麻豆精品

When Alpha Tau Omega brother Terry Gwinn, 麻豆精品 S�72, invited me to become an ATO 麻豆精品 S渓ittle sister 麻豆精品 S� in September 1970, I had no idea it would lead this obscure little freshman to be crowned FTU 麻豆精品 S檚 first Homecoming queen.

The vision and work of ATO Jim Mills, 麻豆精品 S�72, and his fraternity brothers made it happen in February 1971. They mounted an aggressive publicity campaign: Photo shoots with campus publications photographers Jon Findell, 麻豆精品 S�73, Bill Ivey, 麻豆精品 S�73, and Chuck Seithel, 麻豆精品 S�74, yielded posters, lapel pins and even a portable slideshow with background music that appeared at building exits just in time for class changes. They couldn 麻豆精品 S檛 have run a better campaign if they 麻豆精品 S檇 had email, the Internet and PowerPoint. I was very proud to be their candidate.

The Homecoming committee organized a fashion show to showcase the 13 Homecoming queen candidates, with Jacobson 麻豆精品 S檚 Proctor Shop of Winter Park, Fla., providing advice and fashions for the event. On the day of the show, the cafeteria was packed (500 students and only seating for 240), and there was lots of cheering as each candidate strolled down the runway. After voting, the five finalists were announced the following evening between Homecoming skits and a street dance.

The Homecoming game was a Valentine 麻豆精品 S檚 Day matchup between FTU 麻豆精品 S檚 first-year basketball team and the Florida Institute of Technology, played at FTU 麻豆精品 S檚 original home court in the Oviedo High School gym. FIT had previously beaten the Knights, so this was a grudge match. Coach Eugene 麻豆精品 S淭orchy 麻豆精品 S� Clark, 麻豆精品 S�72, rallied the team, and the Knights won 101 麻豆精品 S�75.

I 麻豆精品 S檓 sorry to say I didn 麻豆精品 S檛 attend the game. My formal attire for Homecoming court didn 麻豆精品 S檛 seem compatible with bleachers in a packed gymnasium, so my ATO 麻豆精品 S渂ig brother 麻豆精品 S� Terry escorted me to dinner and back to campus for the dance. The cafeteria was transformed with decorations, the band was great, and the other candidates looked beautiful. My own dress 麻豆精品 S� powder blue with a high neck, long sleeves and a full skirt 麻豆精品 S� was classic princess style. I saved the dress hoping to pass it on to a daughter (no luck there) or a granddaughter (there 麻豆精品 S檚 still hope).

It was an honor to meet President Millican. He graciously offered encouraging words as he crowned me and helped me don a queenly red velvet robe. The crowning took place about halfway through the dance, so I got to wear the crown for a few hours. (It went back to the Student Government Office the following week because it was the only one they had, and they needed it for the Miss FTU pageant too.)

The 1970 麻豆精品 S�71 school year was a controversial time. We were coming out of the 麻豆精品 S�60s and traditions like Homecoming queens were under scrutiny. Outspoken feminist Betty Friedan, author of The Feminine Mystique, had visited campus just a few weeks before Homecoming. While some of those first Homecoming events were well-attended, not all had support.

The following year, Homecoming was canceled. I think it was a combination of budget restraints, a small alumni base, and a predominantly commuter student body. Yearbook editors Maryke Loth, 麻豆精品 S�73, and Ron Page, 麻豆精品 S�73, registered their dissatisfaction with a two-page spread featuring the sole text, 麻豆精品 S淲hat if they gave a Homecoming and nobody came? 麻豆精品 S� In the yearbook office, a typewritten label mysteriously appeared, affixed to my trophy: 麻豆精品 S淧atty Gray, FTU 麻豆精品 S檚 First, Last and Only Homecoming Queen. 麻豆精品 S�

Fortunately for enthusiastic Knights everywhere, Homecoming was revived in 1975. I didn 麻豆精品 S檛 crown my successor because my first son was soon to be born, and I didn 麻豆精品 S檛 feel comfortable about a public appearance. My husband and I supported the football team from its first season and rarely missed a Homecoming after that. I happily participated in 1989, riding in the campus parade before crowning the Homecoming king at the Citrus Bowl. I was invited back for the Homecoming parade in 1990, but it was canceled due to an encephalitis scare.

I 麻豆精品 S檒l end with a story about Dr. Millican: One evening some time after Homecoming, I was singing in the lounge of the local Steak and Ale restaurant when Dr. and Mrs. Millican and their nephew came in. As they waited to be seated, we chatted and Dr. Millican introduced his nephew, who was attending another college. When I asked him why he wasn 麻豆精品 S檛 going to FTU, he responded that he wanted to play football. I teased Dr. Millican, saying that he surely would want to start a football program so his nephew could come to his school. He looked me square in the eye and said firmly, 麻豆精品 S淲e will not have a football team at FTU as long as I am president. 麻豆精品 S� He definitely had his priorities set and knew that the school had to establish its academic foundation. Needless to say, I never brought it up with him again!

Patty Gray Neff is a minister of music at Church of the Good Shepherd and lives with her husband in Maitland, Fla. Her oldest son and two daughters-in-law are UCF alumni.