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December 3-9
1902
Dec. 8: Physics Department Receives Wireless Telegraph
The Normal School's physics department received a donation of a wireless telegraph, and held a demonstration in the Sherman Hall Auditorium.
1920
Dec. 5: All School Basketball Tournament Held
An inter-class basketball tournament was held at the Normal School. Two teams were comprised of WISNS students, and teams for the 9th-12th grades of the Academy were organized, with a total of six teams participating. The tournament’s winner was the 12th grade Academy team.
Dec. 7: Athletics Constitution Amended
Coach Roberts met with the Board of Control regarding the need to amend the athletics constitution due to complaints about the way varsity letters, numbers, and awards were given out following football season. The amendment was aimed at lessening the requirements for players to receive awards in the future.
1950
Dec. 4: Russian Art Exhibit Displayed in Arts Building
The Work of Russian Artist Alexander Archipenko was displayed at the Arts Building until the beginning of Christmas Break.
Dec. 6: New Addition to the Morgan Gym
Construction of a new addition to the Morgan Gym began. The new two-story addition featured an enclosed swimming pool, locker rooms, a student lounge, five multipurpose activity rooms, and a two-lane bowling alley.
1980
Dec. 4: Trash Fire Chute Fire at Wetzel Hall
Macomb firefighters were called to Wetzel Hall in the early morning hours to fight a fire, which originated in the building’s trash chute. The 10th through 13th floors received smoke damage (no one was injured). The cause of the fire was later found to be a cigarette that was thrown down the chute.
Dec. 8: University TV Launches Children's Programing
TV-2, Western's television station, began airing "Macomb Express," a children's educational program. The show was hosted by Engineer Mike and his puppet friend, Clancy.
November 26-December 2
1902
Nov. 26: Western's Inaugural Football Season Ends
The first football season for the State Normal School came to an end when the team traveled to the Tri Cities for a match against Moline High School on Thanksgiving Day. Western lost the game 33-5, which gave the team a final record of 3 wins, 3 losses, and 1 tie.
Nov. 28: State Normal School Hosts McDonough County Teachers Institute
A teacher’s institute was held for the McDonough County public school teachers.
1920
Nov. 29: Good Speech Week to be Held at State Normal School
Nov. 29 marked the beginning of “Good Speech Week” at the Normal School. All week Western students were told about how and why it was important to practice “good English” in their daily lives. Some of the programs that were presented included "Down with Slang," "Good English: An Asset to Business: and "The 10 Commandments of Good Speech."
1950
Nov. 26: Long-time Former Professor Cooper Dies
Bessie M. Cooper died at a hospital in the Quad Cities. Cooper retired in 1946 after spending 34 years as an elementary education instructor in the laboratory school. Even in her retirement, she had remained involved and volunteered regularly at the school.
Nov. 27: Laboratory School Opens New Gym
The Western High Cardinals basketball team moved into a new gymnasium, which was opened on the north side of the laboratory school (now the COFAC Recital Hall). The first game in the gym was played against Keokuk High. Western High lost 44-28.
1980
Nov. 30: WIU Debate Team Places at State Tournament
Western’s debate team competed in the Illinois State Debate Tournament and came home with a third place finish. Some of the teams they faced and defeated were Wayne State, Illinois State, and Northwestern University. Harvard University won the tournament.
Dec. 2: Freshmen Class Enrollment Projected to Rise
WIU President Leslie Malpass announced that he expected the 1981 freshmen class to be significantly larger than the Fall 1980 class. On Dec. 1 applications were up 15 percent and acceptance into WIU had increased more than 7 percent compared with the figure from the previous year.
November 19-25
1902
Nov. 20: Trustees Meeting Held in Chicago
The Board of Trustees for the Western Illinois State Normal School met and conducted their meeting at the Office of the State Architect in Chicago. The reason for the unique location was that the Board had many bills to pay, contracts to settle, and plans for the continuation of the Main Building's (now Sherman Hall) construction to discuss. Additionally, the Board voted to relieve the Macomb Citizens Committee of any further obligations in the construction and operation of the State Normal School.
Nov. 23: Thanksgiving Break
The State Normal School announced that it would be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday, starting the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and continuing through the following Tuesday.
Nov. 24: Literacy Societies Hold Joint Party
Both of the Normal School's literary societies, The Emersonians and The Platonians, held a joint Thanksgiving dinner and party.
1920
Nov. 19: Grote Enforces Rules for Female Students
A meeting was called by Caroline Grote for all local families who had female students living with them. At the time WISNS had only one residence hall, so many students rented rooms. Grote informed the families who leased rooms that she had updated female student code of conduct, and she highly recommended that all families housing female students enforce the rules.
Nov. 19: Drama Club Performance
The Green Door Drama Club completed a two-night showing of the fall musical, “The Neighborhood,” directed by Lee Compt.
Nov. 22: Student Band Holds Performance
The Western Illinois State Normal School Band held its first public performance. The band, directed by E. Eller, was comprised of volunteers from the normal school student body.
1950
Nov. 20: Thanksgiving Dinner Held for Students
The annual Student Thanksgiving Dinner was held in Grote Hall.
Nov. 21: Art Professor Named to Board
Paul Swain was named to the Illinois Art Education Foundation's Board of Directors. Swain, an assistant professor of art, came to Western in 1945 and taught art classes for college students and for students in the Laboratory School.
Nov. 22: Student Gives Music Concert
Edward Pease performed in concert for WIU students in the Sherman Hall auditorium. Pease, a senior, sang several classical selections, such as exerpts from Handel's "The Messiah."
1980
Nov. 19: WIU Student Honored by City of Macomb
WIU student Mike Maher was awarded as the 1980 Outstanding Citizen of Macomb by the Macomb City Council. Maher, a business administration major, was a wide-receiver on the WIU football team for three years, earning All-American Team status following his performance during the 1980 season.
Nov. 20: Blood Drive Success
A blood drive, was sponsored by the Alpha Phi Omega Sorority and the Beu Health Center held on campus collected 577 pints of blood from donors. This feat put WIU in the top 10 for university blood drives in the United States.
Nov. 24: Western Awarded Two Microcomputers
The WIU Biological Sciences Department was awarded two new microcomputers by the Apple Education Foundation. These new microcomputers, which had a combined worth of $11,118, were programmed so students could use them for self-instruction in science.
November 12-18
1902
Nov. 16: Athletic Events Admissions Charge Initiated
Starting with the Normal School football game vs. Biggsville High School, a fee was charged to watch school athletic events. Prices were set at 5 cents for students and 25 cents for adults. This upset several people since Western's two previous football games were free of charge.
1920
Nov. 12: Alumni Hold Fundraiser Dance for Yearbook
The Normal School's senior class held a charity dance for the school’s alumni in the main building (Sherman Hall). More than 100 alumni and their dates attended the event. Proceeds went to the school's yearbook, The Sequel.
Nov. 17: Grote Hall Elevator
An elevator was installed in Grote Hall, with Mr. Medus hired as the elevator operator.
Nov. 18: New Commercial Department Head Announced
R.R. McClurg was selected as the new head of the school's commercial department. Before coming to Western, McClurg taught in the commercial department at Valparaiso and at the State Normal School of North Dakota.
1950
Nov. 12: Kosmopolitan Klub Field Trip
The WIU Kosmopolitan Klub returned from a two-day field trip. The club spent a day visiting several Lincoln sites in Springfield, and one day in Hannibal, MO, touring the boyhood home of Mark Twain, the Mark Twain Cave, and Hannibal’s famous lighthouse.
Nov. 15: Industrial Arts Club Christmas Cards
The Western Illinois Industrial Arts Club announced that it would sell Christmas cards featuring a winter scene of Sherman Hall.
Nov. 16: Sorority Recruitment Begins
Western's sororities began recruiting for the second quarter. Many sororities, such as Alpha Sigma Alpha and Sigma Sigma Sigma, had rush parties with refreshments for both new members and pledges.
1980
Nov. 12: Student Employment
The University announced that more than 1,800 students are employed on campus. The jobs ranged from office secretaries and library assistants to janitorial workers. The campus food service department, SAGA, employed the majority, with approximately 600 student workers.
Nov. 14: Campus Lighting Improved
Due to an increase in concerns about the “darkness” of the Western campus, Physical Plant Director George Connell announced that new lights would be added around many areas of campus. The areas receiving new lights included the ravine area by East Village, the pathways from Western Hall to the Union, Q-Lot, and near Grote Hall.
