I’ve been going crazy over academic processions today! It’s totally out of control. When you go back and look closely at exactly where they are going and when, it seems like a mad kaleidoscope of marching.

Well, sort of. You know what I mean.

Here’s something surprising from the first commencement in 1916–they’re headed down the right side of the quad! Complete maniacs, obviously.

The academic procession seems to have proceeded in two distinct sections in 1917. Here’s section 1, made up of faculty, trustees and distinguished guests:

But here’s section 2, the students. Where are they going?? (All I can think of is the marching band in the blind alley in Animal House.)

One more for today (although there is more to come!)–this is the only picture I found that shows the beginning of a procession at the Mech Lab. It isn’t commencement, though. It’s the 1919 Thanksgiving Day Reunion.

That's the Chemistry Annex to the left of the Mech Lab. It became the Engineering Annex when the Chemistry Building opened.

Bonus: My begging for Rice artifacts is beginning to pay real dividends. In addition to the toilet seat, I’ve got some really good leads on some beanies and I got at least some photos of other great stuff. I found this email, describing a single cowboy boot, especially pleasant:

Attached is a quick snapshot of a Rice University boot Rocky Carroll made for George H. W. Bush back in 1994. I believe Zen Camacho had a similar pair made. I only have one boot. One of my roommates from Jones College has the other one.

You can’t beat that.