'HlE MICHIGAN DAILY MONDAY, OCT. 30,-1944 Union Begins Its 37th Year as Center of Men's Activities RATES 'MISS MICHIGAN' TITLE: 'Aunt 1uth' Writes1,600 Servicemen Quietly going about her work and usually attracting little attention is the nation's latest pin-up girl, Aunt Ruth Buchanan. She is not strictly known as "Miss Michigan" to the more than 1,600 boys in service who know her but she quietly claims a place in all their hearts from the cold wastes of the Aleutians to the burning sands of Egypt. Caln, easy-going, Aunt Ruth is 62 and her claim to the title of "Miss Michigan" lies in the fact that she continually keeps a stream of warm homey letters going to the 1,600 servicemen in her family. Aunt Ruth has been writing to her boys in service since before Pearl Harbor and each day's mail brings her the names of more boys away from home who miss the welcome comfort of a letter from home. Not only does she send periodic letters to boys around the world, but Aunt Ruth gives the Michigan men a little glimpse of campus life by sending them Dailies, kindly donated by interested people. Aunt Ruth has gotten up from bed after doctors told her she would never walk again. When she was 49 she re-entered the Univer- sity to "catch up on some courses I had missed earlier." She began her- writing when the Michigan National Guard was, called into National service under command of the now famous Major Burlin- game. When the boys were lonely on maneuvers, down in Louisiana in 1941, she asked Major Burlingame to send *her the address of the entire company and she wrote to all 200 of them. "I figured that the boys who were- n't receiving mail would answer and they would be the ones I'd continue to write to." From those 80 men who 'replied, Aunt Ruth's family has now grown to over 1,600 and she manages to write to each of them at least once a month. Aunt Ruth doesn't use a scien- tific system to keep track of her letters, a filing cabinet, but just puts the ones she hasn't answered in a little pile and just "remem- 'DUCHESS': Velina Louckes Retires After4 25 Years in ' The little woman, affectionately, known as "duchess" who has greeted thousands of students in their quest for Registration material in Rm. 4, University Hall, won't be on hand to set the new freshman on the right path this fall. She is Miss Velma Louckes who retired Oct. 1 after 25 years of ser- vice to the University. "The Duchess" was one of those people on campus who, after a few years, becomes part of the tradition of the University and it was no myth that she' could remember countless names and most always attached them to the face peering in at her. It has been an established custom throughout the years for old gradu- ates and young graduates to drop in and say hello, to introduce the new wife or, in some cases, present "little Junior." Many are the students who went through school on her "off the rec- ord" advice on the better courses and professors. I didn't recommend what the students call 'pipe' courses," she says with her cheery smile ever present. Miss Louckes first came to Ann Arbor when her brother came here to school, but she said that we liked the place so much that "I have now become a permanent fixture." She is a rather short woman al- though it wasn't easily seen for she sat straight up in a high stool in the Registrar's office and she always seemed to tower over the tallest athletes who came in for registration material. What is she going to do now that she has retired? "That is an easy one to answer," she said. "I am go- ing to live with myself and get double comfort to know that I can sleep till noon if I want to." Ballroom Used For Week-End Campus Dances Union Hub of Caipus Groups; Has Library, Cafeteria, Bowling Beginning its 37th year of service as exclusive club for Michigan men, the Union boasts a proud record of almost four decades as a center of campus life. Founred in 1907 after four years of planning, the Union was originally housed in the former Judge Cooley. home where it provided male under- graduates with a dining room serv- ing 50, a private dining room, one billiard table, a lounge, a checkroom, and a desk. The 75th anniversary of the University was celebrated in 1912 by the addition of a combination ballroom and banquet hall which was added to the original building. The Union was the center of anniversary activities with dances, Sunday meet- ings, class dinners, and open houses. Activities Listed Union activitiest-he 'opera, min- strel shos, song contests, county fairs, class dinners, smokers, dances, skat- ing parties, carnivals-soon outgrew the' Cooley home, and, in 1914, a campaign was launched to raise $1,- 000,000 for new quarters. During the First World War, the building was used as a barracks and mess hall for the Student Army Training Corps on campus, and the new Union Building was not com- pleted and ready until after the Armistice. In 1920, a swimming pool was added, and, with the assistance of Mrs. Edward W. Pendleton, the Pendleton library was installed. Further additions to the building in 1930 enlarged the cafeteria and provided new business and student offices on the first floor. In 1937, a wing was added which houses the University Club, the International Center, and quadruples the guest t. -Photo by John Horeth bers" when a boy needs a letter. Though Aunt Ruth supports her- self by working in the University Museum and lives alone, she never feels herself lonely for she says, "Every night I have several fellows waiting home to talk to." Lt.-Col. Stanley Waltz, former manager of the Union now on leave in the service has communicated with most of Aunt Ruth's boys who were former Michigan students and he has planned a big reunion for them all after the war. He wrote to her that "this will be the biggest party this town has ever seen. We will take over the Union and the West Quad and we'll all be together again." "The boys really love the copies of The Daily," she says beamingly, "and I can always use extra ones that people send me. In fact the only time I receive an irate letter from George (Ceithaml, former Michigan quarterback) is when he doesn't get his Daily on time." So we salute Aunt Ruth, a pin-up girl in her own right. THROUGH THESE PORTALS-No coeds are supposed to pass except on football Saturdays, according to Union tradition. This is a view of the front entrance of the Michigan Union, the center of all men's activities on campus. COME ONE; COME ALL e o o n All Male Students Are Eli'fible To Try Out For Michigan Union Activities Next Week ''3 Seven Cooperative Houses Now 0perate for UniversityStudents _. _. The cooperative movement, begun just 100 years ago in Rochdale, Eng- land, reached the campus twelve years ago when Michigan House, a men's co-op, was formed. A group of students who during the depression years had found it financially impossible to continue go- ing to school, decided to band to- gether to cut their living costs. They rented a house, did all their own work, both cooking and cleaning, and by dint of hard labor found that they could scrape by. From this inauspicious beginning the co-op movement on campus spread. In 1937 the then four co-op houses banded together to form an Inter-Cooperative Council to coordi- nate and expand the work of the individual houses. Girls' houses were started, and with the coming of the war, the girls even took over one of the closed men's houses. Today there are seven cooperative houses, two for men, and five for girls. The Inter-Cooperative Council has become a state corporation and has purchased two of the existing houses, the A.K. Stevens House for girls and the Robert Owen House for men. Tryouts for the Michigan Union student staff will be welcomed to the annual tryout meeting to be held within the next week. Any male student on campus is eligible for the tryouts which will be conducted by the present Union staff. Valuable experience, training in lead- ership,and an opportunity to put into practice their ideas to improve the campus are offered to tryouts who will meet University officials and personalities on campus in the course of their work. Tryouts will work with the Union committee cf their choosing under the supervision of the chairman. After one semester of good work, the tryout is eligible for a silver tower charm and for consideration as candidates to junior positions on the Executive Council. ' As prospective members of the staff, tryouts will be under the direct supervision of Presigent Thomas E. Bliska, '45Arch., who controls all Unon activities, constitutional chan- ges, elections, serves as ex officio member on all committees and co- ordinates the Executive Council with the Union Board of Directors which he heads. Bliska is aided by George Darrow, '46NROTC, secretary, in all his activities. Tryouts Learn Office Candidates' closest connection will be with Richard Freeman, '46, chair- man of the administration and hous- ing committee, and in charge of try- cuts whom he instructs in office techniaues. Jim Plate, editor of Campus News aild co-Chairman with Sandy Perlis, Navy "premed, 'of the War Activities Committee who is responsible for working with the League in fillin'g Blood Bank quotas, is Co-Chairman of the League-Union Bomber Schol- arship Committee as well as working with the Veterans organization. Bob Precious, '46E, NROTC, and Tom Donnelly, '46E, manage the Social Committee, planning week- end dances, GI Stomps,the Union- League banquet, and alumni Home- coming, Nov. 11. James R. Lindsay, '46E, is Co-chairman with Richard Mixer of the Campus Affairs .Com- mittee. Mixer is in charge of fresh- man and transfer orientation, while Lindsay runs elections, football mov- ies, the resale of football tickets, smokers and pep rallies. Glenn White, in charge of Union publicity completes the Executive Council of ten cI ___I- . .. . . MOST FAMOUS RESTAURANT FINE FOOD and genial hospitality are always present at the ALLENEL. Dine in the pleasant atmosphere on one of our famous dishes-Fresh Bailed Lob- ster, Juicy Roast Beef, Broiled or Fried Chicken, Cured Hams and Tender Chops. 0 For important week-end dates or dinner during the week the ALLENEL is the place to go. RETIRED AFTER LONG SERVICE-Miss Velma Louckes, affection- ately known as the "Duchess" has retired after 25 years service to the University. -Photo Courtesy Ann Arbor News RADIO & IECORD SHOP TilE FINEST IN MUSIC MYDA Formed For Studentst 'Win War and Peace' Is Slogan for Group I Michigan Youth for Democratic Action, campus anti-fascist organi- zation, was formed in January, 1944, to carry on 'win-the-war-and-the- peace' activities. Its program, designed to attract all students, includes the presenta- tion of noted speakers, discussion groups, war service activities, a bowl- ing league and other recreational activities. Its purpose, as expressed by Mort Rosenthal, president, is "to integrate youth in the war effort and integrate the things youth wants to do with the war effort." During the spring of 1944 MYDAI carried out its plans by instituting intensive student campaigns on the anti-poll tax bill and the soldier vote bill when those issues were discussed in Congress. The speakers program brought such men as Langston Hughes, noted Negro poet, Don Thurber, Detroit youth leader, John Lovett, head of the Michigan Associ- ation of Manufacturers and Melvin Social Workers To Be Important Increased Demand Expected To Continue "Social workers will inevitably play a large part in psychiatric and medi- cal social work after the war," Prof. Arthur E. Wood, head of the sociol- ogy department predicted. During the war, there is obviously a great demand for social workers, he said. The Red Cross, war service agencies and war employment agen- cies, hospitals, community organiza- tions are all vastly in need of trained social workers. "But after the war, it will be even more necessary that there be men and women who understand people to work in community reorganiza- tion, convalescent hospitals, employ- ment agencies and related fields," Prof. Wood emphasized. A social worker should have a solid foundation in the social sci- ences from his first year in college, he said. As a freshman and sopho- more, the student should take begin- ning courses in political science, so- These form a basis for advanced courses in the junior and senior Joj 14i S ltl Men f LUnwversidl, TH E EST3 TWH E LATEST IN POPU LAR IN CLASSICAL At senool the mmost complete way to elnjoy your leisure time, to get the most from every spare monitent, is to listen to good musie and appreciate its full meaning. Make music your haRppy-lime hobby. 11 1