The Davidson College Archives & Special Collections blog

It’s been a rainy last few days in Davidson. Students are studying for finals with thunder rolling in the background and loading up cars between rain drops.  It seemed like a good time to roam through our photograph database for images of rainy days past.

Lacrosse in the rain, Spring 1980

It takes more than a few puddles to discourage our student athletes or their audiences.

Flickerball slip and slide, Fall 1977

Homecoming 1969

Rain also doesn’t deter getting to class, promoting events, fraternity gatherings or studying.

A rainy--if not wet-- rush for Sigma Phi Epsilon in 1960

Studying near Oak Row in 1998

Students keep balloons flying

This rain picture has a bonus – anyone remember what the sign the student is passing?

Leaving Chambers Building

The Chapel sign is now housed in the archives – though we don’t have the boards that announced the next Chapel time.

and finally – this picture was taken before a rain storm. It is of Theodore Viehman, director of the college’s 1937 Centennial Pageant, telling everyone, “It ain’t gonna rain.”  Sadly, it did rain and the pageant scheduled 75 years ago never happened.

Theodore Viehman- "It ain't gonna rain"

2011-2012 Davidson College academic calendar

Tucked discreetly in the college calendar are two Reading Days–one for each semester. For Spring 2012, Reading is Thursday, May 10th.

Known in the 1960s as Pre-examination Days, the intent is to give students a break between classes and final examinations.  The first listing for a Pre-examination Day appears in the 1964-65 academic calendar.  We no longer have the minutes from the committee to know why they decided to add a study day to the calendar.

In what will seem odd to today’s students, in the years between 1969-1976, the pre-exam days often fell on a Saturday– a reminder of the years of Saturday classes.  For students in the fall of 1970, their Thanksgiving break had to serve the extra purpose of exam prep.  Thanksgiving holiday officially ended at 8am on November 30th and exams began at 9am on November 30th.

Memo to campus about substituting Good Friday for Reading Day

The name Reading Day first appears on the campus calendar in 1976-77 – though only for the fall and winter terms. The spring term granted no break between the end of classes and start of finals. Reading Day did make to spring the next year and stayed around until 1982.

A decision was made to substitute a holiday on Good Friday that would take away the official Reading Day. The memo to campus noted that “Students may choose to created a Reading Day or not on May 16 [the first day for finals].  This memo also noted that this was a trial.  A few months later, another memo announced that Good Friday would replace Reading Day for the 1982-83 academic year as well and noted “In subsequent years the decision of whether to have a holiday on Good Friday will depend on where Good Friday falls within the Spring Term calendar.”

It took until the spring of 1989 for Reading Day to reappear on the spring calendar.  The college avoids scheduling activities on Reading Day — though Reading Day eve concerts are popular with the student a cappella groups and any number of groups work to provide study snacks — cookies, ice cream, yogurt parfaits, etc.

Did you have a Reading Day tradition? Did you study hard or taking the day off?

Seniors: This blog is for you! As a personalized going away present from Davidson, the Archives and Special Collections staff are offering free senior portraits taken in the Rare Book Room (on the second floor of the library). Come in alone, or with friends! All you have to is pose and we will email you a digital copy of your portrait.

Drop in next week (no appointment necessary):

Wednesday, May 9, 9:30-noon

Thursday, May 10, 2:00-4:30 pm

Questions? Contact Sharon Byrd at shbyrd@davidson.edu or x2158.

Here are some scenes from last year:

Elssabeth Dizon '11 with 1st edition of Paradise Lost (1668)

Trent Taylor '11 with Seneca's Works (1492)

While archivists mostly concern themselves with content, we do also care about the containers.  We value the information in a letter but also respect the value of the paper and handwriting.  Or with a college publication, the words are central but the whole package tells its own story.

And sometimes, we just enjoy the added bits. Letterheads are a particular favorite of mine.  They often don’t add much to the college’s historical context but can make for fun moments while researching.  Below are examples of stationary in our collections.

What is fun about this letterhead besides the architectural details is that it lists the members of the Committee on Rules and By-Laws. While at Davidson, Hill had a strong interest in rules and discipline.

Decorated envelope from William J. Martin Collection.

William J. Martin, Sr. was a chemistry professor at Davidson (and father of another chemistry professor).  His correspondence with chemical companies gives some insights into how he taught his courses and this envelope gives a look at apparatus from the 1860s.

Letterhead from the correspondence of President Henry Louis Smith

This one is fun because Davidson College is not inclined to decorative banisters thus inviting some wondering where they might go. In fact, the college was not looking for railings but a tablet for the new Carnegie Library.

State of North Carolina letterhead in 1911

President Henry Louis Smith wrote to the Secretary of State regarding a change in the college’s charter to allow the college to hold more real property and personal property.  In the response, the letterhead took up almost as much space as the text.

Letterhead from President H. L. Smith papers

What caught my eye here is the small detail of the dragon boat. Someday I’ll donate the medals from some of the college’s winning Dragon Boat teams to the archives.

Letterhead from a church in Toccoa, Georgia, 1911

The Rev. DuBose is a Davidson alumni from the class of 1897.   He’s writing to recommend a student and his letterhead tells us he’s writing in his study.

Hotel letterhead from 1912

The parent of a Davidson student took some time while traveling in New York to write the college president about his son. Ironically, the theme of the letter is to discourage the son from any further travels during the semester.

Tomorrow, at 4:00 PM in Duke Family Performance Hall, Davidson College will play host to its annual Spring Convocation. Thus, Around the D would like to preview for you some of the awards that will be given tomorrow.

Leadership and Service:

1. The C. Shaw Smith Award — Established in 1983 to honor a member of the Class of 1939 who rendered unique and distinguished service as Director of the College Union (1952-1983), recognizes outstanding service by a student to the Davidson College community through work with the College Union.
2. The Agnes Sentelle Brown Award — Established by Dr. Mark Edgar Sentelle, former professor and dean of students at Davidson College, in memory of his sister, is presented to a sophomore, junior, and senior of outstanding character, personality, and academic ability.
3. The George Gladstone Memorial Award — Established in memory of George L. Gladstone, Jr. (Class of 1960), is presented to a rising senior exhibiting high potential for service to mankind as demonstrated through leadership, service to the community, and academic record.

Athletic Awards:

1. The Tommy Peters Award — Established in memory of a member of the Class of 1954 who gave his life in World War II, is presented to the male athlete best typifying the Davidson spirit in athletic competition and campus leadership.
2. The Rebecca E. Stimson Award — Established in honor of a member of the Class of 1977 who combined Phi Beta Kappa scholarship with outstanding participation in four sports, is presented to the female athlete best typifying the Davidson spirit in athletic competition and campus leadership.

Writing Awards:

1. The Vereen Bell Memorial Award — Established by friends and relatives of a member of the Class of 1932 is presented to the sophomore, junior or senior who submits the best piece of creative writing.

In addition to these and other general awards, many of the academic departments will honor students with awards for academic excellence in their respective departments.

In addition to the numerous accolades that will be given to Davidson’s finest students, Convocation will also honor excellence among the faculty tomorrow.

Faculty Awards:

1.  The Omicron Delta Kappa Teaching Award — Chosen on behalf of the Davidson student body by the members of Omicron Delta Kappa is presented to a professor demonstrating outstanding teaching ability.
2. The Student Government Association Faculty Award — Presented on behalf of the Student Government Association recognizes the positive involvement of a professor in the lives of students outside the classroom setting.

For a listing of past award winners, feel free to peruse the Awards, Scholarships and Lectures Database.

Tomorrow night, Thursday April 19th at 7:30 we are celebrating National Poetry Month with our 3rd annual Poetry Reading in the Rare Book Room of the E.H. Little Library.  Last year was great fun, and we’re looking forward to this year’s event.  We’ll have Davidson students and faculty members—talented all—reading from their own works.  There will also be time afterwards for refreshments and chatting with the poets.

Hope to see you there!

And, through April 30th, you still have a chance to come to the Rare Book Room, Monday – Friday 8:30 am – 5:00 pm, to see our exhibit of selected poetry volumes from several of our special collections.

Old materials.

The ravages of time and climate cause book spines to break, pages to tear, text and colors to fade.  Items basically deteriorate, and no longer look as they did originally, nor are they in the same physical condition.  In order to keep valuable older materials available for future generations, specialists in the areas of preservation and conservation are called in.

The choice of preservation versus conservation depends on the item itself and its intended use.  Preservation refers to “preserving a book without actually tampering with its structure.” (From John Carter’s ABC for Book Collectors.  Oak Knoll Press, New Castle, Delaware, 1995. p.166.)  In other words, caring for the materials by preventing access to direct sunlight, maintaining a temperature of no more than 65 degrees farenheit and 50-60% relative humidity, and keeping air circulating to deter decay.  It may also include having special cases or boxes created to house the valuable materials.

Conservation or restoration is more time consuming (and obviously more expensive) and is done to bring the item —as much as possible— to its original state.  It may include using parts of the original spine and endpapers to repair damage, re-sewing bindings, repairing torn pages with Japanese paper, ironing creased pages, filling wormholes, patching margins, removing mold, removing tapes and residues, de-acidifying pages, retoring leather or vellum covers, and washing pages to remove dirt and stains and brighten time-dulled colors.  Obviously not a job for an amateur!  In the electronic age, preservation also includes creating digital images of the original items so that researchers and scholars can use those images, at least in part, and minimize repeated handling of the original items. 

We are indebted to both Nick Graham and the staff of the North Carolina Digital Heritage Center in Chapel Hill for their digitization of the maps in our Cumming Map Collection, and to Etherington Conservation Services in Browns Summit, NC for the physical conservation of the Arabic Bible of Omar Ibn Sayyid, and for the physical and digital conservation of the Bullard Book of Hours.

1837-2012 ◊◊ Celebrating Davidson’s 175th anniversary

It’s been fun to research “this day” and “this week” in Davidson’s history. We’ll wrap up this theme this week with a few moments from the month of April over the years.

Headlines from first issue of Davidsonian

April 1: 1914 – No fooling – the first issue of the Davidsonian is published

April 2: 1862- The Senior Class petitions against a change in the curriculum, because it requires them to take class alongside Juniors.  For the first 20 years of the college, instruction was organized strictly by class year. President  Kirkpatrick explained,

The part of Intellectual Philosophy which it is proposed that you now pursue in connection with the Junior Class, is one which your Class has not studied. I deem it important not only for its intrinsic value, but also as preparatory to the study of Logic, on which you will enter in a few weeks. Owing to the time your Class has lost in consequence of our civil troubles, it is impossible for us to accomplish the entire course of studies in the thorough manner we would desire

April 3: 1885 – Faculty received a petition  from the students asking to be excused from compulsory attendance on the Sabbath Bible recitations. The petition was discussed and laid aside for one week. On April 10, the faculty decide they have no power to address this and pass it on to the Trustees.

April 4: 1918 – Faculty adopt a new policy on awarding degrees for students called into national service (military war service) – No concessions will be made for Juniors, but “where Seniors enter the Army or Navy after Christmas, and have a clear record on all work in lower classes, they shall be given credit for those courses of the Senior year in which at their withdrawal they were making a passing grade, and if the requirements for graduation are thus fulfilled, they shall be given their degree honoris causa and so designated on the diploma.”

Early Davidson diploma

April 4: 1929 - Faculty decided that in the future all scholastic diplomas shall be in one language.  By a vote of 16 to 15, Dr. Martin casting the deciding vote, it was decided that this language shall be Latin.

April 5:  1867 – Faculty adopted a resolution

to introduce the Bible as a regular text-book, requiring a recitation from each Class every Monday morning, in some department of Bible study.  The chronology, history and geography of the Bible were assigned to the Freshman class. Matthew in the original Greek and the Harmony of the Gospels were selected for the Sophomore Class. The Epistle to the Romans, and for such other Epistles as the Class might be able to get over, were assigned to the Juniors; and lectures on the Shorter Catechism and the Confession of Faith, by the President, were appointed for the Senior class.”

and  another resolution “that  no student be permitted to study outside of his own room unless his request to do so be granted at a regular meeting of the Faculty.”

Davidsonian article on Union Director Shaw Smith

April 5: 1974 Shaw Smith, director of the College Union, is announced as the president-elect of the Association of College Unions.

April 6: 1904 – On motion, the Faculty voted to cancel two of the baseball games this spring, in accordance with the written agreement with the  students that College property must not be destroyed. It was left wit the Athletic Committee to specify the games to be cancelled.

Chapel building

April 7:  1836 – Cornerstone is laid for the Chapel, the first building on campus. Minutes of the Concord Presbytery described the event

a large concourse of people having assembled Presbytery proceeded to the Solemn service of dedicating the institution to God. The services were commenced by Revd. Dr Robinson by singing an appropriate Psalm and an introductory prayer. The Revd Robt H Morrison then addressed the assembly in an appropriate and forcible discourse on the importance of Learning generally and specialty of a Learned Ministry to the happiness of a community and the security of a free and righteous Government.

April 7: 1870 Faculty report “of the 125students in College, 86 are Communicants in the Church, viz: 79 Presbyterians, 5 Methodists, and 2 Seceders. Thirty-three are Candidates for the Ministry.

Class of 1898 in caps and gowns.

April 7: 1898 – Faculty Minutes report that the Senior Class having asked that they be allowed to wear the cap and gown at the Senior Speaking at Commencement, the Faculty granted the request for the present Senior Class, but added that they were not prepared to approve or adopt class vestments as a permanent feature of the College.

Davidsonian article on protests

April 8: 1979 – Davidson students and faculty participate in an anti-nuclear at the front gate of the unfinished McGuire nuclear plant six miles south of Cornelius.

April 9:1924- Faculty appoint a committee to “settle the shade of red in the colors of the college” (Douglas, J.M. McConnell, J.W. Porter).  They report back on May 14,  “the red being a bright cardinal red”.

April 9: 1962 – Davidson’s debate team spars with William & Mary on WUNC-TV.

April 10: 1919- Faculty adopt several resolutions – “Dancing is forbidden at Davidson and that this rule is violated when any organization or group of students engages in the pastime at Davidson or participates in it as a College organization elsewhere at any time; the existence of any organization in the College whose avowed purpose is to promote dancing is forbidden; that the holding of banquets, dinners, or other formal social functions on Sunday by an organization or group connected with the College here or elsewhere, is contrary to the rules of the Church and it spirit of Davidson College. and is hereby declared contrary to the express regulations of the College; that any opening of the fraternity halls during the time when any College exercise is in progress is strictly forbidden by order of the Trustees.”

April 11:  1868 – After a session of rigorous cleaning of his dorm room, James Bayliss Smith wrote about the role of women in 1868 to his friend Addison. According to Smith, after the cleaning session, “We are now living at home in as neat a room as any body’s who don’t have ladies to keep it in order for them. Ain’t they useful creatures about a house. I think I shall try to get me one when I leave college, that is if I can find a coop to keep her in. Don’t tell them how I talk about them for I might stand a poor back back among them if they were to turn loose their batteries on me.”

Debate club page in the 1911 Quips and Cranks

April 11: 1911 – Faculty give permission for students to attend the Davidson-Wake Forest debate in Greensboro on April 17 – provided that as many as 150 students desire to go and that arrangements be made to return as soon as possible the evening of the debate.

April 12: 1867 – The President informed the Faculty that he had a petition signed by the students, and other members of the “Reading Circle” requesting that Faculty meetings and other duties which interfere with the regular assembling of that Society, be altered, if possible, so as not to prevent the meeting of the “Circle” as heretofore on alternate Friday evenings.  The Faculty cordially approved of the object of the petitioners, and it was ordered that  hereafter the regular faculty meetings take place on Monday evening after tea.

Symphonic band in 1946

April 13: 1946 – The Davidson College Symphonic Band began a performance tour to Shelby, Asheville, Hendersonville and Brevard (1946).

April 14: 1838 – Several students organized the “Polemic Debating Society” in 1837, a group later renamed (in 1838) the Eumenean Society.

April 17: 1874 Faculty Minutes not that  the Base-Ball-Club among the students asked permission to go to Charlotte and play a game to which they had been challenged by the Cadets of the Carolina Military Institute. The Faculty resolved to adhere to the precedent already set in this case, and declined to grant the permission requested.

April 20 : 1868  A number of students styling themselves “The Glee Club” petitioned the faculty for the use of one of the vacant rooms on the first floor of the main building, during hours of recreation. Granted on condition that it be used exclusively by students.

1837-2012 ◊◊ Celebrating Davidson’s 175th anniversary

This week in Davidson’s history has more faculty decisions on athletes traveling, speeches and Deportment, March Madness in 2008, new fraternities and presidential daughters, French librarians, a relaxing of campus rules, more public speaking but no plays at Commencement.

March 25: 1846 – Faculty begin the practice of sending grade reports to parents covering scholarship, deportment and punctuality.

March 25: 1859 – Gamma chapter of the Chi Phi fraternity is founded on campus in 1859.  It was the second fraternity on campus, Beta Theta Pi being the first.  Both fraternities faded from campus during the 1860s. The faculty voted in July 1866 to ban any “Secret Club or association, other than the Literary Societies already established.”

AP. Ormond, winner of 1920 Junior Oratorical contest

March 25: 1920 – Faculty adopt new policies:
1) that athletic teams may not be away from campus for more than 10 days during a term (classes were held on Saturdays),
2) As a prerequisite to graduation, each member of the Junior Class is required to prepare and publicly deliver an original oration… Each speech shall be graded on the basis of matter, English, Memorization, and delivery. If any speech is unsatisfactory, the Faculty will grant one more opportunity to overcome the failure.
3) As a prerequisite for graduation, each Senior shall prepare a satisfactory dissertation of not less than two thousand words on a topic chosen not later than December the first in conference with Professor to whose department the dissertation relates, and the paper shall be handed in duplicate and neatly typewritten to such Professor not later than April the first. Each paper shall be read and graded by two Professors. If the paper is not approved, the student shall be given one month in which to revise it and present it anew.

March 25: 1961 – Jazz pianist Dave Brubeck famous for ‘Take Five’ performs

Minutes listing servant duties

March 26: 1855 -Faculty set the duties for college servants:
1.First in the morning – make fires in the Chapel and recitation rooms
2.Making fires in students’ rooms
3.Carrying water to students’ rooms
4.Making beds and cleaning rooms of students. Carrying water to students’ rooms in the evening.
He is required to back boots and shoes for the occupants of the Halls on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and Saturdays, the blacking to be provided by the students.
He is not required to make fires for the students unless the wood is already cut and in their rooms
Mr. Alexander agreed to board and furnish lodging for the Servant and employ him about his premises when not engaged in College duties

March 26: 1930 – Monsieur Marcel Bouteron, librarian of the lnstitut de France and well known authority on Balzac and French Romanticism spoke on campus.

March 27: 1851- Trustee committee report; “ It is the opinion of your Committee that immediate steps should be taken by this Board to endow Davidson College with a permanent fund, affording an income sufficient to secure the permanent services of able Professors, and to elevate the Standard of education, so as to meet the demands of the present state of Society and the world. Experience has clearly shown us that unless such provisions are made, it will be difficult to sustain the present Faculty, and still more, to fill the Professorships now vacant, with men of ability.”  The Board votes to create an endowment.

March 27: 1909 – Faculty agree that the student body be allowed to go Greensboro on special train for the Guilford-Davidson baseball game, and for the Wake Forest – Davidson debate on 12th April, to return the same night.

March 27: 1961  – Historian Arnold Toynbee gives the Reynolds Lecture 1961.

Davidsonian celebrates March Madness

March 28: 2008 -  Davidson beats Wisconsin to advance to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.

March 29: 1889 – The faculty repeal and abolish what is known in the government of the College as the College Rules.  This action does not abolish Study Hours, nor the rule requiring permission to visit the depot at train time, or the leave the village on occasion.  Its object is simply to abolish the rule requiring the student to ask permission to leave the campus in study hours. If, however, any student shall abuse his privilege by too frequent or long continued or improper absences during study hours, the matter shall be dealt with just as any other neglect of duty or offense against good order.

March 29: 1898 – Faculty minutes – The Senior Class, having asked for permission to give a play at Commencement, the Faculty replied that they were coming to the conclusion that for a College  under the direct control of the Church, amateur theatricals are hardly advisable as a form of entertaining the visitors.

March 30: 1861 -  William Wirt Thompson, in an 1861 letter to his relative Joseph Thompson, rudely declared that President Kirkpatrick’s “gals are decidely ‘hard eggs’ too fast too ugly and I have no earthly use for them.” Thompson wrote before he had yet earned his introduction to them.

March 30: 1883 – Faculty have an “animated and protracted discussion with regard to doing away with the “Deportment” column, and not allowing it to enter as an element in the general average of a student’s standing. The discussion lasts until April 6, when they vote to drop Deportment from the general average.

First Dean of Students, Mark Sentelle

March 30: 1920 – Professor Mark Edgar Sentelle elected the first Dean of Students at Davidson (He is elected from within the faculty).

March 31: 1903 – Faculty Minutes – the Track Team was allowed to go to Charlotte to contest with the YMCA team on some Monday this spring, only those contesting to be allowed to go.

1837-2012 ◊◊ Celebrating Davidson’s 175th anniversary

This week in history features donors, Easter Mondays, concerts, absences, grade reports,  the laundry, and Division of the Day established 91 years ago.

Baseball snapshot from scrapbook of William Buchanan, class of 1923

March 18:  1914   The Davidsonian is founded by students in 1914. First issue will be published on April 1st

March 18: 1921 – Easter Monday is declared a holiday so the students can attend the Davidson-Carolina baseball game in Winston.

March 18: 1925 – The first Division of the Day is established as the faculty approve a request by the Athletic Association that “from 4:05 pm to 6 pm each afternoon shall be given over to athletes, and that there shall be no formal holding of classes or reviews during this period, and that all students interested in Athletics shall be excused during these periods.”

March 19: 1999 The Black Comedy Tour performs on campus in 1999

March 20:  1854- Faculty adopt new policy: any student being absent from five college exercises, without a valid excuse rendered, to the Faculty, shall be admonished before the Faculty. And any student that incurs three admonitions shall be sent home.

March 20: 1896 – - The Davidson Monthly reported on a local fire. The reference to calico comes from a campus tradition of yelling “fire” to announce the presence of young ladies on campus.

The campus rang with the familiar yell of “fire.” This time, though, it was not a “calico” blaze, smoke and flame could be seen pouring out from beneath the roof of the depot. The train was due in a few minutes, and the usual crowd of students gathered to meet it, drowned out the fire with a bucket brigade before serious damage resulted. The fire is thought to have been started by rats gnawing matches.

Laundry description from 1921 college bulletin

March 20: 1920 – Faculty resolutions- “That hereafter the members of the Faculty will be expected to have their report of grades in the President’s Office within four days after the examination period has closed. Sundays and Christmas Eve not to be counted” and “That after the College Laundry is built and started, all students will be required to patronize it for hygienic and other reasons.”

March 20: 1945 -The Davidson College Band and Glee Club presented a joint concert.
The Band played a varied program, including: Prelude and Fugue—Bach; Intermezzo from Othello Suite—Coleridge-Taylor; Landsighting—Grieg; Processional and Children’s Dance from the Miracle Suite Huttlperdinck ;Cherubim Song —Bortninansky; See, the Conquering Hero Comes— Handel ; and several of those rousing marches that are the features of the military band. The Director was Mr. James Christian Pfohl.

Minutes recording the gift of Jane Lide

March 21:   1838 – Trustees learn of $1100 bequest  from Mrs. Jane D. Lide for scholarships.

March 21: 1870 – Faculty resolve: That whenever a student shall in study hours, engage in sport, or disturb the quiet of his room or building, or the campus, by music, shouting, loud laughing, etc., or be found in a group of idlers, he shall be reported to the Faculty. If marked, he may, in the discretion of the Faculty, receive no notice of it otherwise that in his circular letter at the close of the term. In case of doubt as to the offender, the officer must give the student the benefit of the doubt.

March 21: 1918 – Faculty rule that “No student shall be excused by the College Physician on account of sickness where the illness is of such a nature as not to require confinement in the Infirmary for 24 hours, and if sick to such an extent, much have been seen by the Physician during his sickness.” No excuses for absences will be given by the College Physician in his office.”
On the Waterfront is screened 1958

March 22: 1838 – Trustees vote to set inauguration of President Robert Hall Morrison and Professor of Languages Patrick Sparrow for August 2, 1838.

March 22: 1869 – It was resolved that the time for the regular meetings of the Faculty be changed from Friday afternoon, to Friday evening after tea, and that the meetings be held at the President’s study.

March 23: 1888- A  Joint Committee from the two literary societies asked the Faculty to receive at least for a few years, the rent of the dormitories made out of the rooms formerly occupied by the Society.  Faculty replied that they had no control in this matter and referred it to the Trustees.

Howard Banks, class of 1888

March 23:  1893 – The Chautauqua Circle of Davidson has lately given the students and townspeople an intellectual treat. Mr. H. A. Banks, A. B., graduate of Davidson, class of 1888, and now on the Charlotte Observer staff, was invited by the circle to deliver an address on this date in 1893. His subject, “The Passion Play at Oberammergau,” was an attractive one, and he handled it in a scholarly manner.

March 24:  1894 – An evening of entertainment, hosted by the Davidson juniors in 1894 was controversial, for featuring a “Negro Ministrel” (a well-kept secret until the performance), yet was well carried out and greatly enjoyed by every one present. The Davidson Monthly proclaimed the event “a howling success.”

Davidsonian headline in 1915, Junior orations continue.

March 24: 1910 – Faculty resolve “That those Juniors that fail to prepare and deliver a Junior Oration, except as excused or respited by the Faculty, be informed that the Junior Oration is a part of the required Junior Courses, and any failure detracts from the completed work of the year, just as in the case of any other college duty.