University of Texas School of Law - Peregrinus Yearbook (Austin, TX)

Page 24 text:

For 15 or 20 years after the University was established in 1883, none of the graduates wore caps and gowns for graduation ceremonies. At the turn of the century, a sales person offered to rent seniors caps and gowns. At that time, the School of Law was in the basement of the Main Building. No one thought to send a message down- stairs and invite even a few law seniors to the meeting. A committee of faculty and seniors met and because they had not been invited to the original meeting and had not been consulted on the advisability of this step, law students refused to wear caps and gowns. Perhaps fore- shadowing later events, they then for- mulated the reason to uphold their decision. This was, that caps and I he unf gowns at such time were tradition to, and representative of, academic school and not the professional school. Granted, even judges had worn wigs and gowns for centuries, it was worn for a purpose entirely distinct from the purpose of the proposed. The faculty met with the President, and at the meeting a decision was reached that the law students must conform to the wishes of the senior class or they must wear a significant insignia at the exercises. It was not in a spirit of conciliation or in appreciation of the dignity of the occasion that the sunflower was chosen as the distinc- tive insignia. It was agreed, however, that the senior law students would wear white suits. Once more reasons were to advanced to justify the choice of the flower. The sunflower, genus Helianthus, belongs to a family with worldwide distribution. So, also do lawyers. As the sunflower always keeps its face turned to the sun, the lawyer turns to the light of justice. The Sunflower Ceremony used to be 20 - Sunflower Tradition held once during the year, on Commencement Day. As the School of Law student population grew, it was decided to have two exercises during the year, one in November for the December graduates and another in May for the May and August gradu- ates. Originally, the sunflower was pinn ed on each senior by his or her best friend. Today the Associate Dean or Assistant Dean assumes this respon-

Page 26 text:

22 - Sunflower Ceremonies