How I Make Both Ends Meet

Cougs have a long history of figuring out ways to save money while attending school during tight economic times. In the winter of 1932, during the Great Depression, Washington State College president E.O. Holland organized an essay contest for students titled “How I Economized Last Semester.” Peter E. Kragt, a freshman from Lynden, Washington, won the contest with his story about building a cabin on Route 1 right before school started. The student who took second place, Garrett C. Tewinkel, described how he saved on rent by moving off campus with a classmate, saved on food by bringing canned peas, beans, and cherries from home, and how he had no transportation costs because he hitchhiked between home and Pullman. As the first place winner, Kragt received $15. The original essay is in President Holland’s papers at WSU Manuscripts, Archives, & Special Collections.