Former queen remembers a lost tradition
Alumna recalls decade of turbulence, change
By Nadia Mustafa Special to the Kansan
Susan Wassenberg was disappointed when the University of Kansas ended the homecoming queen tradition in 1970.
Susan Wassenberg stands on the field with her escort during the 1968 homecoming ceremony. Wassenberg was crowned homecoming queen that year. Photo courtesy of University Archives.
Wassenberg, now Susan Thompson, 49, was the second-to-last homecoming queen, crowned when she was a junior in 1968. Thirty years later, she is a special education teacher with four grown children and lives with her husband in Liberty, Mo.
Thompson said she agreed that a queen did not mix with the tenor of the time, but she said she still was upset about the loss.
"It was the 1960s, and they deemed homecoming queens irrelevant," Thompson said. "You lose something when you get rid of a tradition."
The 1970 Homecoming Committee, made up of 12 students and staff members, unanimously agreed it was inappropriate for a university to select one woman to represent a multi-cultural community. The committee said it was more appropriate to recognize students for academics.
During the homecoming ceremony, one male and one female student with strong academic records are recognized. The Board of Class Officers awards the students $500 and the opportunity to coordinate a spring leadership conference.
The last homecoming queen was Janet Merrick, crowned in 1969. The Alumni Center does not have records of Merrick's current address.
After decades of dormancy, the tradition was replaced in 1991 by the EXCEL award, which stands for Excellence in Community, Education and Leadership.
Last year, the scholarship halls began a homecoming tradition. Each hall nominated a resident for royalty. Charity donation boxes with each nominee's name were placed each hall. The male and female residents with the most donations were crowned at a dance that also served as a canned food drive. The halls raised $500, which was donated to the Pelathe Indian Center.
Sarah Crumrine, Olathe sophomore and All Scholarship Hall Council programming chairwoman said the contest was fun.
Thompson said that when she attended the University, her favorite part of college life was her involvement in her sorority. She said that the sorority was an active campus group that participated in many joint activities with fraternities. She said that now she was starting to become active as an alumna.
While at the University, Thompson competed in the Miss Kansas pageant as Miss Lawrence, was involved in Student Union Activities, Panhellenic Association and the Angel Flight drill team, an auxiliary to the Reserve Officers Training Corps.
She remembers the decade as a time of constant change.
"KU students were very opinionated, and there was a lot of nonviolent protest," Thompson said. "The war was in full swing, and students were politically active and always questioning. We were intellectual but also very emotional because of the issues of
the time."
Despite the unsettled background, Thompson said she enjoyed the University's atmosphere during her college years.
Thompson said because homecoming was an important event during the 1960s, most student groups constructed elaborate floats for the Massachusetts street parade.
She said she remembered the ceremony and dance at which pop singer Andy Williams and country singer Roger Miller performed.
"It poured at homecoming, and we had to hold the ceremony under umbrellas. My suede shoes were ruined," she said. "But I got to talk to Roger Miller, and I took a birthday cake up to Andy Williams and he kissed me."
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4 Homecoming
The Hill
Friday, October 23, 1998