{"id":5878,"date":"2015-04-27T11:47:06","date_gmt":"2015-04-27T15:47:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/?p=5878"},"modified":"2022-03-23T14:34:14","modified_gmt":"2022-03-23T18:34:14","slug":"commencement-then-and-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/commencement-then-and-now\/","title":{"rendered":"Commencement Then and Now"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Graduates<\/a>
Graduates of the class of 1909. Williams Hall is in the background, the present day site of Stetson Chapel and Mandelle Hall.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Can you believe graduation is just around the corner? I couldn\u2019t; or at least I couldn\u2019t until the day last week when I watched College Archivist Lisa Murphy<\/strong> build a library display from old pictures and old traditions of previous commencements. You can see her work in the display case across from the circulation desk.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m Mallory Zink<\/strong>, a German and International Area Studies double major and a proud member of the graduating class of 2015\u2014whoo-whoo<\/em>! I still can\u2019t wrap my head around my own commencement in two months! Wasn\u2019t it only yesterday parents were moving us into Trowbridge, Hoben and Harmon; with mini-fridges, collapsible chairs, and a new \u2018college edition\u2019 bed comforter?<\/p>\n

\"1905<\/a>
Seniors (all of them) breakfast in 1905 at the home of then-professor Herbert Stetson. He was later president.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We met and made friends, joined clubs, did a mountain of homework, created memories. Later, especially after study abroad, a lot of us moved out of the dorms and split rent for our first \u2018real\u2019 houses, in the Vine Street area heavily populated with college students from K and Western. Our residences may have changed; the mountains of homework didn\u2019t. We (or maybe, mostly, I) almost never read the entire 200 pages for our 400-level course in the allotted two-day time period, not because we were (or maybe, mostly, I was) out partying (well\u2026), but instead we were applying for jobs and grad schools! (I\u2019m sticking with that story.)<\/p>\n

While I talked with Lisa as she built her display, I wondered if the graduating class of 1909 felt the same way we did freshman year? Did they share their excitement via some turn-of-the-century (the 19th to 20th!) counterpart to \u201chashtag-Kalamazoo College bound?\u201d Did a young woman with an interest in studying German feel lucky when she got the last teal shower caddy at the bookstore? Was there a bookstore? As the days until graduation dwindled, did they hear as many times as we do: \u201cWhat is your plan for next year?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Class<\/a>
During Class Day Exercises\u2014part of commencement week in the early 1930s\u2014seniors would read class histories and prophecies.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I think every senior dreads that question until she has a plan for the following year\u2026then we (or maybe, mostly, I) begin to hope, maybe even beg, that people will start asking us (me) about our plans, even strangers on the street. I hugged an innocent stranger after I finalized my plans for next year! (I\u2019ll put my major to use when I begin my master\u2019s degree at the University of Bonn in Germany…I told you I was begging to tell someone!)<\/p>\n

I like the \u2018Class Day Exercises\u201d graduates of the early 1930s did. I like the piano outdoors and the horse and buggy in the background (you can barely see them in the upper left corner). The stage is set where Anderson Athletic Center and facilities management are located today. I bet that class didn\u2019t have to hear the Amtrak train horn.<\/p>\n

In 1905 the entire senior class would breakfast at a professor\u2019s or the president\u2019s house. That seems cool, though 300-plus members of the class of 2015 wouldn\u2019t fit in Hodge House.<\/p>\n

\"1929<\/a>
Poster for the senior class play of 1929, a commencement tradition \u201cway back then.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the late 1920s a senior class play was a commencement tradition. Hmm. Maybe Festival Playhouse\u2019s production of CARRIE the musical<\/strong><\/em><\/a> will serve for our class. After all, senior prom is temporally close to graduation. In the novel the title character kind of addressed any potential overcrowding at a hypothetical commencement breakfast.<\/p>\n

It was fun to visit Lisa and check out her display, the old photos in particular\u2026so much different; so much shared.<\/p>\n

Commencement for the class of 2015 will take place on Sunday, June 14th at 1 p.m. on the campus quadrangle. I hope to see you there. I wonder what they checked out for more info in 1909.<\/p>\n

Text by Mallory Zink \u201915. Photos courtesy of Kalamazoo College Archivist Lisa Murphy \u201998.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Can you believe graduation is just around the corner? I couldn\u2019t; or at least I couldn\u2019t until the day last week when I watched College Archivist Lisa Murphy build a library display from old pictures and old traditions of previous commencements. You can see her work in the display case across from the circulation desk. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":5894,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[231],"tags":[17,64],"post_formats":[],"class_list":["post-5878","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-students","tag-campus","tag-history"],"yoast_head":"\r\nCommencement Then and Now - News and Events<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Can you believe graduation is just around the corner? 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aria-label=\"archive of category Students\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/category\/students\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Students<\/a>","tags_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/tag\/campus\/\" rel=\"tag\">campus<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/tag\/history\/\" rel=\"tag\">history<\/a>","social_share_info":"<a data-share=\"facebook\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/commencement-then-and-now\/\" class=\"pl-facebook-share social-share-default pl-social-share\" target=\"_blank\"><i class=\"fab fa-facebook-f\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a><a data-share=\"twitter\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/commencement-then-and-now\/\" class=\"pl-twiiter-share social-share-default pl-social-share\" target=\"_blank\"><i class=\"fab fa-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a><a data-share=\"linkedin\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/commencement-then-and-now\/\" class=\"pl-linkedin-share social-share-default pl-social-share\" target=\"_blank\"><i class=\"fab fa-linkedin-in\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a>","wordExcerpt_info":"<figure id=\"attachment_5880\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5880\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2015\/04\/ommenceClassOf19091.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-5880 size-full\" src=\"\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2015\/04\/ommenceClassOf19091.jpg\" alt=\"Graduates of the class of 1909\" width=\"600\" height=\"123\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5880\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Graduates of the class of 1909. Williams Hall is in the background, the present day site of Stetson Chapel and Mandelle Hall.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Can you believe graduation is just around the corner? I couldn\u2019t; or at least I couldn\u2019t until the day last week when I watched College Archivist <strong>Lisa Murphy<\/strong> build a library display from old pictures and old traditions of previous commencements. You can see her work in the display case across from the circulation desk.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m <strong>Mallory Zink<\/strong>, a German and International Area Studies double major and a proud member of the graduating class of 2015\u2014<em>whoo-whoo<\/em>! I still can\u2019t wrap my head around my own commencement in two months! Wasn\u2019t it only yesterday parents were moving us into Trowbridge, Hoben and Harmon; with mini-fridges, collapsible chairs, and a new \u2018college edition\u2019 bed comforter?<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5884\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5884\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2015\/04\/ommenceStetson.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-5884 size-full\" src=\"\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2015\/04\/ommenceStetson.jpg\" alt=\"1905 senior breakfast attendees\" width=\"400\" height=\"258\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5884\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Seniors (all of them) breakfast in 1905 at the home of then-professor Herbert Stetson. He was later president.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>We met and made friends, joined clubs, did a mountain of homework, created memories. Later, especially after study abroad, a lot of us moved out of the dorms and split rent for our first \u2018real\u2019 houses, in the Vine Street area heavily populated with college students from K and Western. Our residences may have changed; the mountains of homework didn\u2019t. We (or maybe, mostly, I) almost never read the entire 200 pages for our 400-level course in the allotted two-day time period, not because we were (or maybe, mostly, I was) out partying (well\u2026), but instead we were applying for jobs and grad schools! (I\u2019m sticking with that story.)<\/p>\n<p>While I talked with Lisa as she built her display, I wondered if the graduating class of 1909 felt the same way we did freshman year? Did they share their excitement via some turn-of-the-century (the 19th to 20th!) counterpart to \u201chashtag-Kalamazoo College bound?\u201d Did a young woman with an interest in studying German feel lucky when she got the last teal shower caddy at the bookstore? Was there a bookstore? As the days until graduation dwindled, did they hear as many times as we do: \u201cWhat is your plan for next year?\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5881\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5881\" style=\"width: 350px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2015\/04\/ommenceClassDay.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-5881 size-full\" src=\"\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2015\/04\/ommenceClassDay.jpg\" alt=\"Class Day in the early 1930s\" width=\"350\" height=\"217\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5881\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">During Class Day Exercises\u2014part of commencement week in the early 1930s\u2014seniors would read class histories and prophecies.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I think every senior dreads that question until she has a plan for the following year\u2026then we (or maybe, mostly, I) begin to hope, maybe even beg, that people will start asking us (me) about our plans, even strangers on the street. I hugged an innocent stranger after I finalized my plans for next year! (I\u2019ll put my major to use when I begin my master\u2019s degree at the University of Bonn in Germany…I told you I was begging to tell someone!)<\/p>\n<p>I like the \u2018Class Day Exercises\u201d graduates of the early 1930s did. I like the piano outdoors and the horse and buggy in the background (you can barely see them in the upper left corner). The stage is set where Anderson Athletic Center and facilities management are located today. I bet that class didn\u2019t have to hear the Amtrak train horn.<\/p>\n<p>In 1905 the entire senior class would breakfast at a professor\u2019s or the president\u2019s house. That seems cool, though 300-plus members of the class of 2015 wouldn\u2019t fit in Hodge House.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5888\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5888\" style=\"width: 275px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2015\/04\/ommencePlay2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-5888 size-full\" src=\"\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2015\/04\/ommencePlay2.jpg\" alt=\"1929 poster for the senior class play\" width=\"275\" height=\"275\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5888\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Poster for the senior class play of 1929, a commencement tradition \u201cway back then.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In the late 1920s a senior class play was a commencement tradition. Hmm. Maybe Festival Playhouse\u2019s production of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/beyond-the-blood\/\"><em><strong>CARRIE the musical<\/strong><\/em><\/a> will serve for our class. After all, senior prom is temporally close to graduation. In the novel the title character kind of addressed any potential overcrowding at a hypothetical commencement breakfast.<\/p>\n<p>It was fun to visit Lisa and check out her display, the old photos in particular\u2026so much different; so much shared.<\/p>\n<p>Commencement for the class of 2015 will take place on Sunday, June 14th at 1 p.m. on the campus quadrangle. I hope to see you there. I wonder what they checked out for more info in 1909.<\/p>\n<p><em>Text by Mallory Zink \u201915. Photos courtesy of Kalamazoo College Archivist Lisa Murphy \u201998.<\/em><\/p>\n","comment_info":"No Comments","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5878","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5878"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5878\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15216,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5878\/revisions\/15216"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5894"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5878"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5878"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5878"},{"taxonomy":"post_format","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_formats?post=5878"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}