November 1978 witnessed a host of many important historical events at St. Olaf. A visit from Princess Sonja of Norway, the 100-year celebration of Old Main and the 60-year celebration of WCAL brought much excitement to the St. Olaf campus.

CAMPUS NEWS
"Princess Sonja to visit next Monday"
Graced with her royal presence, St. Olaf greeted Princess Sonja of Norway who visited St. Olaf on Nov. 6 to celebrate St. Olafıs 104th anniversary of the founding of the college. Married to Crown Prince Harald, Princess Sonja graduated from the Ecole Professionelle des Jeunes Filles, in Lausanne, Switzerland, with a diploma in home economics. Princess Sonjaıs visit was the sixth visit by a member of the Norwegian Royal Family. The first visit occurred on May 8, 1939 when King Olav, former Prince of Norway, toured the campus.

"Old Mainıs first 100 years: from co-ed dorm to historical landmark"
To current St. Olaf students, Old Main is merely a place to learn language and history, yet long ago, "The Main" was the core of St. Olaf College. "The entire college community lived together, family style in one building."

In 1878, Reverend Bernt Julius Muus moved St. Olafıs school, which later became the college in 1889, to the Old Mainıs current location at the corner of Third and Union Streets. The basement of The Main included a kitchen and a dining room. At meal times, students would gather in the basement and sit at assigned seats for every meal­males and females segregated.

First floor of Old Main housed female students and the principal and his family, along with one professor and his family. Both families lived in apartments at the northeast and southeast corners of the building, respectively. The library with a collection of 30 books was also located on the first floor.

The second floor of Old Main consisted of nine classrooms and a larger multi-purpose room. Both St. Olaf students and St. Johnıs Lutheran Congregation used the chapel on second floor. The third floor was the dormitory for male students. Old Main was the first co-ed dorm at St. Olaf.

The bricks used on the exterior of the building are a clear indication of the financial hardships of the early years. Unable to afford the limestone that is used on other St. Olaf buildings, the college sacrificed luxuries in many areas.

Students in 1878 were required to scrub their own floors, chop firewood for their heaters and carry their own water from the well to their rooms in addition to their school work.

Hiding at the back end of the campus, Old Main still stands as more than the center for language study, but as a reminder of St. Olafıs earliest years. "WCAL completes 60th year of service"
St. Olaf received further recognition in Nov of 1978 when WCAL celebrated its 60th year in operation.

In 1916, WCAL dug its roots when physics professor Erik Hetle and his students assembled a wireless transmission. The ban on private wireless transmissions during World War I halted their efforts until the next year when they successfully sent the first coded transmission on Nov 30, 1918. Voice transmission followed in 1920, and in 1922 St. Olaf president Lars Boe proclaimed WCAL the official radio voice of St. Olaf College.

The campus-run radio station held a 60 hour marathon broadcast to commemorate their 60 years of service and to raise funds for the station. "WCAL historically has been supported by small contributions from many persons as well as by the regular operating budget of St. Olaf College. We had reached a point, however, at which new equipment had become an absolute necessity, particularly if we were to improve the quality both of our transmission and our programming," said Paul Peterson, station manager.

SPORTS NEWS
"Kickers beat Bethel, tie Gustavus"
In a comical match against Bethel College, the St. Olaf menıs soccer team played an incredible game. St. Olaf managed to score three goals against Bethel while nearly putting the ball into their own goal. Bob Duck came close to making the major mistake, yet fortunately for St. Olaf, his kick was off.

Enhancing the excitement of the game, St. Olafıs Erik Knutson performed what is called the "eraser ball." The eraser ball is "the art of taking oneself out of the play by tripping over the ball." The Bethel crowd gave him a perfect 10 for his performance. The third highlight of the game came when Mike Watkin received his third warning card of the year, surpassing the all time school record of two held by Jamie Slotten in 1976. Three strikes, yet St. Olaf prevailed.