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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 20, 2000)
Discovering the past: How we used to party ■Although some traditions for homecoming week have died out, the football frenzy continues to make history By Jeff DeMoss for the Emerald The campus air is crackling with the energy of homecoming week the way bonfires used to crackle on campus at this time of year. Once again, it’s time for that fall tra dition that gives us all an excuse to party in the name of school spirit, de spite our busy schedules. And if we look back through the years, we find that students and alumni alike have avidly celebrated homecoming since the University’s humble beginnings. The history of homecoming at the University is rich and storied, and few people in town know that histo ry better than Keith Richard, former archivist for the University Alumni Association, now retired. “The first homecoming wasn’t so big,” Richard said. “The first grad uating class, which consisted of five people, came back to watch the 1879 commencement, and that was about it.” The celebration has obviously grown since 1878. The major con tributor to this growth appeared around 1912, when football began to take center stage at the festivities. Homecoming celebrations start ed getting big in the 1920s. Special ly arranged trains brought people from Portland and other nearby towns down to Eugene for an alum ni luncheon and the football game. r “It was like a big parade from the railroad station to the luncheon to the game,” Richard said. In the 1930s, students began organ izing concerts for the celebration each year, usually after the game. They would get some of the most popular musicians of the day, such as Ella Fitzgerald and the Supremes. “Nowadays, big-time names like that are too expensive to hire,” Richard said. However, the late-night student tra dition lives on through dances at the EMU Ballroom each year. Some homecoming traditions are no longer around because they’ve been out lawed, such as the bonfire, which was an annual favorite among students. The biggest one ever, according to Richard, was in 1915 out in front of what is now the Knight Library. “It was four stories high,” Richard said. “It burned for three nights and two days.” City ordi nance now prohibits such blazes, but the tradition was cleverly rein carnated in the 1970s in the form of a “wiener roast.” Another pastime that might get one arrested nowadays is the “noise parade. ” On the night before the big game, members of campus fraterni ties would march around the cam pus area competing for the title of noisiest group. Enthusiasm for homecoming died off in the late 1960s as students began to challenge such traditions in the name of change, but the celebration was revived in the mid-1970s. Turn to History, page 17B • money-saving coupons • good all term Available at the Emerald Office Suite 300 EMU. Oregon Daily Emerali All Ways Travel • Hurry Sale Ends Soon • Providence - $198.00* Ft. Lauderdale - $198.00* Frankfurt -$425.00* Zurich -$475.00* •tax not included, restrictions may apply. Subject to change without notice. Eurail Passes Issued On-Site!!! E-mail: awt@luv2travel.com 00194; It's like a ballet... without tutus. Open Daily 11:00 am - 2:30 am • 2165 W. 11th, Eugene • (541) 344-6897 • Quality pizza since 1977 • College student specials every term • Minimum delivery $8.95 • Tuesday night is a fun night • Come watch the game with us • Specials every night after 10pm • Open 11am till midnight Sun-Thur and 1 1 am till 1 am Fri-Sat (delivery closes 30 min prior) www.tracktownpizza.com 1809 Franklin Blvd. • 484-2799 FREE DELIVERY! Pick up an Emerald at 120 campus & community locations.
