Wanda Spencer Larson

Class of 1938

Wanda Spencer’s family moved from Bridgeport, Illinois to Champaign-Urbana so she and her brothers could save money by living at home during their college years. “Well with so many of us in the family, my parents decided it would be wise to move to Champaign so that we could live at home and go to the University of Illinois, which is what we did... There was never any question of looking around to other schools you know, that just wasn’t done then.” Wanda enrolled at the University of Illinois in 1934.    

Coping with the Depression:

Shortly after her family moved to Champaign, Wanda’s father was killed in a train accident.  Her family wasn’t affected as badly as others, but still some cutbacks had to be made.  “With food, I suppose that’s where you’d notice it first.  Mother made all my clothes, she was very handy, and even formals when I got to college.”

Organizations:

“The center of student activities was at the Y which was there on Wright, and then the Woman’s Building, and then the Illini [Illinois] Union which was also on Wright, and the offices for the Daily Illini... they were partially in the Union Building too, and the Illio, and the publications had offices there.” 

“Then I don’t know who made the selection for Torch, that was something that you made and we wore orange scarves every Wednesday all day to school and then down at the bottom it had a navy U of I,…In your sophomore year, if you were promoted so to speak, it was Gold Feathers.  As a Junior, that is when you made Torch, I don’t know how that selection was made.” 

The Stunt Show was popular student event.  “See you had to have try outs for that, this was group try outs, you’d make up skit, sort of group thing with singing and costumes and the whole thing.  Our house [Chi Omega] was in it every year.  One year we had to do it in the Ice Skating Rink because the Auditorium, which is where it was usually held, was judged unfit, they were afraid the balcony was going to fall down.” 

“I tried out for Orchesis, it was a dance.  You had to have a few semesters of an A in PE and then you could try out for this if you wanted to.  I’m trying to think what kind of dancing would you call it?  Interpretive dancing you might call it where you took a thought or a few words, or something, and you’d create a feeling.”

Woman's League:

“Really one of the main purposes of this Woman’s League was to build  . . .. traditions that, you know, that they wanted carried on through the campus.  They had excellent speakers usually, we learned songs, all of the school songs and then you were tested.  You had to have a 3 point average, that must have just been a C average at that time, because we were on the 5 point system at that time.” 

Sororities:

Wanda pledged the Chi Omega social sorority.  Bonding and community were a large part of sorority life in the 1930s.  “Houses, this was true in independent houses too, that they had songs and they’d sing, you know, after dinner too.  Everybody would be served.  You’d have a housemother or somebody with authority that was also trying to produce good manners and proper behavior for young ladies.  Then as I say, they used to have serenades just on the spur of the moment.  If a fraternity decided that they wanted to serenade a certain house after they came in from dates, why they just went.” 

Even though her family lived in town, Wanda still stayed at her house on occasion to take part in the activities.  “I think it was over on 3rd and Green, it was a real nice home really, but it wasn’t large enough, you see.  I think we had as many as 60 living in the house, I believe, but I stayed there many many week-ends because cab fare was quite an added expense and well, I was always invited to stay...  Go home in the morning, I mean stay at night, I should say, because I seldom missed church.” 

Socializing with other sororities and fraternities was an important part of Greek life.  “Two were selected from each sorority for Shi Ai, it was called, so then every week you would go to a different house for dinner on a given night, I forget, I think usually Wednesday night if I’m not mistaken….The fellows had the same thing, it was called Skull and Crescent, there again they went around and had dinners at different houses, it was your opportunity.”

Campus:

Uni Hall stood where the Illini Union building is today.  “I can remember having one class on fifth floor of Uni Hall and my next class was out in the Commerce Building, I’m not sure what’s called now, it has a name too.  That was quite a hike really, you had to get down those five floors, of course you weren’t the only one trying to come down either.” 

Women in the Work Force:

When choosing a major, women had evaluate the limited career possibilities available to them.  “Well I felt I wanted to teach, and English was not my favorite subject, even though it should have been, it’s a natural thing with speech, there’s no question about that.  It didn’t seem like there were too many opportunities for girls when you got through with college.  Not too many opportunities for jobs, it just seems that they all went to men.  Maybe that’s just the feeling that I got, of course, that’s not true in the teaching field, you certainly had just as good of a chance as a man to get a job there.”

After University of Illinois:

After receiving her degree from the University of Illinois in 1938, Wanda taught at the Champaign Junior High until her marriage to Bud Larson (UI Class of 1940) in 1942.  After service in WWII, the Larsons moved to Paxton, Illinois (Bud's home town) and ran the local paper and later operated the Larson family clothing store in town.  They have four children.  

The tapes and complete transcript of this interview, conducted Janurary 9, 2001,
are available for research use in the Student Life and Culture Archives.

 

 

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