Central Normal Life

You could say the very first journalists at Central walked softly and carried a small, almost nonexistent twig.

“The Bulletin” served as Central’s first official publication until late 1919, when the 14-member staff decided to reorganize the small monthly magazine into a weekly newspaper.

“Go forth, Central Normal LIFE …” read the new paper’s first editorial. “You are a little fellow, just newly created, but you will grow. Do not strut forth arrogantly and challengingly, but walk with a humble spirit.”

The first issue hit the campus of Central Michigan Normal School on Dec. 2, 1919 with a top story on the basketball prospects for the upcoming year. The issue was four pages and cost five cents a copy. The bottom of most stories read “pay your subscription.”

Administrators held firm control over content, with then-President E. C. Warriner as the main editorial writer. Early stories showed a school experiencing steady growth, with headlines prone to hyperbole bordering on propaganda.

New faculty were “heartily welcomed” into the “Normal family.” The paper’s motto was “We make teachers who make good.”

“Slanguage” was bemoaned by mystified English majors, who called attention to weird phrases like to “flunk” out of a class, or the “grind” of intense studying. The president of the college was referred to as the “prex” or “prexy.”

The “Normalites” football team enjoyed steady positive coverage. An editorial in 1921 called for a system reorganization to be more accommodating to casual athletes. The team would become the “Bearcats” in the mid-20s.

Early faculty and staff like Mae Woldt, Ira Beddow, Webster H. Pearce and Clifford Wightman, a former Life editor, pop out of early coverage as recognizable campus building names of today.

President Warriner implored students to “carry on” on Dec. 9, 1925, two days after a Monday fire devastated the Main Administration Building, housing the library and auditorium.

Life slowly reflected the changes at Central, growing into a professional-style paper by 1925. Gone were the propaganda headlines. The management now included sports, society, alumni and news editors. An old English flag adorned the top and the new motto was “all that a man hath will he give his life.”

By the fall of 1927, the paper had become the “Central State Life,” to reflect the new name of the school, the Central State Teachers College. Journalism courses were added in 1928.

Central continued to expand throughout the ’30s and ’40s, through the Great Depression and World War II. Charles L. Anspach, a Chevrolet Motor Co. executive, replaced Warriner as president in 1939.

New dormitories and classroom buildings were added and the campus swelled with thousands of students. The paper began landing on a Wednesday and 1936 saw the first spoof/satire issue, the “Central Rost.”

On Wednesday, July 9, 1941, Central State Life became Central Michigan Life, to reflect the college’s name change to Central Michigan College of Education.

HEADLINES
“Fall enrollment of 950 establishes new record”
Sept. 30, 1925
The first three-year courses begin.

“Mute evidence of destruction wrought by flames in two hours”
Dec. 9, 1925
The Main Administration building is destroyed by fire in two hours.

“Use of new administration building ushers in era of efficient expansion”
April 13, 1928

news@cm-life.com

E-mail the author: Garret Ellison