[Magdalen] Tightrope?

[Jay Weigel]

I'd never heard of JMU until a friend's daughter decided to go there (from
east TN) back in the 1980s. I thought at that time it was a private college
and I had to look it up. Then I wondered why, with all the schools in
Tennessee, she'd chosen JMU.

On Wed, Nov 18, 2015 at 10:55 AM, Grace Cangialosi <gracecan at gmail.com>
wrote:

> When I first heard of James Madison U, it was still Madison College for
> Women. One of my classmates from UMich went there to teach organ around
> '68,  and we thought he'd moved to a real backwater. We'd never heard of
> Harrisonburg, VA! He was there until he retired about 8 years ago.
>
> On November 18, 2015, at 10:48 AM, Jay Weigel <jay.weigel at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> James Madison University here in Harrisonburg, VA, was also once a "normal
> school" and was also an all-female institution. I think it went coed about
> the same time UVA did, around 1972.
>
> On Wed, Nov 18, 2015 at 10:31 AM, Charles Wohlers <
> charles.wohlers at verizon.net> wrote:
>
> > "Normal School" historically means one which trains teachers. My former
> > employer, Bridgewater State Univ. (and once upon a time, Bridgewater
> Normal
> > School) was the first such state-supported institution in the country,
> > being founded in 1840.
> >
> > Chad Wohlers
> > Woodbury, VT USA
> > chadwohl at satucket.com
> >
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message----- From: Judy Fleener
> > Sent: Wednesday, November 18, 2015 9:58 AM
> > To: magdalen at herberthouse.org
> > Subject: Re: [Magdalen] Tightrope?
> >
> > The name of my university was originally Dekalb Normal School.
> >
> >
> > On Mon, Nov 16, 2015 at 7:25 PM, Grace Cangialosi <gracecan at gmail.com>
> > wrote:
> >
> > Sorry, that first word was supposed to be "well."  My auto-correct always
> >> wants to stick an apostrophe in it.
> >>
> >> > On Nov 16, 2015, at 7:22 PM, Grace Cangialosi <gracecan at gmail.com>
> >> wrote:
> >> >
> >> > We'll, I love the name "Superior Normal"! Talk about an oxymoron...
> >> >
> >> >> On Nov 16, 2015, at 3:02 PM, Cantor03--- via Magdalen <
> >> magdalen at herberthouse.org> wrote:
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> My Cousin Connie sent me a small, faded newspaper clipping yesterday.
> >> >> dated from 1922, and was titled "Superior Normal Girls Meet."  She
> >> found
> >> >> it cleaning out a closet.
> >> >>
> >> >> Superior Normal School = University of Wisconsin-Superior, and my
> >> >> mother was a freshman then with a major in mathematics and a minor
> >> >> in teaching gym classes.
> >> >>
> >> >> This meeting was sponsored by the local campus YWCA, and was billed
> >> >> as a "mixer" for the female students.
> >> >>
> >> >> There was a formal program to start the event, and the initial act
> was
> >> >> described as "a thrilling piece for three ukuleles."
> >> >>
> >> >> Next, and more interesting to me, was that the crowd was  "held
> >> spellbound
> >> >> by Constance Northam (my mother) walking a tightrope."
> >> >>
> >> >> Walking a tightrope ? [!]
> >> >>
> >> >> Never did I or anyone in the family during her 98 years hear of  such
> >> >> an event (talent?).  I'll just file it under "family legends."
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> David Strang --- who has felt sometimes that he was walking a
> >> tightrope,
> >> >> but never actually did so.
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
> > --
> > Judy Fleener, ObJN
> > Western Michigan
> >
>