Coker College - Milestone Yearbook (Hartsville, SC)

Page 120 text:

in the way thye kept their records. And some chose the Mrs. degree instead of the A.B. or B.S. At Christmastime the Spirit saw Herb, Mr. Brum- baugh, and some of the girls decorating the float to be entered in the Hartsville Christmas parade, saw it as it traveled on to other parades in the state and won for itself some honots. And there was the college club buzzing with activi- ties . . . Canoeing (canoe tip or no canoe tip) . . suppers and a uke and many voices full of vitality ... cookouts at the furnace, steak, and tiny cakes made by Deeda’s mother, delicious! . . . swimming, crew . . . field trips . . . and quiet times, too, alone with only the birds and Browning. And the Spirit couldn’t help but see that mailbox, stuffed to the brim with outgoing mail in hopes that the girls would get some in return. Books were dropped, peo- This page, left to right The Coker float represented us in many Christmas parades. Here Ward, In- gram, Blackmon, Oates, Watt, and F. Rogers grace it. There’s not a sport that P. E. Majors miss, is there Shirley? Waiting to man the canoes for the crew races is a rather hopeless look- ing group, but they wont. We always dressed appropriately for the Required Functions. Priscilla Umbers receives that all-im- portant letter. Dad’s Day brought many fathers and some mothers to visit their daughters. Opposite page, eft to right Sam Donahue of the Billy May Or- chestra. Marcie Miller, vocalist, Billy May Or- chestra. Having fun, Chris! We danced and danced... Susan, Ann, and Betty hang stars for the Christmas Dance. ple were late to class. Some got soaked in the rain, but the mail went out ... and many times Olin, Derrick, and Keith were lifesavers when the girls din’t want to get wet going to the mailbox themselves. Coker had a Dad's Day and the Spirit looked on and smiled warmly. Dad sat through Civ. lecture, lost though he was. He met teachers, advisors, and other Dads . . worked and played just as his girl does .. . saw why he sent her to Coker. A gay and exhilarating feeling must have swept over the Spirit as he looked back and recalled Dance Commit- tee planning a big night. He remembered anxious ques- tions such as “Who can I invite?” or “What will I wear?” . the bands that played . . . someone daring to do the Charleston . . . couples saying goodnight on Richardson, lingering five minutes longer than legal . . . and the “After glow.”

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clanging roused dead-to-the-world girls who in a 1:00 a. m. stupor grabbed a towel and raincoat and headed for the great outdoors. (Shirley never failed to put on her shoes and socks; and Sylvia, her genuine red Fire Chief's hat.) Or looking in on Richardson at 11:30 Saturday night, Mr. Spirit may have seen a girl saying goodnight to Mr. Clemson, or Mr. Duke, or Mr. Air Force, in her special corner in her own special way. The Spirit recalled the dining room .. . Sunday din- ner, The Doxology ... “Happy Birthday, George Wash- ington” . . . assigned tables . . . Buffet style supper, Ber- mudas ... “Here’s to , bless her heart”. . . “Round the table you must go”... and the Birthday Supper. The Spirit saw the inevitable signing out for dates, for home, for weekends at Davidson, Newberry, or The Citadel . .. and he noted that some signed back in, some forgot, some returned late, some were just plain careless

Page 121 text:

A glance at the Auditorium and the Spirit saw all the work of practicing for a play . the difficulty of leaving that playbook in the seat for the first time! Then almost miraculously the footlights went on the night of the play and the players were ready to give the perform- ance. They forgot cues and couldn't hear the prompter .. . became nervous and poured tea into the saucer in- stead of the cup... left out a whole page! But like troop- ers, somehow came through .. . the show went on. The weather warmed and suddenly several lithe little figures clad in black scampered across the stage of the amphitheater—Modern Dance Club at work. May Day would take many hours of practice, and practice they did . . . sore feet (sore everything) from dancing on the grass... gales of laughter as they tried on the cos- tumes for the first itme . and then the beauty of the performers on THE day ... and the beauty of the May Court as they went through the ceremony of crowning Sylvia Coker’s Queen of May. Because they were out front, the Spirit of Coker saw the seniors, particularly, in all their glory. Their faces were bright and their manner dignified that first day in Senior Coffee there was almost a stampede the day they received those shiny gold rings. They were measured