{"id":8016,"date":"2013-09-11T13:11:21","date_gmt":"2013-09-11T17:11:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/?p=8016"},"modified":"2014-01-25T18:09:50","modified_gmt":"2014-01-25T23:09:50","slug":"remembering-franklin-grapel-33-author-of-the-colleges-alma-mater","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/?p=8016","title":{"rendered":"Remembering Franklin Grapel \u201933, author of the College’s ‘Alma Mater’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor’s note: The College of New Jersey community was saddened by the loss of Franklin Grapel \u201933, <\/strong>who passed away on July 25, 2013, at the age of 101.<\/a> As an undergraduate at what was then known as\u00a0New Jersey State Teachers College and State Normal School at Trenton, Grapel wrote the College’s\u00a0<\/em>Alma Mater. In 2001, <\/em>he contributed the article below to <\/em>TCNJ Magazine explaining how the song came to be.<\/em><\/p>\n

A few thoughts regarding our \u2018Alma Mater\u2019<\/span><\/h1>\n

by Franklin Grapel \u201933<\/em><\/p>\n

When I entered college in 1929, I believe our school song ended with \u201cThe State schools, the State schools forever\/ Three cheers for the Blue and the Gold.\u201d I remember having to sing it, along with the other freshman men in the Clinton Avenue dormitory as part of our \u201cinitiation.\u201d It was a good rhythmic song, but at that time the Normal School was being phased out, and we were soon to be in the process of becoming a four-year college, the State Teachers College at Trenton. Feeling that the words to the song would not fit the new status of the school, Miss Mabel Bray, chair of the music department, offered a prize of $25 for a new alma mater song.<\/p>\n

\"Franklin<\/a>
Franklin Grapel \u201933, pictured here in 2001, passed away on July 25, 2013. In 1932, he wrote the College’s ‘Alma Mater.’<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As part of our curriculum, all the music students had voice lessons, usually taken in pairs. Sometime in 1931, I think, a fellow student, F. Van Lier Lanning, mentioned to Miss Bray during our voice class that I had the beginning of a tune that might make a satisfactory alma mater. There were no words, and only about four complete measures. When I played this fragment for Miss Bray, she thought it had possibilities. So, I was encouraged to write some words and complete the song.<\/p>\n

My conception of alma maters leaned toward the Cornell song, which begins \u201cFar above Cayuga\u2019 s waters…\u201d and is a sort of dignified hymn-like tune with words that express feelings for the college. The first draft of the text had to be shown to Dr. Charles Rounds, head of the English department. He made a\u00a0 few suggestions. One was that I hadn\u2019t mentioned Trenton in the song, just \u201calma mater.\u201d Thus the start of the second verse was revised to \u201cTrenton College, Blue and Gold,\u201d which now, of course, would be incorrect. Also, he noted that my \u201cThou will guide\u201d was not in the correct style, so I had to change it to \u201cThou wilt guide.\u201d He was correct, of course, but I\u2019ve never liked this because the \u201ct\u201d followed by the \u201cg\u201d is hard to articulate when singing. Regardless of style, I still prefer \u201cThou will.\u201d<\/p>\n

Next the music was submitted to Mrs. Eleanor Sabary, our piano instructor. She thought it was good, with the exception of three ascending notes on \u201cyears unfold,\u201d which lead to a different ending for the melody. I felt my notes gave the closing measures a more dramatic lift, but I was over ruled. Needless to say, I was angered by the change. Now, I\u2019m not sure whether she or I was right.<\/p>\n

At last, the song was finished, accepted, and printed. I was given the $25 (big money in those days), and the new alma mater was presented to the school by Miss Bray at one of our assemblies. The whole school sang back then. I did not attend, but could hear it, with mixed feelings, from one of the music rooms on the third floor.<\/p>\n

I have been particularly pleased twice when I have returned to the College. At my 50th reunion, as I walked across campus, hearing my tune played on the carillon was an exciting surprise that stopped me in my tracks. Then in 1999, at the inauguration of President Gitenstein, I was really thrilled to hear the beautiful, intense rendition sung by Sarah McClean \u201900<\/strong>, accompanied by The College Wind Ensemble….<\/p>\n

Finally, some of the words written back in the \u201930s have had a prophetic aspect that could not have been anticipated. Our college continues to shine \u201cbrighter as the years unfold.\u201d In addition, even \u201cthough far our steps may lead,\u201d we can never for get the enormous debt we owe for the guidance, education, and inspiration we received, and continue to receive, from our revered alma mater.<\/p>\n

Alma Mater<\/span><\/h1>\n

Words and Music by Franklin Grapel \u201933<\/em><\/p>\n

Revised 2001<\/em><\/p>\n

Arranged by Otto Helbig<\/em><\/p>\n

Alma Mater, Blue and Gold!<\/p>\n

Famous as in days of old!<\/p>\n

Hearts we pledge that thou shall be<\/p>\n

Shining thru eternity.<\/p>\n

Brighter as the years unfold,<\/p>\n

Alma Mater, Blue and Gold<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

TCNJ, Blue and Gold,<\/p>\n

Thy brave spirit ne’er grows old,<\/p>\n

And though far our steps may lead,<\/p>\n

Thou will guide our thought and deed<\/p>\n

On to heights as yet untold,<\/p>\n

Alma Mater Blue and Gold.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Franklin Grapel \u201933 passed away on July 25, 2013. Here is the story of how he came to write the College’s ‘Alma Mater.’ <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":8026,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,66],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8016","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni-corner","category-fall-2013"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8016","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8016"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8016\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8026"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8016"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8016"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8016"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}