Life riot so idyllic during University's early days From dinks to Datematch: a century of PSU life , .jn Kasper Even if the chimes in the bell tower go silent, visiting aluinni can still keep track of the time with the help of the sundial in front of Old Main. This com munity clock is one of many class gifts adorning the campus. Floats, football, kickoff for Homecoming Homecoming '2O: The tradition begins By DEBBIE CAIN Daily Collegian Staff Writer Fifty-eight years ago, 1,500 former students returned to New Beaver Field to see their Nittany Lions under Hugo Bezdek defeat Dartmouth 14-7 in the first Alumni Homecoming Game, reports the Beaver Stadium Pictorial. This year an overflowing crowd of 77,000 is expected to see if the Lions under Joe Paterno can continue the nation’s longest un beaten streak. Homecoming at the University evolved from an event known as Pennsylvania Day. For one home football weekend each fall, numerous alumni dignitaries would return to campus for political speeches, parades and military reviews. By 1915, more and more alumni were coming back for the event, and in 1920, a special day was set aside for alumni to renew friendships. October 9, 1920, marked the first planned Alumni Homecoming, reports the Pictorial. Alumni groups began arriving with much fanfare early Friday afternoon. The Pitt sburgh delegation assembled a motorcade at Pine Grove Mills. The University band met it at Strubles and escorted its members to campus. Friday evening the auditorium was the scene of a mass alumni meeting similar to a pep rally of today. A concert by the New York Chamber Music Society followed. Saturday morning, 4,000 flocked to the steps of Old Main to hear then Gov. Sproul speak, then walked en masse to New Beaver Field where they saw All-American Quarterback Glenn Killinger intercept a Dart mouth pass with five minutes remaining and carry it to the two yard line. Moments later Halfback Joe Lightner carried the ball over the goal line to give the University its first Homecoming win. Rounding out the weekend’s ac tivities was a soccer game in which Collegian homecoming th daily events the University defeated Haverford 3- 1, followed by the evening’s events including a smoker at the Armory, a Glee Club presentation and speeches by University President Sparks, Coach Bezdek, and Alumni Secretary Edward Sullivan. In 1922, the Alumni Association requested that participating alumni ‘ ‘keep the event stag. ” Years later bonfires and pep rallies became important. In some cases they became spectacles as in 1934, when a riot'by students and other participants brought in police from Rockview. 1 It seems the bonfire, set at College Avenue and South Allen Street then called Co-op Corner was not the scheduled location. When the freshman who set it was detained by police, upperclassmen began com plaining. A group of students grabbed a shed roof and charged toward the fire. Corporal Buckby, of the Rockview force climbed atop the roof and was almost pitched into the blaze in his effort to settle the crowd. At the height of the melee, Athletic Director Hugo Bezdek was called in to speak to the crowd, and was suc cessful in calming them. Less readical events ensued the following years. Fraternities had lawn display competitions and other organizations held crepe paper decorating contests. Co-eds competed for the Homecoming Queen title beginning in 1952 and ending in 1973 when the Undergraduate Student Government Senate declared the contest discriminatory. Today, events include window painting, pep rallies, parades and an all-night vigil at the Nittany Lion Shrine to protect the mascot from the Orangemen of Syracuse. Whatever the year. Homecoming remains that one special day set aside for alumni to renew friendships and see how their campus has changed since they were last here. By ELIZABETH FOX Daily Collegian Staff Writer Tuition and room and board only $lOO a year, degrees granted in major fields, all classes in one building and a very short walk to your dorm room. What is this marvelous college? Penn State in 1878, One hundred years ago, the only building on campus was Old Main, which housed all 162 students and con tained all the classrooms and dining hall facilities. Surrounding this lone building were agricultural fields, hog pens, dairy barns and not much more. The Penn sylvania State College was 19 years old and just starting to grow and rid itself of the ‘‘hick college” image. Although this scene is a tremendous change from today’s campus, some things never change. The dorm rooms contained an iron single bed, two chairs, a table, bureau and no carpeting sound familiar? A very strict student life prevailed in 1878. Unless you belonged to one of the two organizations on campus, the Literary Society or the YMCA, you just studied, went to chapel and to bed at 10 p.m. If you were thinking about going out on a date, you probably thought twice about going through the hassle. If a gentleman wished to call or accompany a lady, he had to first present a request to the ladies’ principal. If his in tended accepted his offer, she also had to make a similar request to her principal. During the week, men could only see women in the Ladies’ Parlor between 6:45 and 7 p.m. Men also needed written permission from the college president to escort a woman beyond the dormitory doors. Even if you did manage to get a date there was not much to do no bars, no movies, no fraternities. Dancing was prohibited. And you think you have nothing to do on Saturday nights? Daily military inspections were made of both dress and rooms. If the rooms were untidy or shoes needed polishing, a notice was put up on the bulletin board and penalties were given. Other offenses that warranted penalities: taking mules and chickens from the barns, smearing the bannisters with molasses and being drunk in Bellefonte. Penalities ranged from a reprimand from the president to expulsion from the college. Fifty years passed, World War I is over and it’s the By SCOTT H. McCLEARY Daily Collegian Staff Writer From the distinguished alumni tea to the awards ceremony in the HUB Ballroom Sunday night, the Homecoming weekend of 1978 promises to be full of activities and events for almost everyone. Attending the tea today in the Old Main foyer will be the University Board of Trustees, former University AIl-s Americans and outstanding authors and journalists. The Homecoming Parqde will follow at 6 p.m. Featured this year are the grand marshall Nittany Lion, the University equestrian team, the Blue Band, four twirling groups, the State College High School marching band, State College Mayor Arnold Addison, floats, the men’s and women’s gym nastics teams, the cheerleaders and contestants for the Ugly Penn Stater. The parade will start at Rec Hall, go down Burrowes Road, turn east on W -v ,* ,#A **.- c ,<, •*'\ >- < -v, > . » / ,->* * •V~v S' . i f* Accidents? Not quite. A plane didn t crash, and the line is on purpose. This Public Information so no one could steal the photo. This photo was added to the picture of a lawn display in front of Beta Theta Pi fraternity on Burrowes Road collection in November, 1947, and highlights one of the fraternity’s home was taken.by University Public Information and is a part of the Penn State Col- comings. Beta Theta Pi is celebrating its 90th year at the University, lection in Pattee. According to a librarian there, the white line was put there by *>• J '• r“" •— — “roaring twenties.” Penn State has become one of the major colleges in the country and enrollment is up to an astounding 3,600. The flapper look was in bobbed hair, short skirts and pearls. Movies were making the tran sition from silent’s to “talkies” and girls were getting taller. In 1928 the average height of the co-eds was at least two inches taller than in previous years. Some men were becoming concerned because of its effect on the short male’s social life. According to one advertisement in the Daily Collegian of September 1928, “Gentlemen prefer blondes, but marry brunettes because brunettes let them go to the State College Billiard Parlor.” When the gentlemen were not at the pool hall, they attended chapel services. If a student failed to attend chapel services religiously two semesters in a row, they were expelled from the college. Nittany Lion football was one of the most popular pastimes at the school. Pep rallys were scheduled every week and rousing cheers such as this one could be heard from Beaver Field: “Ss! Boom! Ah! Coo! Penn State! Yell! Yell! Yell! Again! We’re from the land of William Penn! State! State! State! Wiskem! Biskem! Hold ’em! Pennsy State! Truman has defeated Dewey and it is the fall of 1948 with 13,759 students on campus. Laundry is being sent home by the bushel-full after reading this ad in the Collegian: “Laundry’s no problem when you send it home by railway express. If Dad insists on footing the bill send it COD.” Freshmen women really had it tough in 1948. They could not have any association with men during the first three weeks of Fall Term. Bed checks were made at 9:15 p.m. weekdays and 9:30 p.m. on weekends. Penalities were given if they were not in their rooms at these times. Following that three-week period, three dates were allowed each weekend. When the women did see the men on campus, the men were not too pleased by what they saw. Hemlines dropped in 1948, and University men maddened by the “new look” fought back with everything from letters to the editor to individual threats but still the silhouettes lengthened. Freshman hazing was more prominent than ever in the fall of 1958 when the University’s 100th class entered the College Avenue, continue past the University gates, turn north on Shor tlidge Road past Eisenhower Auditorium, and end in Parking Lot 80, Homecoming Committee co chairwoman Georgia Humes said. A bonfire and pep rally will be held in the Intramural fields today at 9 p.m. - “We’ll have the band, .cheerleaders, the lion and hopefully Joe Paterno, but he’s a pretty busy guy, ” Humes said. homecoming A fireworks display at the I.M. fields follows at 10 p.m. For those who want to protect the Nittany Lion shrine from being painted orange and black, the all-night vigil will begin today at midnight. Tomorrow’s festivities start with the HUB displays of the University, in- •y- V.'L '-*,«• " > tj •’ 'V\ -*te. ,'B. £*■', 1- v, • #» % eluding pictures of past Homecomings as well as displays from various campus organizations, Humes said. The exhibit will be held tomorrow and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Topping off tomorrow’s events is the Syracuse-Penn State game at Beaver Stadium. Kick-off time is 1:30 p.m. An Ocloberfest will be held tomorrow from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Nittany Lion Inn, with a cash bar upstairs and a German band performing downstairs. Hot dogs with beer and cider will be available. Old Main’s tower will be open today from noon to 5 p.m., tomorrow from 9 a.m. to noon and Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. A concert with the jazz-rock fusion sound of Van Morrison will be presented 8 p.m. tomorrow in Rec Hall. The Black Caucus will present Brutus, a band from Philadelphia, at 9 p.m. today in the HUB Ballroom. A Pan-African dinner and fashion riday, Oct. 20,1978—25 gates of Old Main. "Dink Customs” were revived that year as every freshman had to wear a name tag and a small blue and white hat known as a dink from 7 a.m'. Monday until noon Saturday and to all intercollegiate athletic events. Evenings and other "off-times” wer6 known as "customs holidays” and the dink was not required dress. ; If a freshman failed to wear the dink or did not have his student handbook at all times, his name was turned in to the Frosh Customs Board for penalization by up? perclassmen. Walking on the grass or on unpaved short 4 cuts was prohibited as was walking on the "Senior Walk’’ on College Avenue where the Wall is today. Hands in pockets while walking on campus or in town was not allowed and smoking was restricted to living quarters. The east side of the Mall and the diagonal walk by Old Main was known as the “hello walk” where everyone had to say hello to everyone they saw. If upperclassmen wished to hear the Alma Mater or a rousing football cheer, all they had to do was go up to the nearest freshman and request it. The frosh had better know the words or another penalty would be added to his record. Nixon was the one and everyone was burning draft, cards in September 1968 when more than 25,000 students crowded into University Park. Classified ads were very blunt as seen in this personal: POT PARTY. . . coffee and tea at the Grace Lutheran Church. Women had to live in the dorms if they were degree candidates, single and less than 23 years of age. Even if you were 23, apartment living was out because unmarried single women were not permitted to live in the same building as single men. Miniskirts and blue jeans were the dress and the bugaloo and frug were the .dances in the late '6os. This made “the establishment” wonder: "How can they call that dancing when they’re not even together?” Ten years have passed since the days of Vietnam and “Pat Paulsen for President” and it’s now Homecoming 1978. What will the class of 1988 think of their counterparts just a decade ago? They will hear of nerds, toga parties; computer dating services, inflation and perhaps remember that 1978 was the year that the Nittany Lions were the national champions. show sponsored by the Caucus in the Paul Robeson Cultural Center will begin tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. The re-dedication of renovated Sch wab will begin at 8:20 p.m. followed by the Glee Club’s 90th anniversary concert atB:3op.m. Ending the weekend’s activities is the awards assembly Sunday at 8 p.m. in the HUB Ballroom. Winners of the window designs, the Ugly Penn Stater contest and the float competition will receive awards. Various teams have tried to paint the' statue prior to the game, but none have succeeded as well as the Orangemen of Syracuse. In past years they have nearly always managed to evade the guards of the lion. 1 Older students will remember the time the radio station had set up a dance to' guard the lion; but the Orangemen struck suddenly two days before the vigil. But the dance and the vigil, such as it was, went on.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers