Minutes of the Board of Trustees and Executive Board of Manchester College, 1929 - 1930's incomplete. Winger correspondence. The history surrounding the final years of Otho Winger's presidency.

1932, April 2 - Report to the Trustee Board that includes enrollment for academic year 1933-1934 (Fall 600, Fall/Winter 580, Spring 560), a financial report, interest in debating and oratory, musical organizations, student conduct, faculty employment, salaries for 1933 & 1934.

Summaries of Board and Executive Board decisions for 15 September 1933, 9 October 1933, 16 November 1933, 30 December 1933, 9 February 1934, 2 April 1934.

Summaries of Executive Board decisions for 5 June 1929, 25 June 1929, 2 July 1929, 18 July 1929, 2 August 1929, 8 August 1929, 10 September 1929, 2 February 1931, 2 March 1931 "Measure looking to the preservation of the Mastodon Tusk were ordered.", 7 April 1931, "Robert Stauffer was approved as Assistant Coach (for basketball) on the same salary as last year."

Report of Trustees' Meeting 14 February 1931 - "Resolved by the Board ....that the President and Secretary of said college are hereby authorized and directed to make, execute and deliver, to the Manchester College Foundation and Holding Company, (Inc.), deeds conveying the following properties: Arnold Property in N. Manchester, Decker property in Clayton, Michigan, Andes Property in Middletown, Indiana, Lauer Property in Elkhark County, Indiana, Rinker property in Huntington, Indiana, three Leedy properties in Huntington, Indiana, the Shaffer farms in Chester Township and Pleasant Township, the Warvel farm east of North Manchester, in mortgage of A. L. Fingerle to Manchester College, property described in contract with Frank Schultz for sale of Fingerle property, and property described in deed for Shultz property, in Wabash, Indiana.

Minutes of the Board of Trustees of Manchester College 29 March 1940.

Review of Certain Events at Manchester College Since 1938.

Minutes of the Board of Trustees 17 February 1939.

29 March 1940; 8:20 A.M. - Report with salaries.

PRIVATE INFORMATION to the Members of the Trustee Board regarding some of our teachers - by Otho Winger.

Board of Trustee Minutes for the Meeting of March 21 and 22, 1941.

Signed petition from the Music Department to add encouragement to the board in the campaign for the new Arts Building.

1932, April 2 - Report to the Trustee Board - excerpt regarding student conduct:

The general conduct of our students has been commendable.  However, each year shows growing tendencies towards some things which the college management cannot approve.  The increase of card playing and dancing in Dunker homes and communities makes the tendency to such things greater here. We do not have dancing on the campus nor in connection with any college function....There is no bridge playing n any college function, but we are conscious of the fact that some do play cards in their rooms regardless of our regulations, and many of them play bridge in their homes. Some of our boys do smoke off the campus and some who room in outside homes. Considering the craze for such today, we have comparatively few who do smoke.  So far as we can learn we have no girls who smoke here in school and very few who would smoke at home.

You are of course aware of the growing looseness in society between the sexes.  Reports from many high school, colleges and other institutions indicate some very bad social conditions.  We believe that our students are unusually clean in their ways of thinking and their conduct.  An yet they have the temptations that come from the bathing beaches, movies, literature and form certain types of magazines.....

We are trying to give all the personal help to the students that we can.  I am trying to reach most every student in need of help by personal conferences. .....Manchester has a splendid reputation for having good moral conditions and we propose to keep it so...

1938 - 1942 were turbulent times at Manchester College.  The Meyer and Haffner incidents, combined with a few students' resolve to push the limits of long established MC social mores, a powerful Dean who sided with the trustees' decision to put the construction of the new Arts Building on hold, drove a wedge between Winger and several of the faculty and trustees. It was as if there was a coup to oust Winger for a year, giving him the title of president emeritus, before accepting his official resignation.  Winger called the trustees' bluff and went ahead and submitted his resignation (to their surprise and before they were actually ready for him to do so), and through this process, was able to sign a 4 year contract extension for himself and his brother, Oscar. Winger did not work this 4 year term, however, and in 1941 did all in his power to smooth the path for Schwalm's inauguration. 

The above information is based on the archivist's work up until 29 December 2017.  More research is needed in this area before any conclusions are finalized. Some of her interpretations are made through inference and innuendo by Winger, and all of the documents and letters have not been read.  She writes her assumptions so that future researchers might use them as a springboard for study and Jeanine fully intends for them to "correct" her work.

Jeanine Wine 29 December 2017.

See also MU2017/100