Basic HTML Version
4 SUMMER 2012 | ST. LAWRENCE UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE
LETTERS
Those S t . Lawrence
At t r ibut es Re f l ec t ed
This spring, the Model Organization of
American States Club traveled to Washington,
D.C., to participate in the week-long annual
mock General Assembly of the OAS. St. Law-
rence represented the country of Guyana. As
preparation, our group was fortunate enough to
meet with Robert Manogue ’82, director of the
Office of Bilateral Trade Affairs at the State De-
partment, as well as the U.S. deputy permanent
representative to the OAS and the Guyanese
ambassador to the U.S. The trip proved to be
both challenging and rewarding.
Model OAS is a great program that enables
college students to gain real-life experience in
diplomacy. Roughly 300 students discuss and
debate timely and relevant OAS topics such
as democracy and human rights. Thirty-four
universities attended from across the Western
Hemisphere, including Canada, Colombia
and Mexico.
Mr. Manogue gave us insight into his
transition from St. Lawrence to the State
Department. Explaining his careers, from the
fashion world to civil service, he stressed the
importance of one’s character, emphasizing
that it is not what you know, but how well,
and fast, you can learn the unique skill sets
necessary for each job.
Not only was the trip beneficial on an indi-
vidual level; it also reflected positively on
St. Lawrence, past and present. Our club
demonstrated the archetypal St. Lawrence
student through our broad cultural under-
standing, strong critical thinking, collabo-
ration and communication skills. Those
attributes enabled us to engage a real-world
experience that we will always value.
Slater Lawrence ’12
Waccabuc, New York
Laurentian • ia
The French explorer Jacques
Cartier is credited with naming
the St. Lawrence River – for which
St. Lawrence University is named – in
1534. But the river already had a name.
What was it, and who called it that?
Answer p. 58.
Where Did That Name Go?
In our Spring issue, “Laurentiania” (p. 7)
asked, “When today’s Sykes Residence was
built in 1931, it was called Men’s Residence,
or Men’s Rez. When was its name changed
to Sykes? Along these lines, what were the
original names of Jencks and Hulett Halls,
and how does the name ‘Sykes’ mingle with
these?”
John Kenny ’60 was the first to respond,
saying, “Hulett and Jencks were called North
and South Dorms” in his student days. Next,
Wayne Phelps ’59 sent thorough documen-
tation showing that “Men’s Residence” was
changed to “Sykes Residence” in 1965, and
further that “the twin residences near the golf
course,” completed in 1954, “were named
Sykes and Hulett Halls.” The “Sykes” name
thus was plucked from the building that was
subsequently renamed Jencks Hall and as-
signed to what had been “Men’s Rez.”
Archives Assistant Paul Haggett confirmed
this by researching catalogs and campus
directories of the day, adding the twist that
“apparently, after the dorms [near the golf
course] were built, they spent their first few
years nameless. They were called ‘Dormitory
I’ and ‘Dormitory II’” until 1959-60, when
“Dorm I” became Sykes Hall, and 1960-61,
when “Dorm II” became Hulett Hall.
Mark “Barney” Brown ’40 later tossed in
yet another name for today’s Sykes: “I lived
there in 1936-37. We referred to our home
as ‘Corneleson’s Castle,’ spelling not guaran-
teed.”
Is all that clear to everyone? It’s simple: the
building we now call Jencks Hall was first
named Dormitory I, then South Dorm, then
Sykes Hall, until “Sykes” replaced “Men’s
Residence” and it became Jencks. Why all
the name-changing? We have no idea, not
wishing to pry into the campus politics of
that era.
—NSB
St. Lawrence welcomes letters to
the editor on topics addressed in
this magazine or on topics pertinent
to St. Lawrence University. Letters
should be brief and to the point. The
editors reserve the right to decline
letters deemed inappropriate, and
to edit letters for clarity, length
and civility. We will publish letters
responding to previously published
letters only through the second
issue following the appearance of
the first letter. Please send letters to
nburdick@stlawu.edu.
Manogue ’82
Sykes