Hometown History: October 19, 2023 – All Otsego

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October 19, 2023

70 Years Ago
On the verge of welcoming Dr. Miller A.F. Ritchie as its new president, Hartwick College yesterday announced that it would take steps to help prevent further attacks in its student newspaper against former college officials. The editorial charged that Hartwick had, in the past few years, “slithered down the drain of incompetence,” and had developed “a sour student body, a lethargic Alumni Association and an overtired, overworked faculty.” Concerning Henry J. Arnold, the retiring college president, the editorial said that Hartwick “has finally been blessed with a capable, efficient, future-minded president,” but characterized the condition of the college as an “ash heap he has inherited.” Under the headline “It’s About Time” the editorial continued: “People have not been happy here; something has been missing—an indefinable something that is displayed in school spirit, cooperation, eagerness, and collegiate traditions.” Students, it said, “have had the misfortune to witness this decay and to smell the stench…” “The Hilltops editorial containing negative criticism of the previous administration was a shocking surprise to me and is a source of deep regret,” said Dr. Ritchie. “His (Arnold’s) devotion to the college is a constant source of inspiration to me. I am sure that all who love the college…have a deep sense of gratitude to this intrepid Hartwick pioneer.” Dr. Ritchie promises “steps to provide wise counsel and guidance for the editorial staffs of college publications and to impress student journalists with the serious responsibility attached to writing for publication.”

October 1953

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