Wheaton College - Nike Yearbook (Norton, MA)

Page 12 text:

NE of Wheaton’s best loved traditions is the annual May Day ceremony. May Day in 1947 found the Dimple full of gay activity. Revelers, in the colorful costumes of Merrie England, frolicked around the May Pole, and a rustic orchestra provided musical color while games, songs, and dances were per- formed. ‘The climax of the festivities arrived when heralds an- nounced with trumpet blasts, the coming of the May Queen and her court. A long procession wended its way from the Library steps—‘‘Virtues,” pages, flower girls, “Spirits” of the classes, a capering Jester, and finally—Ootsie, our Queen, with her two attendants, Betsy Bird and Sue Williams. The coronation fol- lowed—a wreath of flowers was placed on the Queen’s head, and revel broke forth again, The “Villagers” danced the traditional lay Pole Dance, weaving and unraveling the multicolored streamers; the Jester performed more capers, and somersaults, Dd: finally, the court left in an impressive recessional. ‘The cere- vas over, but the spirit of May Bey lingered and was still

Page 11 text:

traditions of dungarees, of innumerable cups of coffee, and Wednesday night dinner. But the lump in your throat comes with May Day and Convocation, the candlelight service, and “God Save the King” at Christ- mas. Finally, commencement, and myriad tra- ditions crammed into those hazy, frantic last days. These things make it all a wonderful memory, and there’s just no hope for us, be- cause in fifty years we'll totter back and tell all the students just what May Day was like in our time, or where OUR tree is planted, or how our roommate Susie slipped on the wet library steps and double-sommersaulted to the ground, for tradition at Wheaton is not just ritual, but a real part of the campus life.

Page 13 text:

This year, new ideas are replacing the old traditions at Wheaton. In the future, the May Day theme will vary from year to year, and we will probably see more modern interpretations of the old ceremony. Regardless of changes, however, May Day will continue to be a colorful, gay pageant with dances, music, and the coronation of a Queen. For those of us who saw Ootsie, Sue and Betsy, May Day, 1947, has a special meaning and is a vivid and unforgettable impression. But the best part about May Day is that it comes every year.