Agnes Scott College - Silhouette Yearbook (Decatur, GA)

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Have you ever wondered why we do what we do during Black Cat? Accord- ing to a certain well-known Black Cat scholar, the traditional festivities lead- ing up to and including Black Cat have been evolving since the I920 ' s. You may also be wondering what could happen in sixty or so years to that special week and feeling of fall quar- ter. To begin, once there was no Black Cat. An Agnes Scott student today would say, No Black Cat? Well that ' s almost impossible to imagine! And it was the constructive imagination of Dr. Mary Sweet that pioneered the Black Cat spirit, yet even she did not know what she was initiating. Dr. Sweet, tired of patching up freshmen and sophomores, directed their energies into composing judged skits about college life instead of play- ing malicious fall pranks on one an- other. By the early 1950 5 hockey games, a production, a picnic, and song compe- tition were added to the fall quarter agenda. A week-long hockey tourna- ment between the classes was the kick-off of the sports season. The pro- duction those evenings was somewhat different from the Black Cat produc- tion that we know. Friday evening, after a long day of hockey and fried chicken, each class wrote a song about college life at Agnes Scott that was sung and judged at the production. At this time it was required that the songs be both original music and words. At the production, each class performed a skit and the faculty also performed. None was judged. In the late 1950 5, a dance in Rebekah Recep- tion Room or the gym was held that same event-loaded Black Cat Friday. By this time, each class had a mas- cot, but the decision of the freshmen in the fall was not a hidden secret. After the dorms closed at night, the freshmen could convince security to let them in the upperclassmen dorms where the mascot would be an- nounced. The freshmen would put a decoration representing their mascot on the upperclassmen ' s doors, and later the other classes would deck ev- eryone s dorm room doors with their mascot decorations. For example, one freshman class chose Harvey the In- visible Rabbit as their mascot, and they taped whiskers and ears on dorm doors announcing their unique choice. So by the end of Black Cat the dorm room doors were covered with mascot decorations and Happy Black Cat wishes. The tradition of the secretive- ness of the freshmen ' s mascot and the sophomore mission to discover it be- gan with the same class that stole Ah- woo for the first time. The bonfire began as a pep rally the Thursday before the first hockey game and was held where the tennis courts are today. Then, like today, the sophomore class guessed the fresh- men ' s mascot and the freshmen re- sponded. Also, college songs were sung by the classes but were not judged. At some point, these songs were changed to be sister class songs, and still there was a requirement of originality. By this time, it was suggested that one year be a fast year and the next a slow year, indicated by fast, peppy songs and slow, sweet songs. Songs during Black Cat were once so popular that sister class and college songs were printed and sung at Black Cat and for years after their debut. During the I960 s, as the hazing and the keeping of the secret became more of a battle between the opposing classes: juniors vs. seniors and fresh- men vs. sophomores. Mortar Board be- came more and more involved with Black Cat, even though it had been indirectly involved with events during Black Cat for some time. Since 1903 it had been an overseer of the festivities with the purpose of insuring a fun- filled weekend, while discouraging hazing. In more recent times, the class of I973 ' s Mortar Board chapter decid- ed to make Black Cat a more extrava-

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(I) The Cracker Jack Sailors cheer their class on to a victory in the Black Cat games. (2) Caria Edson tugs her team to victory. (3) The Troop of ' 83 celebrates its last Black Cat with the Black Kitty award. (4) The Sundance Kids demonstrate their favorite hobby. (5) High Spirits and much relief characterized the Scottish Highlanders ' first Black Cat.

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gant weekend, and so they held the first Black Cat formal off-campus at the Sheraton Biltmore. And thus began our traditional off-campus Black Cat Formal. The tradition of the sophomore pre- sentation to the freshmen of the Black Kitty is very recent. The original Black Kitty was metal with a string of bells around its neck and resided in Inman lobby, and it too mysteriously disap- peared. Inman lobby also seems to have been the beginning (and mysteri- ous ending???) of another Black Cat tradition: that cigar-store-become- demigod Indian — AHWOOII An all-important question that comes to mind is just where did Ah- woo come from, and where is the original Ahwoo now??? In other words, what is so great about Ahwoo? Ah- woo ' s ASC life began as a coffee table decoration for Inman lobby in the early lOeCs. But Awwoo did not remain in the lobby long. Some third Walters sophomores kidnapped him and made a shrine to the once cigar-store Indian. Needless to say, the Inman Scotties were upset, so Dr. Alston decided to lock him up in the registrar ' s vault. At this point, the Indian was nameless un- til Laura Steele crowned him Ahwoo for no special reason. So Ahwoo had his name, and his followers stormed the President ' s office, armed with wa- ter guns and bandana masks and de- manded the Indian. Following the suc- cessful recovery of Ahwoo by the Class of 1966, he disappeared. In the early 1970 ' s, two ASC alumni — Mary Jane and Becky King — found Ahwoo in their attic. They were not sure how and why they came to be so blessed. For two years following the redisco- very, Ahwoo sat in the window of the Dean of Student ' s conference room, wishing for more excitement in his life. In 1979, Angela Grover spearhead- ed his kidnapping, and from then on the current Ahwoo traditions have de- veloped. Ahwoo mysteriously disappeared during spring quarter of 1981, reappear- ing in the fall with a second Ahwoo — the Club Med Ahwoo, an imposter that had to be returned because the Class of 1983 had an overdue Mastercard bill. This year, Ahwoo again disappeared, with rumors that he is somewhere in Main ' s cob-webbed attic or some- where in Atlanta. In Atlanta! What good does that do? Without any luck in finding him, the class of 1984 spent an entire day sculpting and painting a new Ahwoo. It took eight fans blowing for 24 hours to dry his new war paint before his presentation at the Black Cat Production on Friday night! And what an appropriate gift for the sen- iors of the Class of 1983. The original Ahwoo is gone for the time being, and the new Ahwoo is here to stay — but for how long?? In addition to a new ceramic Ahwoo, the Class of 1983 had a first — a flesh-and-blood Ahwoo in the brave maiden Cathy Zurek. It is ironic that many of our Black Cat traditions evolved from reactions to the fall quarter hazing between the classes and especially directed toward the freshmen. Each strategic move to- wards a more pleasant orientation for freshmen and reorientation for upper- classmen was coupled with a strategic hazing endeavor by the students. We see Black Cat today as a busy, fun- filled week encouraging school spirit, sisterhood and union within and among the classes. We see Black Cat as a fun way to end freshmen orienta- tion and to make everyone, especially the freshmen and transfers, feel a part of Agnes Scott — its old and new tra- ditions.