THREE YEARS OF TRANSITION - 1940 - 1943
From Peace to War in a Tea.c he rs Colle g e

by

Harvey A. Andruss, President
State Teachers College, Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania
Before the passage of the first selective ,ervice act in J9+0, it was evident
that the enrollment in technical and professional curriculums of colleges and universities would be affected. First, by the call to the colors of the National Guard
Units, then by the upsurge in manufacturing of heavy equipment for those European nations later to be our Allies.
An increasing wage level and the po»ibility of war turned the minds of
high school graduates away from preparation for peace time activities to that of
war. No matter how we abhorred the prospect of conflict the obligation of the
American College to meet the challenge for the national defense became real.
Those who persisted in doing the same thing as before hoped that "education as
usual'' would be able to carry on, although it wa~ clear that "business was NOT
as usual"-''family life wa, NOT as usual"-and ·'America could '.'i!OT be as us ual in a world gone mad with war.''
All these factors and many others resulted in decreased enrollment in colleges. It was futile to try to offset this force . One could not plan for the future
when the present task of defending our country was becoming more pressing.
Looking beyond the campus, some college administrators saw that a
transition must be made. If changes were made gradually there would be
need of less adjustment on the part of the faculty and students; and alumni would
have time to understa,;d just what was happening at their Alma Mater.
So, as early as 1939, some colleges began to teach First Aid courses to
larger numbers and there was some talk about teaching undergraduates to fly,
However, not until September, 1940 was the stirring of change being felt. There
were some institutions who looked askance at others who were experimenting with
new activities, partly from inertia-disinclination to change-and mostly from the
feeling that pointing the colleges toward national defense would in itself influence
young people toward war. These institutions today, denuded of civilian students.
are seeking ways to aid the war effort but the ,tart of three years on the part
of institutions beginning the transition in I 9-la is too much to overcome.
Confronted by all these confusing force,, the Bloomsburg State Teachers
College, on learning of the Civilian Pilot Training Program, began in June, 1940.
to explore the possibilities of reopening the Bloomsburg Airport, then closed, after
having been pioneered twelve years before by Harry L. Magee and a number of
other farseeing citizens.
On the basis that aviation would be taught in Pennsylvania high schools in
the future, as automobile operation had been in times past, this activity wa~
r
From &eptember, 1940, until July, 1942, o,·er 100 college undergraduate
,tudents were taught to fly at the Bloomsburg Airport. Instruction in Civil Air
Regulations, :\'avigation, Meteorology, and related subjects were taught at the
college.
Since these cour;es were a part of the college curriculum for future teachers
of Mathematics, Physics, and Geography, little change was necessary in plant,
equipment, or instructional personnel.
However, seeing a possible need for more classroom and activity space, the
equipping of the Centennial Gymnasium and Navy Hall (then called the Junior
High School ) was continued with the idea that expansion would be possible if
facilities were available. With that thought in mind, Spruce Street was extended
and curbs were placed on either side of the road to provide for parking of more
cars.
Regular college faculty members formerly teaching Geography, Physical
Education, and Social Studies, Mathematics and Science, learned to teach the
subjects required in ground school instruction. Due to the early influence of the
Bloomsburg Airport, there were still experienced aviators in the community who
were able to fill in the gaps which could not be carried by college faculty.
The idea of training teachers of Aeronautics was born in 1941 and the
Bloomsburg State Teachers College was designated in April, 1943, as the first
college in Pennsylvania (and possibly in the United States ) to offer a specialized
field for teachers in Aeronautics, leading to a Bachelor's degree.
Although the effect of the oncoming war was reflected in the lessening
number of male students in 1941 there were still 100 men living in the town
and only 70 in the college dormitory. Plans were made to use a portion of the
women's dormitory, not then needed, to house men.
In July, 1942, all aviation instruction was restricted to those who were
in the Army and Navy. For the first time uniformed men were housed in college
dormitories along with civilian students. Then changes began to come thick and
fast. After training 40 Army and Navy Aviation Cadets, Bloomsburg was designated as a Navy Aviation Center, in September, 1942. On November 15, 1942, the
Naval Flight Instructor's School was begun to meet the demand for teachers of
Aviation in the Navy. Along with five other institutions (Chicago, Georgia, Purdue,
Texas Christian University and Arizona) Bloomsburg continued this program for
one year.
Building and plant changes were necessary to meet these new requirements.
Travel, being curtailed, a larger number of resident students lived in college
dormitories. Army and Navy Cadets and Officers had to be housed in quarters
formerly occupied by women students. Along with all these new developments
attention was ever kept attuned to the expanding needs of a college educating
young people to be teachers in the public schools of Pennsylvania.
During the year of 1940 - 1941 there was provided from the college funds
over $40,000 worth of improvements, such as: Hot Water Tanks for all dormitories;
Toilet Rooms for Men in Science Hall, where Engineering, Science and Management Defense Training Courses were taught in the evening; and much new equipment and machinery to handle new courses offered for the first time. An athletic

fence and ,idewalk in front of the Centennial Gymnasium was abo complete t
although the building ic-elf could not be opened since electric current for power
and light was not then available. During the year, however, the General State
Authority let contract, for onr $60,000, de,igned to put the Junior High School
and Gymnasium into operation. The,e contracts provided equipment for both
buildings; unification of all power and light lines so that a single meter woul I
give control and re,ult in economie, of operation; correction of certain construction changes; and addition, to the boiler room equipment. The blackouts which
were to follow would ha\·e required the pulling of seven switches in as mam
different places if the,e contracts had not been completed. Thus during the college
year of 19+0 -19+1, o\·er $100,000 wa, added to the college plant and equipment
The trend of equipping to meet ne\, needs was continued in the college year
1941 with an expenditure of $25,000. The college spent over $5,000 on new Fluorescent Lights, furniture, machine, and gymnasium floors, while the General
State Authority continued with its program to put the new buildings in shape
to be operated, spending o,·er $20,000 a, follows: Concrete steps and balustrade
for the Centennial Gymna,ium, movable equipment for the Junior High School and
Gymnasium, and alteration, and addition, to better meet the needs for which tr.e
buildings were de,igned.
With an expanding program in :\' avy Aviation, the Bloomsburg State
Teachers College filled out and returned a questionnaire to the War Manpower
Commission, outlining its available faculty and facilities. Feeling that the college
war participation wa, substantial, no request was made for other war program,
for men. Meanwhile the Pennsyh-ania School Code has been amended so as to
permit the cooperation of State Teacher, Colleges with national, state, and local
agencies in promoting the defense effort until 1945. In April, 1942, certain colleges and universities were notified that they were eligible for inspection for
the Navy V -12 (Officer Candidate) Program. Two State Teachers Colleges were
inspected and Bloomsburg was chosen to accommodate a complement of 175 men
Thus the gradual conversion of housing space from women's dormitories
was stepped up to meet the increased need. From a housing capacity of 70 men the
space was increased to accomodate 3 50 men. At the same time care was taken to
reserve enough space to house all women students, the number of which had increased slightly in 19+3 over 1942.
The change of dormitory accommodations from 70 men and 350 women to
accommodations for 350 men and 100 women necessitated an expenditure of over
$30,000, including replastering and relighting of North Hall (Men's Dormitory)
conversion of Waller Hall through new toilet facilities and faculty apartments;
new slate roof for "'aller Hall along with new furniture, double deck beds and
bedding. In addition, certain major repairs and additions were made by the
installation of new coal and ash handling equipment in the boiler house, the
exterior painting of all wood work on Science Hall, Waller Hall (including old
gymnasium), North Hall, and Carver Hall. Thus bringing the total improvement
beyond the $50,000 mark.
During this period the needs of the college after the war have not been forgotten. All remodeling and renovations of dormitory facilities will give balanced
accommodations for men and women. Equipment procured for aviation, science, and
nursing courses is adaptable for teacher education covrses.

The mo,t recent addition to the cooperative war programs ha, been in the
field of Nursing Education. Instruction in physical, biological and social science,
i, given to student nur,es of the Bloom,burg Ho,pital. College cred it. i, awarded
for these courses and the outline of the Penn,ylvania Nurses Association is
followed.
By way of summary, the new development, in curriculum offerings in the
period of transition from Peace to "' a r are:

TEACHER EDUCATION DEVELOPMENTS

WAR PROGRAMS

Field of Speech Correction as a
part of the curriculum for the education of Teacher, of Mentally Retarded
Children.

Ci,·ilian Pilot Training of onehundred ( 100 ) college students.

Field of Aeronautics as a part of
the curriculum for the education of
Secondary Teachers.
Field of Spani,h a, an elective for
Business Education students and later
as an elective field for Secondan·
Students.
·
Educational Clinic with Health,
Psychological and Speech divisions approved by the State Council of Education.

Engineering, Science, and Management \Var Training Courses housed
in Science Hall have reached 1,500.
Aviation Cadets for the Army and
Navy to the number of 120. July, 19+2
to January, 19+3, resumed August,
19+3.
Naval Flight Instructors (250) from
'\ovember, 19+2 to November, 1943.
)/avy V-12 Unit began July 1, 1943.
Present complement 175.
:\'avy Aviation Cadet Program re,umed August, 1943, with a complement of 100 men.
Science Instruction for Nur,es of
the Bloomsburg Hospital (22).

All these changes have made it necessary that the Dining Room be transformed into a cafeteria. Contracts to the amount of $17,000 have been let to reno
vate the kitchen and install self-service for +SO persons now being fed at the college.
While the additions to the plant, renovations, and major repairs during the
period from 1940 to 1943 have aggregated more than $200,000, a far greater ad
justment has been made by the farulty. Facilities merely make it possible for the
faculty to serve new needs. ~'hen a musical director and language instructor
becomes a mathematics teacher, a dean of men becomes an aviator, a coach learns
to teach navigation, a physical education director becomes a drill master and a
geography instructor becomes a weather man, we have a campus revolution, while
not so obvious as the building changes, it nevertheless is truly revolutionary. If
education is an adjustment to changing conditions, then our faculty is continuing
to be educated.
Now that a teachers college ha, made the transition from peace to war there
remains the problem of transforming it again to an institution to educate teacher,
for the new challenges which will come with the return of peace. A faculty committee is studying the problems of planning for post war education as it affect•
teachers and pupils in the public schools of Pennsylvania.
All these change, in a time of sudden shifts in manpower have been possible
only through the vision of the Board of Trustees, the cooperation of the faculty,
the confidence of the student-body, and the interest of the public spirited citizens
of Bloomsburg, along with the continued ,upport of the 9,000 Alumni.