War's Constant Presence 

The overarching theme of the 1940s was war. Even when war was just a distant whisper or after it had ceased, its effects still rocked Ripon’s campus. Unlike the World War I climate, all able men were encourage to enlist in the army, and many who did not enlist were drafted. Hence, a steady flow of men trickled away from the Ripon campus. This obviously shrunk the campus, only a few years after the school had seen one of its highest enrollments. With threatened enrollment, particularly amongst male students, many clubs and campus organizations were forced to disband; fraternities suffered in particular, as more and more members enlisted in the war or were called to arms.

Despite the hardship that war obviously brought to the campus, Ripon rose gloriously to the occasion. Every individual in the campus community understood his or her duty to the war effort—everyone was aware that they were part of a war context that, unfortunately, had become the reality of life. War bond drives were held; the Student Council became the War Council, faculty members enlisted; and even the College Days did its bit with columns from soldiers.

At the same time, something of a metamorphosis was going on at Ripon. President Evans went into retirement in 1943, after years of service to the college. The new president, Clark Kuebler, sought to revamp Ripon. Kuebler hoped to nationalize Ripon, something Evans would never have dreamed of doing. Where Evans celebrated the rural, poor man’s college, Kuebler hoped to transform Ripon into a prestigious, nationally acclaimed institution. As the first Ripon College president without any experience as a minister, Kuebler steered Ripon away from the religious emphasis that had for so long been a part of the college. To nationalize the school, he hoped to attract students from different parts of the country, recruit faculty and expand its benefits, and to open a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the most prestigious honor society.

As Ripon was trying to gentrify herself with the help of an ambitious new president, the war made progress difficult. Whether before, during, or after the war, the college of the 1940s seemed unable to exist away from the world conflict. War loomed over the decade, and every action was a reaction to it.

Wartime Women

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See also: Ripon College in Wartime: World War II

By Parissa DJangi