Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on November 10, 1955.
285 Teachers, Businessmen Exchange Ideas At Sixth Annual B-E Program Here
Two hundred and 85 businessmen and educators from this community gathered at a banquet Wednesday evening on the Valparaiso university campus to climax the 6th annual Business-Education Day.
It was the biggest affair of its kind held here, Robert F. Smith, president of the Indiana Steel Products company, who served as master of ceremonies, told the audience.
During the afternoon some 25 Valparaiso business firms played host to teachers of the city public and parochial schools, Valparaiso University, student teachers there, Valparaiso Technical institute and the clergy of the city. The businessmen in the respective places took their guests on a tour of their facilities and then sat down and discussed various phases and problems of their business.
Teachers serve as hosts in alternate years, and they will entertain the businessmen in 1956.
The individual businessmen had as their dinner guests Wednesday evening the educators they entertained during the day. This banquet was held in the Great hall of the V.U. Student union.
During the prime roast of beef dinner, music was provided by an instrumental trio from the university. The Rev. Percy Thomas, pastor of the First Christian church, said the invocation.
Introduces Groverman
After Chairman Smith made the introductory remarks following the dinner, he called on Morris Groverman, Jr., president of the program sponsoring Chamber of Commerce to make a special presentation to a local educator.
There was a special certificate which had been prepared for the occasion and which was enclosed in a frame. Groverman announced that the recipient was to be Hanns Matthias Mueller, an exchange teacher at V.U. from Germany.
The presentation was planned as a surprise proved to be on the group, for the intended recipient who had been a guest at the Continental - Diamond Fibre company plant during the afternoon, had partaken of the dinner, but had left a few minutes earlier to attend another meeting.
Nevertheless the text of the certificate was read as follows:
“In recognition of the position of Hanns Matthias Mueller as an exchange teacher at Valparaiso university under the Fulbright Act we, the officers, directors and membership of the Valparaiso (Ind.) Chamber of Commerce do hereby extend to you our best wishes and sincere friendship in the interest of furthering the International relations between our country, the United States of America, and your native country, the Federal Republic of Germany.
“Awarded this 9th day of November, in the year of our Lord, 1955 at the Business-Education Day dinner.”
It bore the C of C seal and the signatures of President Groverman and Chairman Smith.
Hear Industrialist
Principal speaker of the evening was William Caples, vice president in charge of Industrial Relations, of the Inland Steel corporation.
He talked of what is going to happen in the next 25 years and how it will affect both industry and education.
Leisure Is Growing
Community leisure is another increasing problem Caples noted. He said that one of the problems for educators is how to meet these needs.
Among other jobs of the educators, as Caples sees them, is for schools to be familiar with business problems, and to meet the steady changes in American society.
Caples contended that while the White House Education conference is studying the buildings and bricks (material) needs of schools, as it should, it is overlooking the point as to what should be taught to meet these sociological changes.
It is necessary for education and industry to cooperate closely, and Caples added, it is necessary for business to bring out the proper status of the teachers in a community, and with a wage scale commensurate with that status.
Industry must offer its time and people to serve on school boards for a sympathetic understanding of education, the speaker said. It should also open its laboratories to the schools.
“I predict that the next 25 years will be the most glorious experience in education and industry,” Caples concluded.
First Graders Learn Art of Reading
DEMONSTRATING ONE OF the forms of instruction used in the Valparaiso city school system in conformance with Education Week, Nov. 6-12, these first grade Gardner pupils are shown learning to read independently by using phonetics. Lois Williamson, standing extreme right, is shown with her group, reading sentences containing new words that are different from known words only in the beginning letter. The teacher is Mrs. Neil Dinsmoore. (V-M Staff Photo)
