Rice’s first Homecoming was held on Thanksgiving Day, 1919 but it’s obviously been a long time since that timing made sense. I started poking around to figure out when the reunion date was moved. Let me acknowledge right up front that I didn’t finish this task. I did, though, find this little piece in the 1925 Campanile about the festivities on Thanksgiving, 1924:
I included the section on the R and Quill banquet because I like the insignia but as I read it I realized that it’s actually more interesting than the reunion, which is notable only for the attendance figure (200) and the false hope surrounding Coach Heisman. I can’t recall ever hearing of the R and Quill Association: does it still exist? Also note that I’ve written about several of the people mentioned in the article: William Nathan, Sarah Lane and most surprising to me, R.T. Wilbanks, twice.
By the way, I’m taking a couple of days off for the holiday. I’ll be back Monday.
This is the first I’ve heard of the “R and Quill”. I worked at The Thresher during the 76-78 academic years.
“Petie Holloway graduated with a B.A. degree. She was a typist on the Campanile staff and was also involved with the Cranmer Club, May Fete and the “R” and Quill Association.”
http://www.riceowls.com/facilities/track-soccer-stadium.html
Here is an “R and Quill” banquet in 1947.
http://scholarship.rice.edu/bitstream/handle/1911/65841/thr19470508.pdf?sequence=1
The “R and Quill Association” was formed in February 1922, according to a front-page article in the Feb. 10, 1922 Thresher. ( http://scholarship.rice.edu/bitstream/handle/1911/65028/thr19220210.pdf?sequence=1 ). “The prime purpose of the organization is to create closer bonds between alumni and ex-student wearers of the insignia and active members of the association, which, it is thought, will tend to raise the standards of student publications.”
It sounds like students who worked on some publications could earn a “letter”, called the “R and Quill,” and possibly akin to an athletic letter. Later in the article: “An annual banquet in honor of students attaining their initial letters will be tendered by old members of the organization. …(T)he constitution provides that all students, alumni and ex-students who are entitled to wear the R and Quill, conferred by the Students’ Association of Rice Institute, are eligible for membership in the organization.”
The design of the “R and Quill” and its first recipients are shown on the front page of the May 20, 1921 Thresher (http://scholarship.rice.edu/bitstream/handle/1911/65010/thr19210520.pdf?sequence=1)
“The bill awarding the “R and Quill” to members of The Thresher and Campanile staffs who have performed meritorious, service on these two publications was passed by the council. … On the Thresher two goid, three silver and fifteen bronze letters will be awarded. On the Campaniie two gold and six silver letters will be given. … The law regarding the awarding of letters is somewhat elastic, and although requiring that the aspirant shall have served for one year, exceptions may be made, In cases where the work is of a very excellent quality and merit.”
I don’t see any “R and Quill” mentions later than the list of activities in Rice’s 1956-58 General Announcements (p. 38) (http://scholarship.rice.edu/bitstream/handle/1911/35979/riceuniversityge195658hous.pdf?sequence=1).