There are milestone moments in history, dates that signal the end or start of ‘an era’. December 7, 1941 is one such memory-tab, recalling a date that indicates a recognized Before & After, and making a clear division in American and personal history for those who lived through that day and its consequences. Here are three exhibits from the University of Portland reacting to that event, recorded in the December 12, 1941 issue of The Beacon (the weekly campus newspaper).
First, from the bottom corner of the first page. The declaration of a stiff-upper-lip. While waiting for the new-future to manifest and acknowledging that the world has changed for every student, every person at the University, the editors declare that on that day, in that place, during that uncertain December, there remains a duty of preparation and character assigned to each even as all look to the unknown tomorrow.
Some might enlist, all would serve; and all would need and should know that they are part of a whole. Therefore, The Beacon and school will go on.
Also included here is a slice of community reaction from the opinion page; where both Mr. Foley (student) and Fr. Miltner (10th President) published columns and commentary throughout the year.
The final exhibit in this post is a digital reproduction of the front-page (which enlarges when the reader clicks the image).
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