{"id":155,"date":"2016-05-04T17:06:03","date_gmt":"2016-05-04T22:06:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ascblogs.lib.purdue.edu\/spring2016-honors19903\/?p=155"},"modified":"2016-05-05T08:35:15","modified_gmt":"2016-05-05T13:35:15","slug":"shackled-to-tradition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ascblogs.lib.purdue.edu\/spring2016-honors19903\/2016\/05\/04\/shackled-to-tradition\/","title":{"rendered":"Shackled to Tradition, by Michael Kinasiewicz"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"#one\">Blog Entry One<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<!--\/\/\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <a href=\"#two\">Blog Entry Two<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \/\/\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <a href=\"#three\">Blog Entry Three<\/a>--><br \/>\nTo view a working bibliography for this project, click <a href=\"\/\/ascblogs.lib.purdue.edu\/spring2016-honors19903\/bibliographies\/\">here.<\/a><br \/>\n<a name=\"one\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Blog Entry One, March 11th 2016<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Examining a Mindset of Violence and Masculinity<\/em><\/p>\n<p>After much research and consideration, I have decided to nominate the tank scrap chain and padlock for our class\u2019 semester project. Upon being introduced to a vast array of interesting items, events, and traditions during the first few weeks of class, I was unsure about what I could study that would procure interesting and diverse material. However, when a box of memorabilia was brought in from the archives, I was instantly drawn to the chain and padlock. Our class had discussed the tradition of the Purdue \u2018tank scrap\u2019 extensively, but I didn\u2019t consider the event to be a topic of much interest until I had tangible evidence of the then-commonplace violence that permeated the society. For those who don\u2019t know, the tank scrap was a Purdue University tradition spanning from 1894 to 1913. During this annual event, the freshman and sophomore classes would literally brawl against one another until one class surrendered. The winning class would not only earn the right to write their class number on the local West Lafayette water tank, but also shackle up members of the opposing class in a victory march downtown. The chain that I found during my research was one of the chains used to secure members of the losing class together during the victory march. Seeing and handling the chain and lock in full form brought a new level of realism to not only the pain and suffering that students willingly accepted, but also the tragic death of Francis Obenchain, a student who was killed in the final battle of 1913. I realized the many different directions that I could explore while researching the tank scrap and the society that surrounded and supported it, which ultimately led to my decision to further study the object.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Description<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Without the context surrounding the chain, it seems rather pedestrian. Just over one foot long, a length of intertwined metal circlets yellowed by time leads to a closed padlock that appears to be made of brass. The padlock, less than half a centimeter thick and about two centimeters long in both length and width, is etched with an inscription marking it as a remnant of the final tank scrap of 1913, which the sophomores won. The obvious missing element of the total item is the key to the padlock, however there is no way to know if the key would even serve its purpose (given the aged condition of the lock). The object itself can be found in the Purdue University Customs and Traditions collection.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Initial Thoughts &amp; Further Research<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>When I first selected the padlock and chain, I began considering areas of interest apart from the tank scrap that would be both interesting as well as relevant to the Purdue class of 1903-1904 in terms of lifestyle and culture. Although I\u2019m not exactly sure of where all of these different ideas will lead, I feel that I can weave them together coherently. Since I\u2019m the only student covering the tank scrap tradition, I\u2019ll obviously start my piece with a thorough explanation of the conception of the brawl complemented by first person accounts from journals and scrapbooks. Using both Exponent articles as well as personal pieces, I hope to develop an idea of how the tank scrap was heralded by public opinion as well as the actual preconceptions held by students and faculty (provided I find any usable material) on campus. After the introductory segment, I\u2019ll explain how the chain and lock ties back into the history of Purdue by describing the loser\u2019s march to downtown West Lafayette. As aforementioned, I feel that I could go in depth on the subject of value of human life and the overwhelming relevance of masculinity during the turn of the 20th century. From there, I could proceed to describe how the tank scrap became more and more questionable as the tradition continued, and how the progression led to new rules and regulations meant to civilize the conflict. One of the key elements of the tank scrap, at least in my opinion, is the death of Francis Obenchain, a young man whose life was taken during the last tank scrap of 1913. I could tie his death back to the lock, which has an engraved reference to the final tank scrap (which would have been after the death of Obenchain). Some of the other ideas that I\u2019ve delved into include the medical treatment available to students at the time, and also the administrative steps taken to ensure that the tank scrap wouldn\u2019t cause any fatalities. All in all, I think that the fact that the chain and lock tie into a rich segment of Purdue\u2019s diverse history makes the item arguably one of the most viable pieces to be included in the final collection. Assuming that there is an entire web of interconnected archival files that could lead to new research opportunities, I see a great amount of potential in the chain and padlock.<\/p>\n<p>As much as I hate to say it, I feel a certain morbid curiosity with the history of the tank scrap. Something about the sense of primitiveness surrounding the tradition catches my attention; it seems hard to believe that an event of such violence and inhumanity could take place in a modern context. I feel confident that studying the history of the chain and lock will produce a good amount of material for me to mold into an interesting segment of our final product.<br \/>\n<!--<a name=\"two\"><\/a>\n\n<strong>Blog Entry Two, May 4th 2016<\/strong>\n<em>The Price of Glory <\/em>\n\nAs I delve further and further into my research, I\u2019m having an easier time envisioning the scope of my final product\u037e David Hovde\u2019s \u201cA Manly Spectacle Purdue University\u2019s Tank Scrap\u201d was especially helpful in leading to new research paths. My main focus during the past\nweek has been developing a clear and concise idea of what the tank scrap really was, and I feel that the facts I have pulled together have\u00a0 begun to form a more narrative-type writing style than what had begun at surface-level. With the inclusion of new material into my final product, I have begun to fill in the \u2018missing links\u2019 for transitions that were evading me initially.\n\nAs expected, diving into the archives and dissecting Purdue\u2019s history has unearthed some exciting information about the campus itself\u037e as someone who lives on the campus of Purdue, these little pieces of trivia are often the most exciting to explore. For instance, the town of West Lafayette (in which resides Purdue\u2019s grounds) had been the owner of several names before the current date. In 1866, the founding families of the municipalities Chauncey and Kingston (names taken from their respective families) decided to join into one larger city known as Chauncey. However, once Purdue University was introduced to the city in 1869, citizens quickly found that the amenities and accommodations provided by the city were well outdated\u037e people bathed in the Wabash river and didn\u2019t have access to modern conveniences such as electricity or plumbing. Chauncey requested annexation by the nearby city of Lafayette, but the local council figured that upgrading the infrastructure would be cost inefficient. Luckily, Purdue University began providing a new source of revenue to the region, and in 1888 residing electors in Chauncey voted to change the name of the city to West Lafayette. In addition, I was able to learn more about the implementation of the ROTC program into colleges in the mid 1800s. Children were raised on stories of honor and glory achieved on the battlefield, and programs such as the ROTC (Reserve Officers\u2019 Training Corps) mandated availability on collegiate campuses before the year 1930. Over the years, ROTC service became not only expected, but <em>demanded<\/em> of every able bodied male. In 1862, following closely behind the Morrill Act, the ROTC program was conceived and implemented nationwide. I plan on using this section to explain how the ROTC program further normalized the use of strength and military ability as forms of social currency. On the same token, I want to continue my research into how students at the time were influenced by the fact that they had close relatives with military\u00a0 experience. For instance, young men in America had parents and grandparents who were involved in the Civil War of 1861 or the Spanish American War of 1898. Children were raised on stories of honor and glory achieved on the battlefield, and this served as a sort of subconscious mental preparation for War, thus creating a self-expectation of battle readiness and strength.\n\nWhen I began, I had devoted much of my time to looking through the online articles of Purdue\u2019s <em>Exponent<\/em> and volumes of Purdue\u2019s <em>Debris<\/em> yearbook. I thought that forming an idea of the student\u2019s perception of the Tank Scrap during the early 20th century would give insight as to some other topics I could explore. While looking through the yearbook from the class of 1914, I found this quote \u201c...with a mingled feeling of relief and regret that we have to give up the tank. When a pleasure comes to be the cause of death and sorrow in the community, it has outlived its usefulness.\u201d As I had expected, there was a generally positive outlook on the scrap, but with the death of Francis Obenchain came the realization that the scrap was essentially dangerous and outdated. In terms of further studying Obenchain\u2019s death, I think that reviewing his specific injuries and the medical accommodations on campus could bring a new level of understanding to the culture and lifestyle of the 1900s.\n\nI started writing my conclusion earlier today, as I was prompted by one of my classmates who brought up an idea that I thought could be elaborated upon. She told me about the \u2018Purdue Block P\u2019, which is an unfinished sculpture on campus that stands as a memorial for all of the students who were unable to finish their schooling due to an early death. I decided that doing some research on memorials around campus could provide an interesting way to close my essay, so I searched through some Purdue sponsored websites for information on the Purdue Memorial Union. During that research session, I discovered a tradition known as \u2018Golden Taps\u2019, which memorializes students on campus who have passed away. I think that I could possibly finish by recognizing the tank scrap chain and padlock as not a memorial for Francis Obenchain, but instead a memorial of the campus culture that has been left behind.\n<a name=\"three\"><\/a>\n\n<strong>Blog Entry Three, May 4th 2016<\/strong>\n<em>The Enduring Remains of Purdue\u2019s Infamous Tank Scrap<\/em>\n\nMost of the research I have done as of late has been elaborating on what I included into past blog entries, including elaboration concerning the ROTC program, the necessity for public displays of brutality, and the death of Francis Obenchain. One piece of information that I found was a clip from the <em>Exponent<\/em> written by student C.R. Jamison, who parodied the bloodiness and grittiness of football at the time. He wrote, in an untitled footnote, that \u201clives of football men reminds us that they write their names in blood\u037e and departing, leave behind them half their faces in the mud.\u201d Brutality and display of masculinity were prevalent forms of entertainment during the time, but their dominant social relevance at the beginning of the 20th century led to the formation of over-masculinized self image (and thus need for events such as football games or the tank scrap to serve as proof of manliness). Further research into ROTC helped me understand that the program wasn\u2019t required to be taken by students, but instead was required to be available to students by federal law. However, whether or not the program was mandatory to college students was decided by local governments.\n\nMost of the research done in the last week of work was on Francis Obenchain and the circumstances surrounding his death. While the battle of 1913 was reportedly suspected to be the final \u2018official\u2019 Tank Scrap of all time\u037e the rumors were confirmed on the 13th of September, 1913, when sophomore Francis W. Obenchain was announced dead in his own bed just hours after the scrap concluded. He died of a broken neck. The initial story stated that, after being spotted bloodied on the ground by a supervising marshall, he was carried to his accommodations at the Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity house 11 where he resided during the academic year. According to Purdue archivist and researcher David Hovde,\n\n\n<p style=\"padding-left: 60px; text-align: left;\">...the local coroner and deputy coroner both examined the body and determined no marks of violence were present on the body. No autopsy was performed at the request of the student's father, who suspected a cover up. Once the body was returned to South Whitley, five Fort Wayne physicians performed an autopsy and discovered that Obenchain had died of a broken neck.<\/p>\n\n\nWhat made the death so surprising was the intensity, or rather lack thereof, of the 1913 Tank Scrap. Reportedly, it had been one of the tamest in the history of the event. Rules had been set forth to ensure that contraband weapons had been stripped from the students, and medical professionals were brought to campus to deem prospective contenders disabled or infirm, thus unfit for the scrap. To avoid injury related lawsuits, the university administration hired a team of 30 marshalls and certified physicians to oversee the course of events. When the battle actually commenced, the sophomores began moving forward in what was described as a walk, rather than the enthusiastic surge that had been a true of years prior. The fact that Obenchain was killed in what was supposed to be a watered down version of the former tank scrap does beg certain questions, for example, who was the perpetrator, and was there any prior intention? On the other hand, one wonders if the lack of medical expertise and equipment available at the time was what kept Obenchain from surviving? I hope to further explore the medical accommodations on campus in the following weeks in order to better understand how such a tragedy could have occurred.--><\/p>\n<p><strong>Bibliography<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>To view a working bibliography for this project, click <a href=\"\/\/ascblogs.lib.purdue.edu\/spring2016-honors19903\/bibliographies\/\">here.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>About the Authors<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>To find about more about all of the student researchers, click <a href=\"https:\/\/ascblogs.lib.purdue.edu\/spring2016-honors19903\/biographies\/\">here<\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong><em> Examining a Mindset of Violence and Masculinity <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":219,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,39,11],"tags":[60,49,17,61,12,50,13],"class_list":["post-155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-masculinity","category-student-life","category-traditions","tag-chain","tag-francis-obenchain","tag-masculinity","tag-padlock","tag-tank-scrap","tag-traditions","tag-violence"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-07-03 20:54:18","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ascblogs.lib.purdue.edu\/spring2016-honors19903\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ascblogs.lib.purdue.edu\/spring2016-honors19903\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ascblogs.lib.purdue.edu\/spring2016-honors19903\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ascblogs.lib.purdue.edu\/spring2016-honors19903\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ascblogs.lib.purdue.edu\/spring2016-honors19903\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=155"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/ascblogs.lib.purdue.edu\/spring2016-honors19903\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":523,"href":"https:\/\/ascblogs.lib.purdue.edu\/spring2016-honors19903\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155\/revisions\/523"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ascblogs.lib.purdue.edu\/spring2016-honors19903\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/219"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ascblogs.lib.purdue.edu\/spring2016-honors19903\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ascblogs.lib.purdue.edu\/spring2016-honors19903\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ascblogs.lib.purdue.edu\/spring2016-honors19903\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}