Coker College - Milestone Yearbook (Hartsville, SC)

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UPPER PICTURE: ‘The Freshmen have a party at Dr. Barry's. OPPOSITE: The members of the Sextette and Mr. Schall prepare for one of their performances. LOWER LEFT: The Seniors won the singing of the Pep Song. LOWER RIGHT: ... and the Freshmen won the Alma Mater.

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IF udges Gh: “Oh, no! I’ve forgotten my gloves!” and a dear roommate was sent rushing back to the dorm. It was definitely the night ' of the Beauty-Cutie Contest! Twenty Beauties and twenty | Cuties, sponsored by the different campus orgaizations were | prepared for the big occasion. The Cuties were decked im casual and collegiate skirts and | sweaters and charming smiles. They were to be judged by the audience, and they stepped vivaciously across the stage to the tune of a jingle especially composed for them by their sponsor- ing club. BEE ain I | Meanwhile, the beauties, elegant in evening dresses, con- tented themselves by tugging at each other’s dresses and poking | at stray whisps of hair, knowing they were on the stage next. | They had met the three judges at a tea and dinner that after- | | } | noon; but that didn’t help them feel much calmer. The feeling of “being watched” was all too real. . Finally the contest was ended. Then came the hardest | part of all—waiting for the decisions which would be announced at the Christmas dance. Intermission time at the dance found many excited and anxious observers on the sidelines. Miss Martha Dean Chestnut, Miss South Carolina of 1956, crowned | Miss Marian McKnight, Beauty Queen, and Miss Sara Jean Long, Cutie Queen. As the queens and the six girls chosen for each court stood together around the Christmas tree, the by- | standers realized what a difficult job the judges had in making | their choice. UPPER RIGHT: ‘The judges: Mrs. Ed Turbeville, Mr. Bob Johnson, and Miss Joan Griffin. OPPOSITE: Beauty Queen Marian McKnight, and Cutie Queen Sara Jean Long were crowned by Miss South Carolina, our own Martha Dean Chestnut. These were the Beauty Contestants: SEATED: F. Lowrimore, Stoll, Norris, Strader. STANDING, FIRST ROW: Cliff, McKnight, S. Graham, Oates, Ingram, Davis, Watt, L. Brinson, Foxworth, Mims. STANDING, SECOND ROW: Shaw, Joye, Degenhardt, Myers, Pennell, Clarke. 109

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ee ef Dseebcrd Glance At the end of the school year nineteen hundred and fifty-six, a lone figure moved slowly down the street lead- ing away from Coker. As he neared the gateway, he hesitated, as if waiting for someone whom he knew would soon follow; and as he turned to look over his shoulder, had anyone been watching, he would have seen the Spirit of Coker. In that backward glance, the Spirit saw a year at Coker, saw it as it was, full of joy and sorrow. He saw it through freshmen eyes, sophomore eyes, junior and sen- ior eyes. Coker’s Spirit first looked at the freshman in all their greenness and hopefulness . . . saw them as they arrived all sparkling and breathless to begin their college careers . . . saw them in that first week attend party after party .. . watched them laugh at the house of an- other frosh, Dr. Barry, as he entertained them . . . saw, too, the wind go out of their sails when they registered were given their first homework assignments, and were initiated in the dormitory attic. The Coker Spirit watched as the frosh learned that most college days would begin with the knocking of the radiators, the clanging of the bell, and grits for breakfast. The Spirit saw other things besides the freshman. He saw the Sextette as they were chosen from the members of the Glee Club; he saw them practicing . . . singing for meetings of local organizations . . . going “on the road” to surrounding communities . . . helping Uncle Sam by entertaining the sick soldiers at Fort Jackson . . . being entertained by them. RIGHT: Ann discusses the newspaper business with Mr. Spearman. BOTTOM: The Literary Festival Panel was composed of: Joseph L. Wiggins, of the Hartsville Messenger, W. D. Workman, Jr., special correspondent for several Carolina dailies; Jack O’Dowd, of the Florence Morning News; Mrs. Frances H. Hildebrand, of the Sumter Daily Item; Walter Spearman, professor of journalism at the University of North Carolina; W. Leroy Harrelson, of the Myrtle Beach News. While glancing at things musical, the Spirit saw the Glee Club in their maroon robes leaving for their annual tour . . . saw their director as he worked to get every voice just right and all the voices perfect together saw the joy and satisfaction of working in harmony. Coker’s Spirit also recalled the annual Song Contest He had seen the committees’ labors in writing new Pep Songs. He had listened critically as each class learned the new song and worked hard to polish the Alma Mater. He would have told anyone who asked that he was glad he didn’t have to judge the contest—that close, it was. How- ever, he rejoiced with all the students as the judges se- lected the freshmen as winners of the Alma Mater and the seniors as winners of the Pep Song. A backward glance at the buildings and the event of the years saw also a festival, the annual Literary Festival in October. Mr. Hodding Carter of the Times-Democrat, Mr. Jonathan Daniels of Raleigh's News Observer, Mr. Thomas L. Robinson the publisher of the Charlotte News. and a distinguished panel of Pee Dee journalists discussed various aspects of Journalism in the South. Pee Dee newspapers were on display in the hall of the Science Building along with a display indicating the many possi- ble outlets for creative writing in the newspapers of the country. The Spirit of Coker also saw students and towns- people going to the Auditorium to hear such performers as Richard Cass, pianist; Lois Marshall, soprano; and the i