By Dr. Phillip Stone ’94, archivist
In any college or university, Commencement is the highlight of the academic year. It marks both the culmination of many years of work by students and faculty, and it’s also the beginning of the next stage for new graduates. In a place as steeped in history as Wofford, where some buildings date to the beginning of the college, it isn’t surprising that some Commencement traditions date to our earliest days. Still, new traditions have been added over time, and others have been left by the wayside.
Some older Wofford customs include the singing of “From All That Dwell Below the Skies,” which has been on the Commencement program since at least 1860, and the presentation of a Bible, signed by the faculty and staff, to each graduate. Earlier traditions that have been abandoned include speeches (often in Latin) by each graduate. That practice moved fairly quickly to addresses by a selected group of seniors, to the simpler practice of relying on an invited Commencement speaker. Many of the early addresses were in Latin, and the earliest Commencement programs themselves were printed in Latin. That practice changed in the 1870s.
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Commencement season often lasted five days, with a series of debates, speeches and receptions, followed by alumni reunions, the annual meeting of the board of trustees, the Baccalaureate sermon, a Baccalaureate address by the president of the college and, finally, the awarding of diplomas at graduation. No doubt the difficulties of travel in the 19th century made it logical to hold all of the events at the same time, saving trustees, alumni and friends from having to make multiple trips.
The literary societies, which organized many of the debates, alumni addresses and awards ceremonies, have themselves passed into history, but the college still finds ways to celebrate student academic achievements. The alumni reunions gradually moved away from Commencement weekend, but in 2004, the college resumed having the 50-year class join the graduating class at Commencement. We welcomed the Class of 1974 this year.
The traditional walk to the gates has also evolved. In early years, students gathered in downtown Spartanburg to walk together to campus for the ceremony. In the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, when Commencement was in Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium, the practice somewhat reversed itself, with students walking through the gate to the auditorium. When the ceremony moved to campus in 1999, a new tradition, the gauntlet, began, with students passing between the applauding faculty and 50-year class as they walk toward the front gate.