Reflections on the 75th Anniversary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor

Today is the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Ray Chavez, who at 104, is the oldest survivor of the attack, is the hands down winner on the internet today. This NBC report about him is heartwarming (http://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/oldest-known-pearl-harbor-survivor-104-returns-honor-fallen-n692546). What an inspiration he is!

The deadline for the March 1942 Arrow of Pi Beta Phi was in early 1942, and the reports of chapters and alumnae clubs reflected the uncertainty and foreboding of the sacrifices to come. 

The correspondent for the Honolulu Alumnae Club of Pi Beta Phi wrote shortly after the attack, “It is strange how quickly our usual way of life can be changed. Instead of our customary activities we are all doing some sort of war work for the Red Cross, First Aid Stations, Canteens, or Civilian Defense. The Islands have a daily blackout from six to six and no one is allowed on the streets, consequently one of our many concerns is to blackout enough rooms in our homes so that we can live as normal a life a possible under such conditions . Up to December we hid meetings each month…In all probability there will be no further meetings this year.”

On December 7, 1941, the Pi Beta Phi chapter at Stanford University gave its annual
Christmas party for underprivileged children:

 Fourteen girls between the ages of 6 to 12 arrived at the house before noon. For more than half an hour before lunch they joined with the members of the chapter playing games of ‘Drop the Handkerchief,’ ‘London Bridge is Falling Down,’ and many others. After lunch twenty·nine Pi Phis marched with their small charges down Fraternity Row to the Sigma Chi house where Santa Claus and fourteen small boys were waiting. Presents were then distributed and the whole group went to the show. The party was a great success from the viewpoint of both the children and the hostesses.

This affair was the last one of its kind, for it was during the party that the Pearl Harbor attack was announced. Immediately all the efforts of California Alpha were directed toward meeting the emergency The necessity for all Stanford students to remain calm and level·headed was stressed by President Wilbur in an all-student assembly. To meet the crisis all living groups have been reorganized to maintain maximum efficiency. An air warden, a deputy, and three supervisors–one for each floor of the house-were appointed to see that the house is completely blacked-out in case of an air raid. Most all social activities have been curtailed.

The administration of the school has added many new courses to its curriculum.. A secretarial course is given to prepare girls for any future emergency, and a national defense course is give to the boys in business school. Many of the members of the chapter are enrolled in a special first aid course. Others are knitting for the Red Cross. In addition to the academic life, Stanford students are all taking a part in the Civilian Defense Program.

Herman B. Wells, Sigma Nu, the president of Indiana University, addressed the IU student body at a
convocation. According to The Arrow correspondent, he spoke about the role of the college student in the war crisis. He “stressed the point that the nation is especially in need of people with college training to adequately carry out the war program. Therefore each student should strive to do the best work of which he is capable.”

At the University of Oklahoma, it was reported that “Virginia Berry got everyone in the spirit by being the first on the campus to start knitting a Red Cross sweater.” Chapter President Josephine Boddy became a member of the new defense committee. “Every member of the chapter has signed up for some kind of Red Cross work with the majority choosing
motor corps.” The chapter voted unanimously to cancel the chapter’s largest social event of the spring semester, the Valentine Dinner. The funds were donated to the Red Cross. 
The chapter at the University of Texas did the same and cancelled the spring formal. The funds that would have gone to that event were given to several organizations. The Southern Methodist University Pi Phi chapter followed suit. Moreover, the plans for building women’s fraternities lodges was put on hold. The funds that had been set aside for the lodge were used to purchase Defense Bonds.

And so it was in late 1941 and early 1942 that the men and women on college campuses realized that their lives at college would be different than they might have planned. I’ve written about a few of these http://wp.me/p20I1i-1HE.

SELECTIONS FROM THE EXHIBIT
THE GREATEST GENERATION: A TRIBUTE
BY CHRIS L. DEMAREST (see  hhtp://chrisdemarest.net/)

There’s also a post about Nile Kinnick, the University of Iowa Heisman Trophy winner. http://wp.me/p20I1i-1Og. Past December 7 posts are at http://wp.me/s20I1i-9378, http://wp.me/p20I1i-1gf

© Fran Becque, www.fraternityhistory.com, 2016. All rights reserved. If  you enjoyed this post, please sign up for updates. Also follow me on twitter @GLOHistory and Pinterest www.pinterest.com/glohistory/