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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 13, 1920)
OKI IHI1 OF HOMECOMING IS 1110 BUT STUBBY Event Inaugurated Six Years Ago; Success Gives It Permanence. BIG GAME CUSTOM STARTED IN 1915 Increasing Popularity Noted Yearly Among Graduates and Ex-Students. Hoemcoming—the biggest get-together joyfest of the year, the time of the most important football game of the season— is a comparatively new Oregon tradition. To those who imagine that Homecoming is as old as the Condon oaks or Deady hall, let it he known that the first Home coming plans were made in 10)4. Just where the idea came from no body knows; probably ns Dean Straub pays, it was just a spontaneous effort to keep the Oregon grads interested in i their Alma Mater. Anyhow on October 10, 1014, many of the alumni returned | to see the game with Whitman, and find! out what changes had been made on. the campus since their day. The Underclass mix had been postponed until October 10 for the benefit of the alumni, and fon Saturday evening a combined party (and reception was given for the guests. The score of the gamp was 29 to 3 in favor of Oregon, and Alumni day proved itself such a success that there was im mediate agitation to make it a perma nent custom. Victory Marks Opening. At the first Student Body meeting in the fall of 1915 the custom of making the date of the biggest football game of the Oregon season the time for Home coming week-end was inaugurated. For the first time In eight years O. A. C. was to play Oregon on Eugene grounds. There was a new grandstand on Kincaid field all ready and waiting for enthus iastic crowds of Oregon rooters, and itbe first Homecoming letters were sent out to the alumni. This was the year that O. A. O. had |played the Michigan Agricultural Col lege with a score of 21 to 0 in favor of the western college. O. A. C. had been heralded all over the United States by the press as the “terror of the Michigan Aggies.” The whole country was watch ing the agricultural college team. Fore casts for the game on the 20th were all against Oregon. Even Coach Bezdek said, “they’ve got the dope over us.” ;The two teams played identical systems of football and were both at their best on defensive. Beckett’s Work Beats Visitors. ! On the morning of the big game the headlines of the Emerald read, “Oregon /out-doped, out-experienced, out-weighed, is ready for O. A. C.” But the score [was 0 to 0 in favor of Oregon. The ilightning plays of Johnny Beckett daz zled tlie defenders (jf the orange and filack. The Aggies came the nearest to (scoring in the last few minutes of play When they,gained the ball through a mispiay on the part of an Oregon man. The “Oregon spirit,” and not the long ffli loiiu-a Oregon jiux'’ hatl been the vic tor. Over 300 alumni hart come back to see i R®me, anrt to spend the week-end, and when they found what their I’niver sit.v could really do they went wild. The pajama rally I-riday night, the Saturday lioou luncheon in the men's gym anrt | the dance at the Armory on Saturday ;evoning. all new featuyes of the Home' i coming week-end. met with their heart iest approval, Homecoming as an Ore gon custom was really established, and gi aduates and students alike were full of ideas and plans for Homecoming for the next year. New Buildings Begun. New buildings were going up on the campus. Johnson liall had been dedi cated Saturday morning, and the old glacis wanted to see what Oregon would be like the year after. So. because-" it was such an umpinlified suwess, the arrangements for 1910 Homecoming were started early in the fall term of that year. The time set was November 4. the date of the Ore gou-Washington game. General publicity work was under the direction of a com mittee headed by .Martin Nelson, and let ters were written to graduates, stickers and pennants were used, and in fact, every means was employed to get across the Homecoming week-end idea to’ the people of Oregon. Arrangements were made to welcome, tlie visitors when they arrived, and to register them. Willamette street was decorated in Oregon and Washington col ors, and every effort <vas made to make the guests feel at home. Ernest Wat kins was jhaivman of the reception com mittee. The fraternities and sororities entertained d;20 guests. Sigma Olii lead ing in the number of invitations sent out. Jeannette Wheatley had charge of the The Anchorage » Have you seen the New Novelty Rugs, Pottery and other gift suggestions in the ANCHORAGE GIFT ROOM JIM, THE SHOE DOCTOR A Fortune for You BUY STOCK IN THE AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC BRAKE COMPANY The only brake that fulfills the requirements of the Auto Truck and Trailer. A small investment a few years ago in a certain automobile industry has made the purchasers independent. The Only Safe Brake for Cars BUY NOW WHILE YOU CAN. See the Demonstration at George’s Cigar Store. Automatic Electric Brake Co. ~Q June boon Saturday noon. This was served in cafeteria style from eight booths by women from the four classes. ; Rain Spoils Game. In spite of bad weather conditions, five hundred alumni registered ns guests. /The rain made the field so bad that Ore gon chances were not very good, a* was later proved by the score of the game which was 0-0. It ww the sentiment of fandom in general that had the game been played on a dry field Oregon would have won by at least two touchdowns. One new feature of the Homecoming program that year was the Vesper ser rice on Sunday at 4 p. m., in Villard hall. Major AV. S. Gilbert of Astoria was the speaker. Then came November 17, 1!>17 and the tame with California. "Anyone who feels hat there is a lack of pep and jazz on die campus will wake up," said yell eader Slim Crandall. "We are going to ame that old bear so all the 'Varsity, yill have to do is put salt on its tail.” When the first Homecoming letters jegan to go out to old grads the appeal ,vas — “Come and help us skin the gold en hear.” Because it was a war-time [lomecoming it. was decided to make the expenditures as small as possible. The Homecoming dance was to be informal, and no elaborate decorations were used. The price of admission to the dance was also lowered to fifty cents a couple. Hoover Luncheon S-.rved. The campus luncheon was Honverized and nobody violated any of tbeir food conservation pledges when they partook of it. Special emphasis was made of the fact that this Homecoming was planned not only for the old grads but also for the 500 Oregon men who were in the (Continued on Page 6.) Buy - Read - Know Official Program of the Game, Oregon vs. Washington , X. t • « •" Pictures Team Information H Statistics Score Card > »■ i fKi-: ■ ■ viA'wuL -^ - *> ■ and at the game s-V'-.'j ll >? V f. ■ . -.i '8.,, * :3 t'S-' ‘ t\ ■"» ° t “ •" &8- o oS, ?«&•««> v> •J*"’ ®?,-j .1“ flo <b® * 0 * , Keep Your Ford Here Over Nig'ht We will be glad to help you in any way, shape or form while you are in town over the week-end. Suppress all Fears We will guide you aright. Let us fix up your car be fore you return. We are open late at night, and we are at your service ’till we close. We Can Supply You with Free Air and Water, and Gas at the regular price. E. C. Simmons Company Phone 556 64 10th Avenue East Phone 556
