and I had our alarms set for 4:00 to get up and watch the goon squad raid the Hawley girls. At five till 4:00 I was awake and heard several girls paddle down the hall and also heard two people walk past outside. I got over to the window just in time to see the disappearing shadows of what were probably two goon hats. We watched the 4:00 sharp firecrackers and screaming arrival and saw them walk around the parking lot. It was interesting to observe this time (memories!), see the different Hawley lights blink on. This afternoon was the beanie ceremony and tug-of-war. It's all just like last year. Jim Hunter, the one I went to the spring festival dance with, did an excellent job working for us. I will have to try to get Kathy's work in. Margie, Nancy and I saw "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" tonight.