Kansas State University - Royal Purple Yearbook (Manhattan, KS)

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by Lindsay Porter and Alex Yocum T-shirts, hats, sweatshirts, flowers, banners, signs, mugs, ties, folders, pens, ice cream, letterhead and even cars embodied the personality of the university. From the K-State Student Union to Wagner Field, and classrooms to offices, purple was seen everywhere, every day. I thought there was a lot of purple when I first came on campus, Adam Wildhaber, freshman in civil engineering, said. All that wearing of purple, it was a little overwhelming. After a while, I knew it was representative of school spirit and pride. In a country dominated by reds, blues, golds, oranges and greens, K- State was among a handful of Division I universities with purple as its official color. Kent Hildebrand, 2005 Student Ambassador and senior in mass communications, said the school color contributed to K-State ' s public image. You see a lot of it when you step back and take notice, he said. There are very few other schools that have purple as a dominant color. Wildcats young and old, past and present wore purple to show school support. Before the football game against the Kansas Jayhawks, Dustin Kucerik, freshman In computer science, has his friend Lane Goodin, freshman in open-option, paint him from his waist up. Kucenk along with his fellow purple- painted friend Bill Gepford, freshman in open-option, began tailgating at 4:30 a.m. for the 11 a.m. game, Joslyn Brown At Bill Snyder Family Stadium or around campus, K-State ' s colors remain as popular as ever - more than 50 years after they became official Purple is a sense of pride, Danielle McManigal, junior in sociology, said. Everywhere you go on campus you see someone wearing purple. I think we are very proud to be a part of Kansas State University, and purple is a way to represent that. The essence of purple transcended the physical color and became a sense of community. The first thing I think about is the family atmosphere and the community that everyone has, Hildebrand said. When you see someone on the sidewalk, it feels like you have a connection to them. It ' s a sense of family - how we ' re unified at K-State. We share a bond of being Wildcats. Although purple reigned on game days and at university events, its presence was an integral part of the university ' s culture, not because it was the official school color but because of what it represented. I wear purple everyday, McManigal said, not because I have to - because I want to and I love K-State. Among the crowd, Crystal Childress, sophomore in apparel and textiles, cheers during the Sept. 24 game. Purple was the color of choice, though there were other colors of K-State apparel. What ' s the deal with all these hoodies that aren ' t purple? said Kent I Hildebrand, senior in mass communications. It ' s fine, but purple definitely has its place. Christopher Hanewinckel n m tonieo Sstudent life

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? : ' iv j:.: l i, i m V , ' ' The night before the Saturday Manhattan Farmers ' Market, J.T. Slate, freshman In secondary education, cuts flowers for his stand. I try to cut everything the night before, and I spend about 2.5 hours cutting and four hours bundling them all together, Slate said. I usually end up going to bed around midnight. Read more about Slate on page 10. Catrina Rawson In a truck bed full of water, Michael Schroeder, senior In agribusiness, stays cool in his homemade pool. Schroeder and his fellow tailgaters invited passersby to relax with them, Sept. 24. We figured It would be hot that day and It would be a good way to cool off, Schroeder said. At the next home game, they set up a slip ' n slide. Read more about tailgating on page 12. Christopher Hanewinckel X v.r I «ft ' ;; ? ll student life?

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Evolution of K-State Purple and White by Corbin H. Crable It took more than 50 years for purple to be recognized as the official school color. It was not discussed as an option until Kansas State Agricultural College was open for more than three decades, said Pat Patton, research specialist in University Archives. In 1896, there was a student committee, and (the committee members) chose royal purple because of its regal beauty and because it wasn ' t found at any other school, Patton said. Although the student committee made its selection, it was not official until 1921 when faculty voted. Nearly 30 years later, on Dec. 15, 1950, the Student Council voted white as the complimentary color. The faculty seconded the approval Jan. 24, 1951, and the colors became official, Patton said. It took 10 years for purple to break in tlie sports scene, said Tim Lindemuth, editor of K-Stater magazine. Years ago, people wore jackets and ties and dresses to sporting events, Lindemuth said. They dressed up when they went to football games. It was during the Vince Gibson era, during the 1960s and 1970s, that sport coats became purple polyester. Lindemuth said before the 1960s, cheerleaders and members of the men ' s pep club - the Wampus Cats - and the women ' s pep club - the Purple Pepsters - wore purple to sporting events. Players sported brown and black uniforms. There had always been purple there, but it was very dressy and classy at the games, not so much the jeans and T-shirts and purple body paint, he said. There ' s been a transition through the decades. It ' s an evolution. In the the student section duringtheOct. 8K-State vs. KU game, Anothony Fox, sophomore in landscape architecture, cheers with his friends. Fans found many ways, including painting their bodies, to show their K-State pride. It ' s our school color, Adam Wildhaber, freshman in civil engineering, said. It represents who we are as a whole. It ' s simple, it ' s K-State. Christopher Hanewincke iff %■ MK .