The twenty-first year of Friends University: 1918-1919

The start of the 1918 school year brought President William O. Mendenhall. World War I was in effect and men were almost minus on the campus. The school closed on Oct. 2, 1918 for the afternoon as everyone went downtown to hear Teddy Roosevelt speak on the interests of the Fourth Liberty Loan. The Friends University honor Roll in the University Life on Oct. 8, 1918 showed 137 in the Army, 17 in the Navy, 10 in YMCA and Reconstruction Work and seven in Red Cross Work.

The Dec. 6, 1918 edition of University Life reported on the influenza epidemic. Wichita was placed under quarantine the evening before Thanksgiving and no school was held Thursday or Friday. When the new regulations were adopted by the Board of Health Saturday night, it was made possible to hold school under certain restrictions. Friends is having no chapel exercises. A part of the health rules stated each person was to have 50 square feet of floor area. Classes were shortened to 40 minutes. Because of the flu, Friends had only a three day Christmas vacation. Many students were out of school due to illness.

Excerpt from Friend University 1898-1975

Wow! Does the influenza epidemic sound familiar of recent times?