The McDonough County Historical Society developed this series, focused on experiences told by residents, from the mid-1940s to the 1970s. It will appear twice a month. Other short memoirs, extending one to three pages, are still welcome, and contributors should submit those to John Hallwas (je-hallwas@wiu. edu) or Kathy Nichols ([email protected]).
This series will probably extend beyond our 2026 bicentennial year.
I grew up in Blandinsville and graduated from the local high school in 1944, when World War II still dominated everything. Of course, many young men went into military service at that time, and lots of young women thought about what they wanted to do for a career, at a time when more of them were pursuing an occupation rather than just planning to have children and manage a household.
I always really enjoyed school, and I was the valedictorian of my high school class, so I decided to enroll at Western Illinois State Teachers College. I majored in business education, and because I also played the piano, I minored in music.
The enrollment at Western in the 19441945 school year was small, about 400 students, especially because so many young men were in the military. But the close of the war soon changed things. In my sophomore year, when so many men returned, and some veterans went to college, Western’s enrollment doubled, to about 800. And it topped 1,000 in my junior year. To make living space for those veterans, some of whom were married, Western acquired facilities that had been used at military camps, such as nearby Camp Ellis, and created a residential area on the west edge of campus, called Veterans Village.
Of course, most of the classes were then held in the main building (soon called Sherman Hall), and the business ones were located on the west end of the third floor. Among the business faculty members who taught back then were Clyde Beighey (who then served as the department chairman), Robert Ferguson (who later became the chairman), and Allan Laflin, Clarke Robinson, and Hertha Voss.
I enjoyed each of the classes—which not only included subjects like accounting and business management but also more practical skills like shorthand and typing. And I did student teaching at two places—not just the Western Lab School but the Bardolph School, too.
Campus life was very different in those days. Fraternities and sororities were very important, for they took major responsibility for Western social activities, including those we all enjoyed at Homecoming in the fall. I was a founding member of Western’s Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority—and I served as the first president. I also qualified for membership in the education honor society, Kappa Delta Pi, and the business honor society, Pi Omega Pi. And even my interest in music impacted my socializing because I was a member of both the Marching Band and the Women’s Glee Club.
So, I got to know many other students. And in general, most of us felt strongly connected to each other. I recall that the student lounge on the second floor of the main building was a major meeting place for many of us in those post-war years. And there were shows in the auditorium, located on the third floor of that building, and not just basketball games but dances were held at Morgan Gym, too.
I received my Bachelor of Science in Education degree from Western in 1948. And in the spring of 1949 I married Ken Epperson, who had been a fine athlete and a very popular Western student, and who eventually served as the university’s first admissions counselor and later the director of community college relations. But even that life-changing event didn’t end my educational experience with Western, for I did graduate study there, too, and I received my Masters of Science in Education degree in the spring of 1952.
Since I afterward spent many years in education, and then even more in real estate, I have always deeply appreciated the Western classes that prepared me for those careers. But beyond that, the meaningful social interaction that Westen provided has had a wonderful impact on my life.
