Almost every summer since my student days at then-SMS, I’ve had this recurring dream: I’m standing atop the highest board on the Olympic-pool diving platform behind McDonald Arena. I’ve been standing there for hours — or ever since my instructor said if I want to pass the course, I had to complete the dive.
“It’s pass or fail,” she says.
“Define fail,” I say.
A little girl’s voice behind me says, “Go ahead. Don’t be afraid…”
At first it sounds like the voice of an angel, but reason tells me the diving platform isn’t quite that high.
“I was scared, too, at first,” the little one says, “but that was four years ago, when I was 3.”
Suddenly, I’m thrashing about in midair, arms and legs flailing every which way. As I plummet poolward, I notice to my ultimate horror that someone has drained the pool…
Truth be told, and despite the yarns I might have spun along the way, I have fond memories of the two summer terms I spent on campus as a student.
Over the years, I’ve found many who recall the “pleasant vibes,” as one grad recently put it, about summer school.
“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” she said. “For me, it was like attending summer camp, except I got credit for it.”
She noted that the classrooms weren’t air conditioned, neither were any of the rooming houses that surrounded the campus, nor was the library, the College Inn, the Varsity Drug Store or the Have-a-Cup cafe. Or that room — what was it? Oh, yes, the El-Var Tea Room.
When I spoke to the class of ’35 at the Golden Anniversary, one of the returnees said she attended summer school for 13 years “until I think they ran out of courses.”
Until 1962, the summer session was followed by an August term, which was a fixture for more than 50 years. Classes met six days a week, and were taught by the regular faculty. The session was especially popular among military veterans, many of whom attended SMS “straight through” the year.
Wensey Marsh, class of ’48 and career placement director from 1956 to 1986, talked about summer school when he was nominated to the MSU Wall of Fame in 2009. He said he attended the August sessions three times on his way to graduating in 27 months. Is 27 months a record? Probably.
Bill Wasson, class of ’49, attended Augusts in order to complete his undergraduate work in less than three years. He said the August session was “one of the greatest bargains ever in higher education.” Fees were $10 for the term, and classes offered bonus credit for grades of E, S, M and, yes, even I. Of course, the days were hot and the classrooms were like a steam bath, but, hey, look what you got for 10 bucks.
Wasson had a lifelong dream to coach basketball. One day during the August term, Placement Director Hazel Ponder pulled him out of class to say he had an immediate appointment to interview for the coaching job at Waynesville. He got the job, had several successful years as a coach, and went on to an outstanding and productive career in education at Missouri State and Drury and with the state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
At Homecoming last year, someone suggested the Alumni Association might consider honoring former students who attended the August session. Just think, at the same time they could pause and reflect on the poor souls who had survived the dreaded top board at the outdoor swimming pool.
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