University of Mississippi - Ole Miss Yearbook (Oxford, MS)

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028 the ole miss

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Ole Miss Students gather at the Library Sports Bar on any given weekend to hear the lovable DJ Mario utter those three words, Are you ready? On Saturdays in the fall, students, alumni, and devoted fans flock to the Grove in dresses and suits to support our football team in style. During campaign days, young men and women stand on street corners and urge fellow students to vote for their friends for titles such as Colonel Reb and Miss Ole Miss. But why do we do these things? Where do these traditions come from? In a campus as history-soaked as Ole Miss, it ' s no wonder that everywhere we turn there is a tradition staring us in the face. Even this yearbook that you hold in your hands started the biggest tradition that our school has - the name Ole Miss. When the yearbook first got its start in ' 897, our fledgling school was only known as the Jniversity of Mississippi. The yearbook staff then held a contest to name the publication and Elma Meek suggested the name Ole Miss in reference to the lady of the house in pre-Civil War days. Soon, the affectionate term Ole Miss became the name for the university as well. Although some debate the political correctness of this term, no one can argue that it ' s a term of respect and dignity. Every student that goes to Ole Miss knows the cheer Hotty Toddy. Some of us know it even better than we know our ABC ' s, having learned it well before we could read or write. An early version of it appeared in the November 19, 1926 issueof TheMississippian . It read Heighty! Tighty! Gosh A Mighty! Who in the h -I are we? Rim! Ram! Flim! Flam! Ole Miss, ByD-n. From these humble beginnings, the cheer that is ingrained in our hearts and memories was born. Before 1929, there was no such thing as Miss Ole Miss until Charlsie Elizabeth Anderson was named as the first. Her male counterpart, Colonel Reb, didn ' t come along until 1940 when jfc? I ei r cqc the ole mis

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Ado Dunagin took the title. Ever since then, the prestigious titles have gone to the young man and young woman who represent the best of our school. Although election time isn ' t everyone ' s favorite tradition, especially those who are harassed by greeks stationed all across campus campaigning for their fellow fraternity or sorority members, it is a dignified one. The Grove plays a major role in the life of an Ole Miss student, and it always has. For generations, it has served as a classroom and a playground alike, a backdrop for the Ole Miss student life. Never is this more apparent than on Saturday afternoons in the fall before the football team plays a home game. The Grove becomes packed with people of all ages, students, visitors, alumni, parents, friends, and the occasional Bulldog fan when there ' s not a Mississippi State game. All the stops are pulled out for these huge events because at Ole Miss, we believe that if the Rebels are going to bring their best to the game, we should do the same. So, we bring every type of food imaginable, set our our nicest table arrangements, and wear the best dresses and suits we own. The Grove started out as an actual tailgate, complete with trucks, until a rainy period in the early 1990s turned the Grove into a giant mud pit, making it difficult for the trucks to move. Afterwards, trucks were abolished from the Grove and tents took their place. Since then, Grove tailgating has been done without the actual tailgate, but with a little more class. An often forgotten tradition is the practice of graffiti in a turret in Ventress Hall. Near the turn of the century, when Ventress was still serving as the school ' s library, a Civil War veteran from rkansas scrawled his name and military unit on the inside wall of ne of Ventress ' s turrets. Soon after, students began following in is footsteps and signing their own John Hancock in the historic building. The turret is now littered with the signatures of former students, greek letters and graduation classes accompany them. The turret has since fallen into disrepair and is a hazard for anyone to walk in, but on occasion, some lucky student gets the opportunity to join the ranks of the Rebels who have gone before them and sign their own names in the tower. I W k It ' s traditions like these that bind our diverse student body togethe r. We feel connected to each other, the Rebel fans, and anyone who has ever stepped foot on our tree-lined campus It ' s the security blanket we feel from knowing that some things never change. Deep down, we know that there ' s a part of us that wants to be that alumnus that could visit Ole Miss on any given day and instantly be taken back to a time when we were tuctents here long as there are traditions at Ole Miss, yoj can aws go baclcio hat place and time when yc were yourf and wl fod free. the ole miss 029