Originally published in The News-Star newspaper, July 16, 2006

Summer school is in session at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. The constant midsummer heat reminds us of that fall when Ouachita Parish Junior College opened - in the midst of a similar heat wave. Today's hot students trudge to class, much the same as in 1932 when the first summer session was held. Except then, the students simply had to enter one building and did not cover the campus. What was to become T.O. Brown Hall was not air-conditioned.

It is the middle of summer, and the memories of the spring semester have long faded into the past. However, thoughts of crisp fall days and classes and football and all the other activities of a new academic year are just hard to formulate when one is trying to keep cool. Maybe that is the theme of this column ... it is hot, just as it was in the year of our beginning.

In addition to students on the way to class in the heat, over the past few weeks about 1,200 soon-to-be students arrived on campus as part of something called PREP, which is our orientation program "designed to help new students make a smooth transition to college life." I wonder if, as these excited, soon-to-be freshmen scurried about, they thought about following a long tradition and a link to our past - one that began in the fall of 1933 with the first orientation.

As reported in the Monroe Morning World on Sept. 15, 1933, an "orientation giving first-year college students more detailed information concerning their college, the courses offered, and activities" would be held. The program included a welcome by President C.C. Colvert, a schedule of "work-study-play" by Bruce Redditt, "taking class and lecture notes" by Frellsen Smith, "attitude toward instructors" by Rosa Veal, "attitude toward students" by Dorothy Younse, "campus activities" by William Hammond, "your college library" by Mary Clay, "your college paper" by Bess Mary Penick, and "the Y.M.C.A" and "the Y.W.C.A." by students Walter McGee and Clarissa Davis.

Although it is too hot to formulate thoughts of the fall, our thoughts do turn to honoring those students who set foot on our campus that hot September. Many of them would go on to graduate in the spring of 1933 as our first graduating class. These students are few now, yet we are reminded that they are part of us still. Recently we published a list of the members of the Class of '33 in The News-Star. It also can be found online at ulm.edu under our 75th Anniversary Celebration. Please help us honor these individuals by communicating with us about any that you might know.

I heard a story a few days ago about how a Sunday School class took this list and fondly discussed those they knew. That is as it should be - ULM as a force, which brings the past, present and future together into one conversation.

Have a great day at ULM!

Dr. John Knesel, ULM Professor