#49: Back and forth (1928)
"Work in America held me as long as possible in the spring
of 1928, but I reached Thessaloniki and the College campus
again on the morning of June 17, which was Baccalaureate
Sunday, and I preached that day to our College audience
from the words, "As Jesus passed by, he saw a man".
The condition of the College looked good, with Dean Compton
in chief charge and a class of 13 to graduate creditably
that week with the motto "Argonauts". A good record in
interschool athletics during the year was a fact cheering to
the students. Government officials and other friends, whom
I met as soon as possible, were cordial and appreciative.
The Girls' School was soon officially recognized as carrying
on under the College permit, and was gaining a highly
worthwhile constituency. An item not unimportant, was the
report that farm crops for the year 1927 were good, "very
good". We moved forward soon to complete the purchase and
occupation of twelve acres of bench land for our athletic
field on the upper campus and another small piece on the
slope leading down to it to fill out the upper campus.
Three rooms were built during the summer as a cheap
addition to London Lodge, enlarging by a little the
provision required immediately for the school in Charilaos.
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In July, our son, George, and his wife had finished their
work with the Near East Relief on the island of Syra, and
accepted the invitation of College authorities to join in
the effort to build and administer the College. Mrs. White
and I started to leave our college campus again, October
29th, with fresh enthusiasm for work beyond the Atlantic
Ocean. The Self-Help Shop was nearly finished, and they
arranged to live in it during the months while the first
house on the new campus was in process of construction.
On our way to the train, which left late in the evening,
they asked us to stop in at the Shop, and there served
us a cup of coffee and the first light refreshments ever
served on our upper campus.
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Work in Thessaloniki was essentially set up for the
academic year. There were 208 students registered for
the six College classes and 92 in the Girls' School,
which was already recognized as included under the
College permit, while still supported by the fine
women of the American Board. The College budget was
right around $40,000.
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During this season, on the invitation and arrangement
of friends, I made my first trip to the North Pacific
Coast. Some persons in that region were already among
our contributors, especially the Coleman Brothers of
Seattle. Mr. A. L. Tertsagian, at home both in Seattle
and in Cashmere of the apple country, had taken a
creditable place in the state of Washington. He gave
a significant luncheon in Seattle for our work, but
he had located his home and business amid Wenatchee
apple orchards where he was building up an extensive
business in apples and "aplets", this latter being a
delightful confection which he had invented, somewhat
on the model of "Turkish Delight". Another time when
I was visiting Cashmere our former student invited me
to a luncheon of the Chamber of Commerce where I was
asked to say a few words of greeting. When a banker,
who was the chief speaker, rose, he began by addressing
me personally and saying that our Anatolia graduate was
what he said he wanted to be: he was one of the best
*citizens* in that part of the State of Washington.
It is significant in this connection to recall that,
whereas a good many young men of those earlier College
years left the Near East because it was all so uncertain
for the future, there is now good hope that our young
graduates can go out to render such service for their
own communities and countries as some of their earlier
brothers and predecessors had done in America."
NEXT: Commerce and agriculture
(1929)
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