2008

a 11\.etnrb

Wednesday, January 16,2008

EC's homecoming past and present

E ast Central Junior College was estab· lished in 1928, but it is tmcertain when the first homecoming was held. It is known that at the 1939·1940 homecom· ing, Frances Thomas Williams of Philadelphia was the homecoming queen. Since that year, a homecoming queen has been elected each year with the exception of a four-year period during World War II. Homecom– ing queens were not pic– tured in the yearbook until1949 when Miss Ramona Mitchell was elected. During the early years, the homecoming queen was not elected by the stu– dent body. She was chosen by the members of the football team, and she was escorted during half· time ceremonies by the captain of the team. The first homecoming queens were called "sponsors," and the number elected could range from one to three. Being selected as

court were wearing tuxe– does and evening gowns. Homecoming queens like Camelia Harvey Noblin, Carolyn Marshall McCraney, and Patsy Dunigan Clark wore beautiful dresses. Satin, tulle, sequins, and lace were the order of the day. For a number of years, the homecoming court was presented twice. Dur– ing the alumni banquet which was held at 5p.m., the court was presented as a part of the program. This provided the oppor– tunity for those attending the banquet to see the court up close. Presenting the court at the banquet was discontinued because of the length of the pro– gram. Fifty years ago, those attending the alumni ban· quet numbered 30 or 40 people. Today, the banquet (now a luncheon) is so well attended that all rooms adjacent to the cafeteria are opened in order to accommodate the overflow crowd.

the area who wanted to show· case

THE SECOND nME AROUND

their cars.

The

eight automo– biles lined up on the street

Ovid Vickers behind the old gymna- sium and entered the south end of the football field which, at that time, was located where the Voca– tional-Technical complex sits today. Each car had an assigned driver, and the escort rode in the front seat with the driver while the queen and members of her court sat on pil– lows above the car's back seat. When the car had circled the field, it stopped at midfield and the escorts stepped out

APPEARED IN:

CARTHAGINIAN ---------------- SCOTT COUNTY TIMES-- ---- UNION APPEAL------ -– WINSTON COUNTY JOURNAL --- ----- SPIRIT OF MORTON ----------------- OTHER -----------------------

NESHOBA DEMOCRAT____ N8NTONRECORDJ~' ------ MERIDIAN STAR______ CLARION-LEDGER _ _____ iMPACT _____________