Virginia Lyons – Health and Physical Education, 1962

Virginia Lyons

1962 – Health and Physical Education

My First Day at USL

                My first day of going to college at USL was registration day at Blackham Coliseum. When I entered the coliseum I saw a mass of people going from one table to another getting registration cards. A lady came to me and asked. “Are you here to go to college?”

                I said, “Yes Mam.”

                She asked, “What is your name?”

                I said. “Virginia Lyons.”

                Again she asked, “What are you majoring in?”

                I said “Physical Education.”

                She took me by the hand and said, “Come with me, Virginia Lyons.”

                This lady took me to a table, told the people at the table, “This is Virginia Lyons. She is majoring in physical education. Give her this class.” Then she took me to another table and said again, “This is Virginia Lyons. She is majoring in physical education. Give her this class”. This was repeated until my schedule was complete.

                At this point, I am thinking college is a really nice place. They greet you at the door and personally assist you in arranging your schedule. I thought everyone got this special treatment. I eventually learned that this was not necessarily so. For you see the lady who greeted me at the door of  Blackham Coliseum on my first day was Vesta Bourgeois.

                Vesta Bourgeois was the head of the Women’s Physical Education Department. Mrs. Bourgeois’ guidance for the four years I was at USL was as clear and direct as that first day, as was the guidance of many others: Marion Russell Curtis, Melba Harfort, Coach Edney, Coach Reinhardt, Dean Doucet, Birdie Eason, Dean Agnes Roth and many others. These were outstanding educators. This is what I remember about USL then and now.

Virginia Lyons, Ph.D

B. S. USL  1962

M.Ed. Nichols State University  1970

Ph. D.  University of Minnesota  1982