With WWII raging, Southeastern’s numbers dwindled from 612 in 1940 to 353 in 1944. Many young men and women left to join the service, while others jumped into home-front efforts at factories. The students and staff who stayed at Southeastern found other ways to contribute, from taking up posts in Strawberry Stadium’s press box to watch for enemy bombers, to working in the fields each morning to save the local strawberry crops.
While many who left during the war years eventually returned to finish their studies, 29 Southeastern students had lost their lives in the fight.
