Independent Voices from the Past
Sherill Shaw, USU Eastern cataloging and serials librarian, looks at a 1960 Golden Eagle newspaper.
From the first class of 1938-39, the college sponsored a student newspaper. Going through four name changes, "Carbon College News," "Carbonicle," 'The Golden Eagle" and "The Eagle," its philosophy remains the same: the independent voice of the students.
The first six-page publication hit the stands on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 1938, with Gean Clark as adviser and an all-freshman staff. Four issues were printed including the opening, Christmas, junior prom and graduation issues. Editors were John Holman, Johnny Georgedes and Paul Craven who oversaw a staff of 44 students.
Articles included facts on the college, ordering books for the library, students landscaping campus and acting in the KEUB Program. The college did not field a football team because "lack of funds and late registration ... lt would cost approximately $1,500 for the necessary football equipment, thus putting an extra burden on the school. Too, Carbon College has no second-year students and this would handicap them in participating against larger colleges with trained players of two·year experience."
The men's basketball coach, Keith Wangsgard, announced, "yes, we'll have a basketball team this year; in fact we might even win a game!" The Eagles played Westminster, Weber, Ricks, Mesa, Branch Agricultural College (SUU), Dixie and Snow. They would be part of the lntermountain Collegiate Athletic Conference.
One hundred and ten students were registered with Iowa, North Dakota, Kentucky, Arizona, Colorado, Indiana, California, Ohio and Utah represented along with "entities from as far south as Kanab and as far north as Salt Lake City." They were introduced by President Elden B. Sessions at an opening assembly.
Five free full-tuition scholarships ($65) were offered to students: two to Carbon County students, one to Grand, one to San Juan and one to Emery.
1940s
In the Sept. 30, 1941 issue, the newspaper listed the class officers of the high school and college. "Our Town" was presented by the drama dub and civil pilot training was offered by Thompson's Flying Service at the new airport. Phi Rho Pi (national honorary forensic society) was coached by LaRue Olsen with Oliver Phelps, business manager. Carbon College hosted the Utah-Idaho Speech Tournament.
In 1942, the newspaper changed its name to the "Carbonicle" and continued to print high school and college articles. The latest in clothing sported by the coeds included plaids, bibs and slickers. The Golden Eagle football team lost to Mesa College in Grand Junction 34-7. By 1947, the greatly improved football team was defeating Boise, Weber and BAG.
1950s
By 1951, debate teams competed out of state and Carbon College presented the opera, "The Mikado." President Aaron Jones asked the legislature for $350,000 for a new gym with the proposal defeated 26-24 in the Utah House of Representatives. Jones also traveled to Chicago to see what it would take to get a unit of the ROTC started at the college.
The basketball team defeated the BAC Broncos securing second place in the ICAC. Mining classes were offered during the day and evening, plus construction began on a field house. On Jan. 31, 1957, journalism students traveled to the University of Utah for a mock press conference. Carbon High students moved to their new school in 1959 and the University of Utah took over the college for the next decade.
1960s
The college newspaper continued with the "Carbonicle" name for a year after the high school was built. In 1960, the paper became "The Golden Eagle," a name it kept 15 years. However, an April 1, 1963, edition listed "The Golden Beagle" on the masthead. In 1964, President Claude Burtenshaw had the college's name changed to the College of Eastern Utah, a year before the football program was disbanded.
Enrollment hit 561 students. Then in the '65, basketball was king as the team made its first NJCAA appearance in Hutchison, Kan., under Coach Curt Jensen and finished third. Vince Colbert and Don Dennison were named as players of the year. The theater department produced "Guys and Dolls," "Oklahoma," "Bye Bye Birdie; and forensics placed fifth in the nation.
Articles were written about homecoming floats, Gibby being stolen, Blue Debs, ski club, Delta Psi Omega, Pi Gamma Chi, Intercollegiate Knights and a panty raid. The legislature approved the largest building program with the music, library and science buildings plus administrative wing and physical plant completed. CEU became one of nine colleges under the Utah Board of Regents in 1969.
1970s
By the '70s, the bookstore advertised sweatshirts for $1.98 to $2.98 in the newspaper. Editorials were complaints about entrances into parking lots, muddy sidewalks, deadlines for scholarships, the cliquish Iranian students and the administration writing a column in the paper.
Clubs like the A.B.C., A.W.S, A.M.S. and Blue Debs were covered. The future president of Brigham Young University, Kevin Worthen, was a starter on the basketball team. Student dress standards stressed neatness and cleanliness, including pantsuits for the coeds, after 4 p.m.
Congress passed Title IV, paving the way for an equal number of women and men's sports on campuses. Women's sports included gymnastics, volleyball and softball while men's sports included wrestling, basketball and baseball.
In 1975, "The Golden Eagle" newspaper became "The Eagle." President Dean McDonald wrote a letter to the newspaper staff congratulating them on one of the finest issues the college has produced. "The paper has a professional quality in appearance and content and is a credit to CEU." President Michael Peterson reintroduced a football program to campus in '79.
1980s
By the '80s, enrollment increased with CEU edging ahead of Snow 61 students. The first Apple computers were purchased for newspaper layout and writing with the staff covering the legislature funding the Bunnell-Dmitrich Athletic Center.
After eight seasons and three head coaches, the college abruptly dropped football in '86, the same year the students elected their first female president: Wendie Mathie. Brian Hall and Scott Wardle placed first in the nation in debate while the baseball team was tri-lCAC champions. All public colleges in Utah moved from the quarter to semester system.
1990s
By the '90s, The Eagle was getting judged by regional and national organizations. It started winning awards, laying the groundwork for the tradition it continues to achieve. It went from printing 108 to 172 pages each year and placed first at Mesa State University's Best of Junior College newspaper and third in the Rocky Mountain Collegiate Media Association contest.
"The Eagle has one third the budget of Snow, one fifth the budget of Dixie and SLCC while Utah Valley Community College's budget is somewhere in heaven," was an article in the paper about how many awards "The Eagle" won and compared it to the budgets and lack of awards by the other two-year colleges.
Enrollment hit an all-time high and in 1991, Neil Warren's debate team won 272 team and individual trophies and ranked first in nation. Coach Ronnie Stubbs resigned after 273 games of coaching basketball at his alma mater. CEU's environmental studies program celebrated 20 years. The inauguration of Grace Sawyer Jones, Utah's first black president and first woman president at a Utah public higher education, took place in '97. Body art, 859 scholarships awarded and casino night were covered in its pages.
2000
The 21st Century saw The Eagle go online in 2002 and included articles on alumni Mindaugas Kateynas winning the 2005 NCAA dunk contest, Willie Eyre playing for three teams in the MLB, Scottie Vines in the NFL and Ime Udoka, Darington Hobsen and Eddie Gill in the NBA. The remodeled baseball facility was dedicated while enrollment dropped. A Cinderella basketball story included the names of Glover, Mills, Williams, Colimon, Thompson, Dalton, Jorquim, Hawk-Harris and Defavari who helped lead the men's team to a third place finish in the nation. Glover was named All Tourney.
In a major shakeup, student government cut The Eagle and police budgets, but approved funding for the theater department, a department that was over two months late in submitting its request.
Moving forward to spring semester 2014, the newspaper staff continues to add accolades to its history, winning 15 awards at the Utah Press Association's Best Newspaper Contest, a statewide professional and college newspaper contest. The awards were added to the hundreds of others the staff won the past two decades including ones from the Society of Professional Journalists, Columbia Scholastic Press Association and American Scholastic Press Association.
As its staff readies to move to the CIB in August, it will take years of tradition and quality with it. And...it will continue to be the independent voice of the students.
~ Susan Polster