Back in the Day

May Pole on May Day in 1914
Celebrants wind a May Pole in front of Marsh Hall on the first May Day, May 16, 1914.

April showers may still bring May flowers, but one long-time tradition at Pacific has faded into the past. May Day, once one of the biggest campus events, began in May 1914, just before the outbreak of World War I. Lura Tamiesie, a junior, was crowned that year as the May Queen, and led a royal procession from Carnegie Hall to the west side of Marsh Hall. After more than 50 years of dancing, music and maypoles, the last queen, Karen Sato ’66, was crowned in 1967.


This story first appeared in the Spring 2011 issue of Pacific magazine. For more stories, visit pacificu.edu/magazine.

Saturday, April 30, 2011