September 30th, 2011 by Jenny Hodge
Below is a photograph from the Frosh-Soph Brawl of 1954, the event tug of war. A previous blog post explained what the stakes were but we would love to know some of the people involved in this classic campus tradition. Who were these students? Were all freshmen and sophomores involved in the Brawl? How were teams chosen? And finally is this a photograph of the winning team? Please comment on this photograph from the University Archives, UAP-03488 as well as your own memories of campus life as a freshman.
Tags: Frosh-Soph Brawl, Homecoming, Look Familiar???
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September 27th, 2011 by Sara Gunasekara
Next up in the UC Davis Traditions series: the Tank Rush and the Frosh-Soph Brawl.
Class rivalry dates back to at least 1913 when a class “fight” took place at the swimming tank on October 3. In subsequent years, a tank rush was formalized and the freshmen and upperclassmen battled to push each other into the tank.
The tank rush evolved into the Frosh-Soph Brawl. At different times, the Brawl, which was held during the first month of classes, consisted of the following events between the freshmen and sophomores: a tug-of-war, obstacle race, jousting, a haystacking contest, and the tank rush.
If the freshmen won the Frosh-Soph Brawl, they could stop wearing the frosh dinks immediately. However, if the sophomores won the brawl, the freshmen had to wear the dinks until the Pajamarino Rally, which was held during Homecoming Weekend. The Frosh-Soph Brawl tradition survived at least until the 1960s.
Below is an image from the University Archives Photographs of the Frosh-Soph Brawl in 1958.
Frosh-Soph Brawl, 1958
Tags: Frosh dinks, Frosh-Soph Brawl, tank rush, UC Davis traditions
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September 23rd, 2011 by Jenny Hodge
How was your first week at UCD? If you’re like this new freshman you are probably being introduced to many new and fun Aggie traditions (see earlier post on freshman dinks). What we know about this photograph from the University Archives is that it was taken during orientation week in 1967. But who are the two people welcoming this freshman to campus? Is she a cheerleader or pep girl? What kind of sweater is the man in the background wearing? What other kind of activities went on during orientation week besides handing out freshman dinks? Please comment on any of these questions or on any memories you may have of your first week at UCD.
Tags: Frosh dinks, Look Familiar???
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September 22nd, 2011 by Sara Gunasekara
In celebration of the first day of classes of the Fall Quarter 2011, let’s take a trip back in time to campus 100 years ago. If you were a student at the University Farm (now UC Davis) in 1911, here’s what you would find:
110 undergraduate students
1 graduate student
A handful of buildings including:
North Hall, which was a dormitory, East Hall, the Creamery Building (which contained the one room Library) the Farm Director’s residence, the Judging Barn (now Wyatt Pavilion), a Dairy Barn, and several other barns.
The city of Davisville (as it was called then) had a population of approximately 800 people.
Below is an image from the University Archives Photographs of a Pomology class on campus from circa 1911.
I wonder what campus will look like 100 years from now in 2111?
Students in a Pomology class, circa 1911
Tags: class, pomology
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September 19th, 2011 by Sara Gunasekara
Our next installment in the UC Davis Traditions series features the frosh dinks.
Members of the freshman class, as a sign of unity, wore caps known as dinks. The dinks, which were blue with a gold button and had “Cal Aggie” lettered in gold across the front, were worn by all freshmen to classes and meetings. If the freshmen won the Frosh-Soph Brawl, which occurred during the first month of classes, they could stop wearing the dinks immediately. However, if the sophomores won the brawl, the freshmen had to wear the dinks until the Pajamarino Rally, which was held during Homecoming Weekend. This campus tradition went out of fashion in the 1960s.
Below is an image from the University Archives Photographs of students wearing the dinks.
Students wearing frosh dinks, circa 1960s
Tags: Frosh dinks, UC Davis traditions
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September 9th, 2011 by Jenny Hodge
With the end of summer session II preparation for the fall quarter begins including many events to welcome new and returning students back to campus. Here is an undated photograph capturing the Steak Bake. The Steak Bake is part of a fall Orientation program to welcome students. Can anyone tell where or when this Steak Bake was held? Can you identify any people? Any comments or memories about the Steak Bake are welcome!
Tags: Look Familiar???
Posted in Campus history, University Archives Photographs | 1 Comment »
