About the diary writer
- Barbara McDowell Whitt
- 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.
Yearbook Assignment - Wednesday, November 30, 1960
The school paper was real good this time in spite of all our troubles. (Yesterday I had to "correct" all of the right hand margins that someone didn't justify.) Mary Ellen gave me the job of writing about all of the department sections for the Knowledge part of the yearbook. I got the English and science parts done tonight. I've got to get back to my college application, but there's so much school work. The wind finally stopped.
This Poor House - Tuesday, November 29, 1960
The wind is still blowing.When I came up to my room after school, one of my windows (already cracked) had broken out and the curtain was flapping like it was outdoors! This poor house! I don't think I slept half the night last night, so tonight I'm sleeping with Phyllis. We two stayed home tonight while the rest of them went to Kalona--Virginia played in the junior high band concert. I got another A on the government test, unusual for me in social studies!
Livestock Exposition - Monday, November 28, 1960
It has really gotten cold. There's lots of snow north and west (Colorado, Scottsbluff, etc.). I stayed after school to work on the school paper--Gold Feather in case I've never mentioned it. I spent all my time typing, correcting, suggesting, answering questions, as usual. An Iowa girl had the grand champion calf again at the International Livestock Exposition in Chicago.
Park College Application - Sunday, November 27, 1960
Vacation's end. There are still millions of things I could have done but didn't. I have most of my Park application filled out now. A lot's going to happen in the next year! I finally got my chemistry workbook caught up to where I should be, but I'll have to do the present assignment shortly or I'll still be behind. We had the Thanksgiving service in church. Well, school work, here I come!
Senior Proofs - Saturday, Noveber 26, 1960
After raising a big fuss this morning when my proofs didn't show up in the mail, I finally decided to go over and get them this afternoon. Phyllis went along. Everyone agrees on the one I'm going to get. We went to town this morning. I got my checkup for Park. (I guess I'm going there after all.) I managed to vacuum my room and do some chemistry. Rita Mae is staying here a while tonight. They're going to move to Iowa City.
Basketball Wears Me Down - Friday, November 25, 1960
Phyllis and I went to the two boys' basketball games with Comanche mainly because she wanted to. The Mid-Prairie school spirit of the basketball games has died! I'm going to have to quit going to basketball games. They're what wear me out, I think. Mom washed and waxed the car, put on the plastic storm windows, and took our Christmas card pictures (with the horses). I wrote down some things for my research paper.
Park or Sterling - Thursday, November 24, 1960
Great changes and questioning as to college choices came about on this Thanksgiving Day.Will it be Park, or Sterling after all, or what? I guess you can't work your way through Park after all and it costs more than Sterling. We had Thanksgiving dinner at Aunt Bertha's--Schroeders, Van Nostrands, Grandma and Grandpa and us. I had intended to start my extension of suffrage paper--and my science project on color. Thank goodness there are three days yet.
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