Vanguard University of Southern California - Centurion Yearbook (Costa Mesa, CA)

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It was the Christmas season. There was no snow, only chilly winter winds interspersed with intermittent appearances of a warm California sun. The Hong Kong flu was prevalent about the country and the dormitories. Term papers were due and examinations were adminis- tered. In the midst of these physical diseases and academic disasters appeared a social panacea, the CHRISTMAS BANQUET. Studies were ignored and health was restored for a few hours of pleasure and relaxation. Thursday night, DECEMBER 19, the Women ' s Dormitory was beseiged with sangvine suitors requesting the honor of their dates ' presence. Red roses and white carnations had been ordered days in advance and were now exchanged and set at the appropriate sites for ostentation and embellishment. The Christmas couples passed through the rustic gate and began the short, free- way drive to the DISNEYLAND HOTEL. As they arrived at the Disneyland hotel lobby, they were escorted into the fashionable EMBASSY ROOM by two familiar turtle- necked doormen. The guests were greeted by Steve Romines and Linda Stetz, the A.S.B. Activity Directors, and ushered into the festive atmosphere of the banquet room. Sitting down at one of the holiday tables, the couples awaited an evening of sophisticated cuisine and the professional entertainment of the BOB SHEPHERD CHORALE. 53

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After the couples had been seated, host Steve Romines opened the Banquet with a cordial welcome and a Merry Christmas to all. Following an invocation by John Snider, 1967-68 A.S.B. President, dinner was served. From the old fashioned Swiss steak to the deepdish apple pie, the food satisfactorily filled the Vanguard connoisseurs, and left them bulging and content. As the last morsels of dessert were being scraped, the instrumental section of tlie BOB SHEPHARD CHOFIALE moved to their appointed positions to warmup. After a slight delay, the choral group took their places before the audience and sang a package of Christmas favorites including The Little Drummer Boy and a special and entertaining arrangement of Silent Night , featuring a solo violinist. The performers were given a short intermission during which President Budge and Dean Cawston were presented with gifts from the student body. The traditional Delta Kappa ceremony tapped seniors Mel Ming and Kathy Plunkett, and Dean Cawston revealed four prospective nuptials. In concluding the evening ' s entertainment, the Shephard Chorale offered a secular packet beginning with It ' s a Big Wide Wonderful World and including In Them Old Cotton Fields Back Home , By the Time I Get to Phoenix , Born Free and many others. They finally closed the night ' s performance with a packet of sacred music arranged for a contemporary audience with such songs as A Reason to Be , Tlie Lord is My Shepherd , and the final stirring selection of Behold He Cometh . The banquet had progressed into the late hours of the night and as the fantasy of Disneyland faded, the couples made out their own way back to the dorms for one last day of classes before Christmas vacation. 55