Sometimes, in order to be truly appreciative of one’s accomplishments, a backwards glance is required. Time has the habit of passing by in a way that is both subtle and rapid. Between the hustle and bustle of our lives, days begin to blur. They merge into one another, passing by at such a rate that makes it difficult to realize the changes that take place around us. It is only when we pause to look back that we realize just how much has happened and just how much we have achieved.
This is very much the case with Millikin University. Since its founding in 1901, thousands of students have poured in and out of Millikin’s classrooms, each one of them bringing something new to the University. The small changes have accumulated to make MU what it is today. However, this is not something to which most current students give a second thought. To remedy this, I have browsed through the archives to discover events that occurred this week in Millikin’s history. Comparing these events with what is going on today might give us a better perspective on just how far Millikin has come.

100 years ago

March 9, 1913 – According to the March 9 edition of the Decaturian, 40 sophomore girls gathered at the Pi Beta Phi house for a party that was originally intended for the gymnasium. The location was changed at the last minute due to a lack of interested attendees, so the Pi Phi house was deemed suitable for a night of cards and dominos. A drawing was required to determine a winner due to a tie, but ultimately, one lucky student was able to celebrate her victory with a box of chocolates.

The same issue gives a bit of insight into the Millikin sports community.  At the time, the Millikin basketball team had been in existence for about ten years and was boasting eight wins of the season’s ten games. Their latest victory was against Bradley Polytech, one of two teams who previously had a reputation for besting Millikin on the court. The other was Illinois Wesleyan (of course).

75 Years ago

March 5, 1937- This issue of the Dec has some very interesting upcoming events. One of them was a series of meetings for young women on marriage given at Westminster Church.  A speaker, Mrs. John C. Hessler, was to give a talk on “Preparation for Home life.” It is admittedly quite interesting to think about how those preparations have probably altered quite a bit since then.