Cast your mind back to the balmy days of 2011. Almost exactly five years ago (!) I came across some correspondence between a couple members of the earliest graduating classes about designing a special monogram for the “Frontier Five” classes to wear at Homecoming and other events.
I had pretty good reason to believe that this was actually carried out but in all this time I’ve never been able to find one. A couple of weeks ago, though, our Super Intern Camille, who was working on a display about the first graduating class and their campus experience, came to me with these:
Our hearts all skipped a beat, of course, as we contemplated whether they were the elusive badges.
Close, I think, but not quite. I believe that they were worn by the early classes at the 50th anniversary Homecoming in 1962, three years before the Bulbrook correspondence. Here, in fact, is a photograph of Harry Bulbrook himself wearing one on that occasion. He looks like a lot of fun, doesn’t he?
And here’s the Frontier Five group at Homecoming in 1968. Although it’s hard to see they do indeed seem to be wearing a different kind of badge:
Perhaps perversely, I’m rather glad that the mystery remains unsolved.
Bonus: Camille’s display is now up! It’s in the cases on the third floor of the library by the Kyle Morrow Room. Go see it if you have a chance. She worked hard on it and it is good.
Nice table. Like the “flake” in the oak.
It’s actually a stool I filched from the basement of the Physics Building. It’s the best background I have for pictures.
http://ricehistorycorner.com/2011/05/09/the-old-physics-building-is-nearly-empty/
Showing the “flake” in oak was prominent in the arts and crafts movement. So that probably dates the stool. Anything on the underneath to ID it?
That’s a good question. I’ll look tomorrow. I’m pretty sure they were original equipment.