100th Anniversary of Homecoming

By: Anne S.K. Turkos

November 24th, 2023, is the 100^th anniversary of the first official Homecoming at the University of Maryland. The M Club, comprised of male alumni who had won the “M” for their achievements in football, baseball, track, lacrosse, basketball, and tennis, organized the day-long celebration. The club’s organizing committee chose November 24 because that was the earliest date on which the new gymnasium, located on the site of the current Annapolis Hall, was to be ready for use.

The day began with a football game at 10:30 AM between the Maryland freshman team and a team of second-stringers from Technical High School in Washington, DC. Halftime festivities featured the annual freshman-sophomore push-ball contest.

A luncheon for alumni followed at noontime, and students and alumni gathered an hour later for a pep rally to prepare for the varsity football game against Catholic University that afternoon and for the game versus arch-rival Johns Hopkins six days later. Attendees at the rally then proceeded with the marching band to the new football stadium, located where Fraternity Row now stands, and swelled the crowd to 3,000 fans who watched the Old Liners (we were yet to be named Terps) resoundingly defeat Catholic 40-6. 

Members of the 1923 football team.

The Diamondback, November 27, 1923.

At halftime, R.H. Ruffner, Maryland Agricultural College (MAC) Class of 1908, head of the animal husbandry department at North Carolina State College, led the ceremonies dedicating the new stadium in honor of Harry Clifton Byrd, also MAC Class of 1908, former athletic director, and current assistant to Maryland president Albert F. Woods.

Old Byrd Stadium, dedicated November 24, 1923. Replaced by facility now known as SECU Stadium in 1950.

After the glorious gridiron victory, the members of the M Club met to select their first set of officers and to have dinner together before the final event of the day, a dance in the new gymnasium which was open to all alumni, faculty, and students. Dance tickets cost $1.50 per couple, and the Diamondback described the event as “one of the best dances ever given at the University.” A more complete account of the day’s activities may be found in the November 27th issue of the Diamondback, here.

In the ensuing years, Homecoming celebrations have featured a variety of activities beyond the customary football game, including parades of decorated floats, comedy and step shows, concerts, and huge tailgate parties. It’s always an event to look forward to, and we thank the M Club for kicking things off 100 years ago!

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Sources Used:

1. Papers of Geary Eppley, Series II, Box 6, folder: M Club, 1929-1947
2. Student Newspapers database: https://digital.lib.umd.edu/student-newspapers

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Anne S.K. Turkos is the University Archivist Emerita for the University of Maryland. She has been a part of the staff of the UMD Libraries’ Special Collections and University Archives since January 1985. Before retirement in July 2017, she worked with campus departments and units, student groups, and alumni to transfer, preserve, and make available permanent university records. She continues to support the Archives through her work on special projects and fundraising. Follow Anne on Twitter at @AnneTurkos.

100 Years of Athletes Helping Athletes

By: Anne S.K. Turkos

On this day in 1923, as part of the Re-union Day festivities, former University of Maryland athletes gathered to create something very special for their alma mater—the M Club. The group selected Harry Clifton Byrd, Geary F. Eppley, H. Burton Shipley, William G. Morris, George F. Pollock, William B. Kemp, and Burton A. Ford as the Founding Committee, and these seven men immediately set to work to create an enduring network of support for University of Maryland athletics and former athletes.

In Eppley’s Alumni Column in the Diamondback two days earlier, he noted that,

“Practically every institution has an organization composed of men who have won their letters in athletics and these organizations play an important part in the further development of new athletics. An “M” Club at Maryland will do a great good for the University.”

And the M Club has done so throughout its 100-year history.

The group held its first major event a little over five months later, on November 24, 1923, a day filled with a whirlwind of activities that is now recognized as the university’s first Homecoming. Highlights of the day included the dedication of the new football stadium, located where Fraternity Row now stands, a “pep” meeting to create more spirit for the afternoon’s football game against Catholic University, and a dance in Annapolis Hall, the new gymnasium that was erected on the site of the current Annapolis Hall.

This day also saw the first official meeting of the M Club, where the charter members adopted their constitution and bylaws, elected officers, and presented gold M insignias to each club member.

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^{Geary Eppley’s copy of the original M Club Constitution and Bylaws. Source: Papers of Geary Eppley, Series II, Box 6, folder: M Club, 1929-1947}

As noted in Article II of the constitution, the original object of the M Club is to:

“[M]aintain the highest ideal of amateur sport in the University of Maryland; to promote the development of physical education; to encourage the standardization of the rules of all athletic games,; to urge competition and participation of all students in athletics.

Furthermore, it stands for a high sense of honor, fair-play and courtesy, on the part of the participants and hosts to guests, officials and spectators. It stoops to no petty technicalities to avoid the rules, or to take unfair advantage of opponents.

It recognizes the marked influence of athletics in developing organic vigor, physical fitness, intellectual efficiency, moral qualities and social habits; also the need of wise organizations and supervision of athletics and cooperation in making these efficient.”

Full membership was initially open to male athletes only, although female athletes, of whom there were only a handful at this time, could become associate members. This provision in the constitution was eliminated in 1925, and the women founded their own M Club on May 26, 1926.

^{Girls M Club—Source: 1927 Reveille yearbook, p. 137}

This organization appears to have ceased to function by the later 1930s, and women are now eligible for full membership in the M Club. Margaret Guy Schmidt, Class of 1958, was the first female athlete at the University of Maryland to earn an “M” and to join the previously all-male M Club. Miss Schmidt was recognized for her accomplishments on the rifle team. 

Among its many tasks in the early days of the club was the maintenance of student decorum at games. The Diamondback of October 30, 1923, noted that,

“Last week, the M Club had its first chance to do its prescribed duty according to the proposed constitution. At the V.P.I. game the cheering of our student body was marred somewhat by thoughtlessness on the part of a few. There was unfavorable comment. The committee sent a representative to speak to the students and as true Maryland men, which they are, they accepted the suggestion with the result that the cheering section was above reproach and are to be congratulated on their good work last Saturday. It added more glory to our victory over North Carolina.”

Hard to imagine that happening these days, but times were different then….

The M Club got off to a fast start, and by the time of its third annual meeting in October 1925, President Burton Ford was able to report that there were 140 dues-paying members and that 250 more former UMD athletes eligible for membership had been located. Now, 100 years after its founding, the club has nearly 1000 active members and a staff of two who collaborate with the M Club Board, which includes representatives from each of the Terrapins’ teams.

Throughout its history, the M Club has a stellar record of achievements, including:

• Providing scholarships to outstanding student-athletes
• Donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to support athletic facilities for UMD and student-athlete academic achievement
• Awarding letter sweaters or jackets to athletes who are completing their eligibility

^{Example of an M awarded to varsity letterwinners, c. 1930s. Memorabilia #1883, from the Cobey Family Collection. // Group of letterwinners in their new jackets, fall 2022. Courtesy of the M Club.}

• Maintaining a network of former Terrapin athletes to facilitate alumni engagement and help mentor current students
• Partnering with the university’s Department of Intercollegiate Athletics to establish an Athletic Hall of Fame and conducting the annual/biennial induction ceremonies for honorees
• Enhancing the university’s reach and reputation with the induction of such honorary members as former U.S. President Gerald S. Ford, former Supreme Court Justice Byron White, broadcasters Vince Bagli, Walter Cronkite and Howard K. Smith, and former Maryland Governors William Donald Schaefer, Robert Ehrlich, and Marvin Mandel
• Sponsoring promotional events for the university, including a basketball game between the Harlem Globetrotters and a college all-star team and concerts by Elvis Presley in Cole Field House (now Jones-Hill House)
• Organizing the annual Letterwinners Day each fall and promoting linkages between current teams and their alumni

The University of Maryland’s M Club is recognized as the fourth oldest letterwinners organization in the United States, and all Terrapins, not just those who have represented UMD in athletic competition can be justly proud of all that this very loyal and active group of supporters has accomplished in its first century of existence! Happy 100^th birthday, M Club, and best wishes for many, many more years of success!

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Sources Used:

1. Papers of Geary Eppley, Series II, Box 6, folder: M Club, 1929-1947
2. Student Newspapers database: https://digital.lib.umd.edu/student-newspapers
3. University Publications Collection, M Club, call number: UPUB M1. Includes banquet and other event programs, member directories, newsletters, bylaws, invitations, tickets to events, and brochures.
4. M Club 100 Years email from former M Club executive director David Diehl, November 30, 2022

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Anne S.K. Turkos is the University Archivist Emerita for the University of Maryland and a proud honorary member of the M Club. She has been a part of the staff of the UMD Libraries’ Special Collections and University Archives since January 1985. Before retirement in July 2017, she worked with campus departments and units, student groups, and alumni to transfer, preserve, and make available permanent university records. She continues to support the Archives through her work on special projects and fundraising. Follow Anne on Twitter at @AnneTurkos.

HAPPY 90th BIRTHDAY, TESTUDO!

By: Anne S.K. Turkos

Today, June 2, marks the 90th anniversary of the dedication of the original statue of Testudo, which originally stood in front of Ritchie Coliseum.

Testudo, a live diamondback terrapin, reveals the statue of its likeness during the dedication ceremony. Senior class president Ralph Williams shakes hands with university president Raymond Pearson. At left is assistant to the president Harry Clifton Byrd.

The ceremony was the highlight of Class Day for the 268 members of the Class of 1933, who had gathered enough funds for the sculpture by holding their prom on campus, rather than in a fancy hotel in downtown Washington, contributing their profits from the 1932 Reveille yearbook, cancelling the publication of the Old Line magazine, and collecting other donations. Senior class president Ralph Williams then took a live terrapin overnight on the train to Providence, Rhode Island, to be captured in bronze by sculptor Aristide Cianfarani and the Gorham Manufacturing Co., which cast the statue. Upon its return to campus, that same terrapin helped unveil the statue. Following its demise, this terrapin was taxidermied and mounted on a board and today holds a place of honor in a custom-designed display case in the University of Maryland Archives.

Although not a light-weight at 300 pounds, the original statue was subject to capture by students from rival schools, usually before major athletic contests.  One of the most memorable such incidents occurred before the Maryland vs. Johns Hopkins national lacrosse championship game in 1947. A group of Hopkins students kidnapped Testudo and carted him off to Baltimore, where they buried him for safekeeping. They then prepared their Alumni Memorial Residence for battle by stringing barbed wire and laying in a supply of fire hoses and soap chips. When the contingent of approximately 250 University of Maryland rescuers arrived at 2 a.m. on the morning of the game, they were soaked by the fire hoses, and those Terps that succeeded in entering the dormitory slid all over the soap-slicked floors. Over 200 Baltimore policemen
fought for almost two hours to control the chaos, in the process arresting eleven students, three from Hopkins and eight from Maryland, for disorderly conduct. Hopkins dean G. Wilson Shaffer finally put an end to the battle by ordering the excavation and return of Testudo before the opening face-off of the big game. The Hopkins students complied, but painted a large, blue “H” on him before his trip home. Some of the Maryland students later shaved the heads of the Hopkins offenders as punishment.

To avoid a repeat of such incidents, campus officials later filled Testudo with cement and steel rods, bringing his total weight to approximately 1,000 pounds, and permanently attached him to his base. They also decided to move Testudo to a more secure location, and, after several shifts, positioned him in front of McKeldin Library in 1965, where he remains to this day.

The tradition of rubbing his nose for good luck has given Testudo quite a sheen since 1933! More recently, beginning in the early 1990s, students have begun to leave Testudo offerings of any imaginable kind–food, cigarettes, soda, beer, poems, computer discs, candy, flowers, coins–at final exam time.

Testudo statue in front of McKeldin Library surrounded by gift offerings placed there by students for good luck, a University of Maryland tradition, circa 1998.

University of Maryland student Marc Morgan rubs the nose of Testudo’s statue in front of McKeldin Library for good luck, April 14, 1994.

So strong is his power that five exact copies of the original statue have been installed on campus: outside the Xfinity Center, inside the Stamp Student Union, one on either side of the Gossett Football Team House, and outside the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center–to spread his magic.  An additional Testudo, which is not an exact replica of the original, was installed in the courtyard of Van Munching Hall in April 2018. Thank you to the Class of 1933 for creating such a powerful symbol of the University of Maryland spirit 90 years ago!

And long live Testudo!

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Anne S.K. Turkos is the University Archivist Emerita for the University of Maryland. She has been a part of the staff of the UMD Libraries’ Special Collections and University Archives since January 1985. Before retirement in July 2017, she worked with campus departments and units, student groups, and alumni to transfer, preserve, and make available permanent university records. She continues to support the Archives through her work on special projects and fundraising. Follow Anne on Twitter at @AnneTurkos.

Turtle Bookmark Palooza!

By: Anne S.K. Turkos

On April 29, 2023, the University of Maryland will be celebrating the 25^th anniversary of Maryland Day, a campus-wide open house full of fun and learning for the whole family. Maryland Day is the brainchild of former UMD president Dan Mote, who created a similar event while vice chancellor at University of California, Berkeley. On that first Maryland Day, Mote promised the crowd assembled on McKeldin Mall for his presidential welcome that “We’ll make this one of the biggest rituals in the history of the university,”¹ and so it has come to pass. Often more than 75,000 visitors flock to the university to enjoy hundreds of events across campus on Maryland Day, and the UMD Libraries are active participants each year.

This year the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library will be showcasing their exhibit Edward MacDowell: An American Composer’s Legacy and hosting a poster/printmaking workshop in the piano room there at the library in the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.

Visitors to the Libraries’ Special Collections and University Archives in Hornbake Library can enjoy:

• Book Petting Zoo to learn about books and book-making throughout history and handle specially selected items
• University Trivia
• Self-guided or curator-led exhibition tours of Get Out the Vote: Suffrage and Disenfranchisement in America
• Filipino-American community archive, hosted by community organizer Rita Cacas
• Katherine Anne Porter Room Open House
• Tour of Hornbake Digitization Center
• Take a Terrapin Home

This last activity is where the Turtle Bookmark Palooza part comes in! Over the years, I have made thousands upon thousands of crocheted turtle bookmarks in a rainbow of colors. My annual goal was 1,000, but I usually ended up with 700 to 800. Well, when the pandemic hit and shut down Maryland Day 2020, Maryland Day 2021 was virtual only, and bookmark bins did not emerge for Maryland Day 2022, so the bookmarks started piling up, since I didn’t stop crocheting them…why would I stop? I love making and giving them away, so I wanted to see if I could hit my 1,000 goal for 2023. Lo and behold, when I counted what I had on hand earlier this year, I had 1,786, so I thought to myself, why not make 70 more and end up with 1,856 to match the founding year of the university. Piece of cake!

Anne Turkos, former University Archivist, University Archivist emerita, with 1856 crocheted bookmarks she created to gift on Maryland Day 2023 at Hornbake Library.

Anne Turkos, former University Archivist, University Archivist emerita, with 1856 crocheted bookmarks she created to gift on Maryland Day 2023 at Hornbake Library.

So stop by Hornbake Library on Maryland Day and check out all the fun things to see and do, and pick up your very own terrapin to take home! You will then be part of a record-breaking Turtle Bookmark Palooza! Very doubtful that I will ever have that many in one place at one time again, but I haven’t stopped making them…already started for Maryland Day 2024!

Know how to crochet or are just beginning? You, too, can make the bookmarks. Patterns are available for beginner and advanced crocheters– find them below.

Enjoy and Happy Maryland Day!

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Works Cited

1. “Events: Activities, venues showcase campus life,” Diamondback, April 26, 1999, p. 2.

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Anne S.K. Turkos is the University Archivist Emerita for the University of Maryland. She has been a part of the staff of the UMD Libraries’ Special Collections and University Archives since January 1985. Before retirement in July 2017, she worked with campus departments and units, student groups, and alumni to transfer, preserve, and make available permanent university records. She continues to support the Archives through her work on special projects and fundraising. Follow Anne on Twitter at @AnneTurkos.

Celebrating a Pioneer

Elizabeth Hook, second row, center

Today we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the graduation of Elizabeth Gambrill Hook, the first woman to take all of her classes on campus and receive a four-year degree from the University of Maryland. Two women, Charlotte Vaux and Grace Bruce Holmes, had graduated earlier, Vaux with a two-year degree in agriculture in 1918 and Holmes finishing her four-year, bachelor of science degree in 1919 after transferring to UMD, but Hook deserves special recognition.

Elizabeth Hook matriculated at the Maryland State College of Agriculture, as the University of Maryland was then known, on September 14, 1916, indicating that she planned to pursue a career in “experimental work.” You can find more information about her undergraduate days and her career following graduation in a recent Terrapin Tales.

Upon her graduation on June 16, 1920, with a degree in entomology, she became a teacher. She married Franklin Day, who later became the superintendent of schools for Kent County, Maryland, in August 1921, and was very active in St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Centreville.

When Elizabeth Hook Day passed away in 1950 at the age of 54, Dean of Women Adele Stamp prepared a brief obituary for the alumni magazine, recognizing her pioneering role at UMD. She included a quotation from the citation the co-eds presented to Mrs. Day at the 1937 May Day celebration when they honored her contribution to women’s education at Maryland:

“To Elizabeth Hook Day, the first woman graduate to enter the University from high school, and to spend four years on our campus we present this orchid, with grateful appreciation for opening the way for education of women. By her courage, friendliness, dignity, and ability she cleared the path for other women to follow. To her we pay honor and esteem, and time can never erase from our grateful memories the contribution she has made.”

#Terps100: This Day in History: October 15, 1971

October 15, 1971, was a landmark day in basketball history, not only for the University of Maryland but also for colleges and universities across the country. Practice for the 1971-72 season officially began at the stroke of midnight on October 14, and three minutes later, UMD head coach Charles “Lefty” Driesell had his team out in Byrd Stadium to run a mile around the stadium’s track.

Lit by the headlights of a few cars and under the watchful eyes of a small group of fans, future Maryland stars Tom McMillen, Len Elmore, and John Lucas and their teammates took off around the track, trying to beat the clock by running 1.5 miles in under 10 minutes.

Coach Driesell, wearing a cowboy hat and smoking a big cigar, cheered the players on and watched their times carefully.  Asked about the consequences a player would face if he did not complete the distance in the required time, Driesell answered “If they don’t, they run it each day until they do [but] during the day. I ain’t getting up this early again.”

This initial midnight run has since evolved into a nation-wide celebration of the first official day of basketball practice, known today as “Midnight Madness.”  Many of these events are now regularly televised, including the Terps’, though few are held at the witching hour.  The annual fall event usually features dramatic player introductions, a scrimmage, and a slam dunk contest.  In recent years, women’s teams have also begun to participate, sharing equal billing with their male counterparts.  Hard to believe that this ‘hoopla’ began with a chilly time trial in the middle of an October night 47 years ago.

The “Midnight Mile” returns this year the night of October 15, as the 2018-19 Terps join students at the Kehoe Track and Field Complex for a midnight run of their own. More details about this event can be found here. Come on out and help them mark this special day in UMD Men’s Basketball history!

This is the first in a series of blog posts the University Archives will be featuring as part of the commemoration of the 100^th season of Maryland men’s basketball with our colleagues in Intercollegiate Athletics. Visit the #Terps100 website for more information about and to participate in the celebration.

Follow Terrapin Tales throughout the season for additional features on landmark days in Maryland men’s basketball history. Next in line is Sunday, December 2, when we mark the 63^rd anniversary of the first game in Cole Field House.

 

 

Happy Birthday, Testudo!

A star was born 85 years ago today, June 2, 1933! As part of Class Day festivities celebrating the graduation of the Class of 1933, our beloved “real Testudo” completed her final task and unveiled the original bronze statue created in her likeness that stood in front of Ritchie Coliseum. But what led up to all this hoopla?

Athletic teams at the Maryland Agricultural College/ University of Maryland had had various nicknames over the years–the Farmers, Aggies, Old Liners, even the Ravens at one point–but the university had never had a mascot. Members of the Class of 1933 decided they wanted to correct this and worked with then-Vice President Harry Clifton Byrd to choose the appropriate animal and create the first bronze representation. While the students diligently gathered the necessary funds, Byrd wrote the owner of the Holland Sea Food Company in Crisfield, MD, his hometown, asking him to send

one big Diamondback Terrapin of Maryland variety, and not one of those that come from North Carolina. I want it to use as a model for a sculpture

When this beautiful creature arrived in College Park, SGA President Ralph Williams took her off on a train trip to Providence, RI, to meet up with sculptor Aristide Cianfarani for multiple modeling sessions.  The Gorham Manufacturing Company, led at the time by former UMD quarterback Edmund Mayo, created the statue and dispatched it to College Park, where our plucky terrapin participated in the unveiling.

The original statue stood in front of Ritchie Coliseum, but, at 300-400 pounds in weight, was subject to frequent turtle-napping by rival schools. When university officials tired of tracking down the missing bronze and arranging for its return, they filled Testudo with cement and steel rods, bringing its total weight to approximately 1,000 pounds, and permanently attached the piece to its base. They also decided to move Testudo to a more secure location, and, after several shifts, positioned the statue in front of McKeldin Library in 1965, where it remains to this day.

The popularity of this university symbol has led to the creation of additional replicas, located across the campus. You can find Testudo near the information desk in the Stamp, at two different spots in Maryland Stadium, at the top of the south stairs at Xfinity, on a brick pathway at the Riggs Alumni Center, and now in the Robert L. and Gertrude M. Edwards Courtyard at Van Munching Hall.

So when you pass one of the statues today, give Testudo’s nose a vigorous rub for good luck and wish our beloved mascot “Happy Birthday!”

 

 

Fire! Fire!

Today marks the 105th anniversary of the Great Fire of 1912, which destroyed the two largest buildings on campus at that time, the Barracks and the Administration Building. The story is a familiar one to Terrapin Tales readers, since we have blogged about this event before. You can find a good overview of this landmark event in UMD history on TT at: https://umdarchives.wordpress.com/2016/11/29/fire-fire-m-a-c-in-flames/.

We mark this important anniversary with the debut of the re-designed website about the fire, available at: lib.umd.edu/fire. This site contains photographs of the conflagration in progress and its aftermath, personal accounts from students, coverage of events in the local press, and images of the Barracks’ cornerstone and its contents.

We hope you enjoy this new resource!

 

60th Anniversary of the Royal Visit to College Park!

By: Alan Wierdak

Sixty years ago today, Queen Elizabeth II visited the University of Maryland to attend her first and only college football game on October 19, 1957, between the Maryland Terrapins and the North Carolina Tar Heels! While touring Canada and the United States, the Queen wanted to see a typical American sport, and with College Park’s close proximity to Washington, DC, University President Elkins notified Governor McKeldin, who wrote Sir Harold Caccia, Ambassador of Great Britain, inviting Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip to attend a football game at the University of Maryland!

Letter from President Elkins urging Governor McKeldin to invite Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip to the football game.

Letter from Governor McKeldin to Sir Harold Caccia, the Ambassador of Great Britain, inviting Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip to the football game.

How did the university prepare for the Queen? How did students view the Queen’s visit to campus? How did students view the university at the time of the Royal Visit?

In preparation of the Queen’s game, university carpenters constructed a special box for the Queen and her party to view the game, while the University of Maryland’s “Black & Gold” band also took over the ROTC drill field to begin preparing for a “typical” half-time show. “They are making room for almost 140 extra press photographers, and newspapers all over the country will carry pictures of her here at Maryland,” said SGA President Howard Miller ahead of the game, suggesting that the Queen’s visit would bring additional publicity and prestige to the university. Additionally, Miller recalled that the SGA met with the State Department ahead of the game to discuss where the Queen should sit. The SGA suggested that she sit on the North Carolina side so she could watch the Card section at half-time and because alcohol consumption at Maryland football games was considered “a major sport in the 1950s.”

The issue of the Diamondback before the royal visit was predominantly dedicated to the Queen’s visit. On behalf of the student body, faculty, and administration, the Diamondback extended a “most enthusiastic welcome,” to the Queen and royal party, seeing the Queen’s visit as an opportunity to “strengthen the good will existing between the United States and Great Britain,” trusting that the Queen will find as much entertainment and excitement during her stay as the university will. Speaking for “just about everybody” on campus, the Queen’s visit was highly anticipated, something the university was collectively very proud of. Anticipating the game, SGA President Howard Miller felt the Queen’s visit was “the greatest thrill of my life,” President Elkins thought the Queen’s visit “created more interest in any college or university than anything I have ever seen in my lifetime,” adding that the University is “delighted” to host the Queen. When addressing the possibility of any “unfortunate events” occurring during the Queen’s visit, President Elkins warned students: “If there is any question, one ought not to do it!”

How were students supposed to behave? If encountering the Queen and Prince Philip, were there specific codes of conduct to follow? The State Department suggested how to behave if students should be presented before the Queen. For students, “how do you do?” was considered a suitable greeting, suggesting that students address the Queen and Prince Philip as “madam,” or “sir,” instead of “Queen,” or “Prince.”

Front page of the Diamondback the day before the Queen’s Game, October 18, 1957.

Student editorial in the Diamondback explaining how students saw the University of Maryland at the time of the Queen’s visit.

Diamondback article expressing the excitement and magnitude of the Royal Visit to College Park.

“Meeting the Queen?” The State Department provided suggestions for how students should address the Queen, and how Maryland’s band should perform. Diamondback, 10-18-57.

And then, on Game Day, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip arrived at Byrd Stadium around 1:15pm. All fans were asked to be in their seats by 1pm to await the royal arrival. Maryland halfback and co-captain Jack Healy recalled posing for photographs before meeting the Queen. “Naturally, we were nervous and this increased the pressure somewhat,” said Healy, but their nerves were eased by a welcoming Prince Philip, who, with a “Hello sparkle,” in his eyes, extended his hand and introduced himself to the team. Then, according to Healy, the team met Queen Elizabeth, who “looked like any typical American woman,” only distinguished by her “precious English accent.” Each team’s captains then presented the Queen and Prince Philip with an autographed football and a replica of the coin used in the game’s coin toss. Prince Philip, “humbly accepting” the autographed football, said “I feel like kicking it myself!”

During the game, the Queen “leaned forward eagerly” as the Governors and President Elkins explained American football to their royal guests. According to President Elkins, the Queen was “most interested in the difference between the English Rugby and the American game.” According to a commonwealth correspondent from the game, “if the Queen understands this game, she’s smarter than I think she is.”

Game Day Program

Game Day Ticket Stub

43,000 fans greeting Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip

Queen Elizabeth II with Governor McKeldin and team captains from your Maryland Terrapins and North Carolina Tar Heels for the pre-game coin toss.

And then, at halftime, after the teams rushed off the field, the North Carolina band presented “A Parade of North Carolina Industries,” highlighted by band members forming a giant banjo, while trumpeting “Dixie.” According to President Elkins’ daughter Carole, there was a ceremony with gift presentations, the Queen and Prince Philip were driven around the stadium’s track, and marching bands from both teams performed. The bands from both schools joined to form the Queen’s crest, spell out “USA-BRIT”, and perform each school’s alma mater, “God Save the Queen,” and the “Star Spangled Banner.” The card section displayed both the American and British flags. Queen Elizabeth II, commenting on “the drive of the band,” was also “quite pleased with the card section,” according to President Elkins.

Maryland’s “Black and Gold” band forming the Royal Cypher as part of their halftime show.

Maryland’s card section during the “Black and Gold” band’s halftime performance.

According to Howard Miller’s account of the Queen’s Game, with only minutes left in the 4th quarter, the announcer at Byrd Stadium asked the crowd to remain in their seats so the Queen and Prince Philip could leave first to attend dinner with President Eisenhower. The Queen’s motorcade entered the stadium, and the Queen left before “a full house broke for the exits.” Miller recalled “never had so many Marylanders showed so much courtesy.” Nick Kovalakides, class of ’61, who was unable to attend the game due to illness, was listening to the game on the radio while recovering in his Montgomery Hall dorm, when he heard that the Queen was leaving early “to avoid the crunch of fans after the game.” Hearing this, Kovalakides went outside in case the Queen’s motorcade traveled on Regents Drive past Montgomery Hall. As Kovalakides sat on the steps, feeling “like everyone else in the world was at the game except me,” the Queen’s motorcade appeared over the hill. Seeing the Queen in the back seat of the limo, Kovalakides stood and waved. The Queen waved back. Remembering the event, Kovalakides said “in seconds, she was gone. But not in my mind.”

As the game ended, the triumphant Terps hoisted Coach Tommy Mont on their shoulders and ran across the field to where the Queen was seated. When presented to the Queen, she replied by saying “wonderful, wonderful.” For Coach Mont, immediately after the win he said “I’m going to revel in this for the rest of my life.” In the issue following the game, the Diamondback selected the entire Maryland football team as Players-of-the-Week.

Photographs and artifacts from the Queen’s Game are on display in McKeldin Library through January 2018. Be sure to check out our exhibit cases on the first floor, near Footnotes Cafe! We’ve decorated the second floor Portico Room (across the walkway from the Terrapin Tech Desk) with images from the game as well. 

 

Author Bio

Alan Wierdak is a graduate student in History and Library Science. He has worked in Special Collections and University Archives since summer 2017.

Memories of September 11th

September 11, 2001, is a day that lives in infamy worldwide. For the University of Maryland, the attacks hit particularly hard, due to the campus’ proximity to Washington, DC, and the number of students from the attacked regions.

Classes were canceled that afternoon, and students were in shock. The University provided counselors to the campus community, and administrators immediately spoke about the attack. President C.D. Mote, Jr., said that it was “a day of mourning and reflection.” He also noted how different student groups would be effected by the events.

“We need to keep our free and open society here and not blame groups,” Mote said that day.

Out of fear of repercussions, the Muslim Students’ Association moved their midday services and were protected by four police officers as they prayed. There were no violent attempts to disrupt their observance. 

Meanwhile, students were frantically checking their cell phones and huddling around maintenance trucks to hear the radio reports, according to The Diamondback. In addition, groups of students could be seen all across campus with tears in their eyes and their heads bowed in prayer.

The Health Center began working with the Red Cross that day to organize a blood drive by the end of the week. Other drives within the county were advertised on campus by those trying to help replenish the supply of blood at hospitals.

In Athletics, the first focus was on the safety of family members of the student-athletes. At least three football players had family that worked in the twin towers, and luckily all were safe. ACC Commissioner John Swofford postponed all athletic events in the conference through September 15th, the following Saturday, and the Terps postponed  their football game against West Virginia for two weeks.

On the 12th, The Diamondback reported that two former faculty members had been killed in the attacks. The paper covered the events throughout the rest of the week, including the memorial service on McKeldin Mall, and included more Associated Press news stories than the editors usually tended to do.

The dramatic and extensive coverage of this national and international tragedy in The Diamondback is a vivid reminder of the impact of these events on the UMD community as they unfolded, an impact which continues to this day.

The Diamondback is the university’s primary student newspaper, and its coverage of campus events provides an invaluable perspective on the university’s history. Thanks to generous donations and a successful Launch UMD campaign, the University Archives is digitizing the entire run of the newspaper, which is currently available on microfilm in the University Archives and McKeldin Library. This post is the part of a series based on information collected during the Diamondback Digitization Project. Check out the Twitter hashtag #digiDBK or the DigiDBK tag on our Terrapin Tales blog for previous posts. Look out for more DigiDBK posts from our team throughout the coming months!