E is for Engineering at Clarkson: Dad in College. No. 5 of 26 posts in the April 2024 Blogging From #AtoZChallenge. Theme: My Life: The Prequel (in Snapshots) adding my parents’ stories to the family history mix. Please join me on the journey.
In 1942, my dad, Norm Charboneau, was the first in his family to go to college, where he majored in electrical engineering.
His parents Wm. Ray and Mary (Owen) Charboneau were very proud of his acceptance into the Thomas S. Clarkson Memorial School of Technology — popularly known as Clarkson Tech (and today Clarkson University).
His four older brothers — Owen, Frannie, Hubert and Fred — were proud, too, even though they affectionately kidded him about his advanced learning well into their adult years! In fact, while he was stationed in England during WWII, Uncle Fred sent money home to Dad to help out with his college expenses.
A mother’s parting advice
When I headed to college in the late 1960s, my dad sat me down for some fatherly advice — and shared a great quote from my grandmother about his college sendoff.
“I’m going to give you the same advice that my mother gave me when I went to college,” Dad said. ” ‘Get good grades, don’t join a fraternity and don’t go out for the football team.’ ” We both got a good laugh out of that!
Well, Dad got two out of three right — he did well at college and he was satisfied to watch the Clarkson football team from the stands.
But Potsdam was a town of sororities and fraternities — they were the locus of much social life and even housing for many students. So Dad gave in and joined Omicron Pi Omicron — better known as O-Pi-O.
Making friends at school
For as long as I can remember, my dad liked joining groups where he could meet new people and socialize — whether it was the local school board or professional societies or the men’s club at church. I expect his joining O-Pi-O was no different.
Just look at the O-Pi-O page in Dad’s freshman yearbook, shown above. It’s filled with signatures and jokey comments — the most in his entire yearbook.
Dad is seated third from left in the back row and looks pretty happy to be amongst these fellows. His name is listed on the page with the Class of 1946.
Meeting my mom
Coming from the tiny hamlet of Otter Lake, Dad seems to have appreciated having the smaller O-Pi-O group to relate to on the large Clarkson campus as he adjusted to college life.
And it didn’t hurt that the Clarkson fraternities and Potsdam Teachers College sororities mixed and mingled and held joint social events — because that’s how he met my mom, Peg Laurence.
Up next, First Date: Fixed Up in College. Please stop back!
2024 Molly Charboneau. All rights reserved.
A slice of enjoyable college life. I went to a commuter college in New York City (i.e. I lived at home and my college was only about three or four miles away) so I enjoy reading the experiences of those who went away to school.
Having all of this information and these details to create these lasting posts is amazing.
Fortunately, my folks were big savers, so I have their yearbooks and other records. Very helpful in reconstructing their lives apart and together.