The campus air is crackling with the energy of homecoming week the way bonfires used to crackle on campus at this time of year.
Once again, itÕs time for that fall tradition that gives us all an excuse to party in the name of school spirit, despite our busy schedules. And if we look back through the years, we find that students and alumni alike have avidly celebrated homecoming since the UniversityÕs humble beginnings.
The history of homecoming at the University is rich and storied, and few people in town know that history better than Keith Richard, former archivist for the University Alumni Association, now retired.
ÒThe first homecoming wasnÕt so big,Ó Richard said. ÒThe first graduating class, which consisted of five people, came back to watch the 1879 commencement, and that was about it.Ó
The celebration has obviously grown since 1878. The major contributor to this growth appeared around 1912, when football began to take center stage at the festivities.
Homecoming celebrations started getting big in the 1920s. Specially arranged trains brought people from Portland and other nearby towns down to Eugene for an alumni luncheon and the football game.
ÒIt was like a big parade from the railroad station to the luncheon to the game,Ó Richard said.
In the 1930s, students began organizing concerts for the celebration each year, usually after the game. They would get some of the most popular musicians of the day, such as Ella Fitzgerald and the Supremes.
ÒNowadays, big-time names like that are too expensive to hire,Ó Richard said. However, the late-night student tradition lives on through dances at the EMU Ballroom each year. Some homecoming traditions are no longer around because theyÕve been outlawed, such as the bonfire, which was an annual favorite among students. The biggest one ever, according to Richard, was in 1915 out in front of what is now the Knight Library.
ÒIt was four stories high,Ó Richard said. ÒIt burned for three nights and two days.Ó City ordinance now prohibits such blazes, but the tradition was cleverly reincarnated in the 1970s in the form of a Òwiener roast.Ó
Another pastime that might get one arrested nowadays is the Ònoise parade.Ó On the night before the big game, members of campus fraternities would march around the campus area competing for the title of noisiest group.
Enthusiasm for homecoming died off in the late 1960s as students began to challenge such traditions in the name of change, but the celebration was revived in the mid-1970s.
There used to be a homecoming queen election, but that also died off in the 1960s after a Saint Bernard won the honors.
One thing that hasnÕt changed is the excitement that the football game, the weekendÕs main course, brings to the festivities. This weekendÕs game against Arizona happens to be a big one, and University senior Joshua Crockett, a self-proclaimed die-hard Ducks fan, knows it.
ÒThis game is big, and itÕs going to be loud,Ó Crockett said. ÒThe fact that itÕs homecoming is going to make it even louder.Ó
The creation of homecoming weekend was largely the work of the Alumni Association.
ÒIts origin is very alumni-based,Ó Richard said. Since then, students have come to play a key role in the planning and coordination of the activities.
This yearÕs celebration is sure to have something for everyone who wants to be a part of the festivities. Paul Steiber, Assistant Director of Communications and Marketing for the Alumni Association, predicts a huge turnout at this weekendÕs celebration.
ÒThis year itÕs a combination of homecoming and family week, so weÕll have alumni, students and families all converging on campus at once,Ó Steiber said.Remember, no bonfires in front of the library.