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
»
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~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
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Pictures Team Information H
Statistics Score Card
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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