Click here for selections from 1943 Brown and Gold

As Central/Western weekend has come to a close and Homecoming week is in full swing, Bronco pride is at its highest. On a campus where students pride themselves on bleeding brown and gold, many wonder where the concept of school spirit comes from.

The question brings me back to earlier this summer. This summer, I found a copy of Western’s yearbook from 1943, Brown and Gold. Inspired, I went on a hunt to obtain as many WMU yearbooks as possible.
What inspired me the most about this 1943 edition of the Brown and Gold yearbook was the messages I grasped from in between the lines. Simply put, the best things about Western have always been here.
Its editors dedicated the book to the male students drafted for war service. “To all the sons of Western who have proved themselves and will prove themselves in this chaotic period and in all the emergencies which will arise in the future to our people and our country….To these men we dedicate this yearbook,” the second page reads.

The Brown and Gold staff addressed the hardships of the war, but included that there is still happiness, friendships, and fun on campus. “Here within this BROWN AND GOLD we hope to have integrated these three factors which have been so important in shaping the events of the past year,” the editors wrote.

The campus pride back in 1943 was strong as students celebrated Homecoming. Students had a dance and a pep-rally. Through out the years, the theme of homecoming has changed but has always reflected school pride.

Back in 1976, the theme was “Gold Pride.” This year, the theme is “Brown and Gold Never Grow Old.” Like today, students waited in anticipation all year for homecoming. Even back in 1971, students looked forward to events such as Fritter Fest.

Sixty-six years ago, as shown in the 1943 Brown and Gold, student life and activities were the basis of student life, just as they are now. Back then, school spirit and passion for Western’s advancement were as prominent as they are today, if not more. In 1943, students showed their passion for Western by tirelessly trying to minimize the effect of the war. Today, Western students lobby for higher education and, in the near future, students are hoping for a medical school.

In 1943, the war draft cut class sizes and resources considerably, but the students of Western found ways to continue life without being affected. Students took on tasks on their own to better themselves and the university, and to lessen the level to which they were affected. Female students began washing the main windows in their residence halls; school dances went from being separate for all four grades, to combined dances. Students made war signs to show their support for their fellow broncos who were called to war.

Like today, the University cared highly for the students and recognized that the best interest of the students was highly important. The yearbook reads, “its students are Western. They are its life, its power, its weakness, its future, its present, its past. For that reason we show you here-Western.”
Even the Western Herald put in efforts toward helping our Western troops.

“…Probably the most worthy project of which the Herald has been a part of this year is sending of the Herald free to Western fellows now serving their country,” reads the Herald section of the yearbook.
The men at war often wrote back, and in return, excerpts from their letters were posted in a service men’s column. This became a regular and popular column during war times.

Brown and Gold 1943 proudly points out the growth of The “W” Club. While the specific purpose of this club is not outlined in the yearbook, it is mentioned that this club was one of the largest male groups on campus. Speakers were invited to discuss present-day issues, usually geared towards athletics. During the war, the club’s members invested quite a bit of money in war bonds. Based off of the concept of school pride, the “W’’ Club is very similar to recent campus recruitment: “Get behind the W” and “What’s behind the W?” The W we proudly wear, has always represented the things it represents now.

Among all clubs represented in this edition of the Brown and Gold, The Women’s League is most similar to summer Orientation today. The club had what was referred to as “an unusually active year”, in large part to all the female students who wanted to help campus grow as more and more men were being drafted. The purpose of the club was for new, female students to become acquainted with each other and to feel at home on campus. Events continued through each students’ first year, similar to the First Year Seminar class offered through the First Year Experience program alongside with Orientation today.

Similar to the Western Student Association was Student Council. Just like WSA today, the Student Council was responsible for allocating funds to various assemblies, the band and vocal music groups, debate squads, school dances, and other activities. The Student Council collaborated with the annual Homecoming, just as the WSA collaborates with campus-wide events today.

56 different organizations, including Student Council, Greek life, and Athletics, are represented in this issue of the Brown and Gold. From there, WMU has come a long way, with over 230 Registered Student Organizations to show for today. The one theme, apparent in every organization both then and now, is the pride students hold for our university.

On living on campus, Brown and Gold reads, “Life is of the greatest value, and each fleeting moment spent on the campus at Western is an important addition to our treasury of experiences.”

This idea and many others are alike, such as the positive atmosphere each hall’s staff aims to implement. Whether its programs the Resident Assistants plan, leadership skills gained from Hall Council, or the campus-wide programs Residence Halls Association provides, today as well as in 1943, living on campus involved more than just a bedroom. The residence halls are, and always have been, more than just a home-away-from-home, and are home for many. Both then and now, the time spent living on campus was treasured.

There’s a passion at Western Michigan University that shines so brightly, it lights up all of Kalamazoo. Whether its 1943, the present, or the future, the passion we Broncos share is what keeps Western so strong. As the Homecoming theme reads, Brown and Gold Never Grow Old.

Erin Kaplan is a sophomore majoring in journalism and fashion merchandising and minoring in non-profit leadership. She is a writer for the Western Herald.

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