Homecoming Courts

Homecoming Courts

      Homecoming (or Home Coming) celebrations have been part of the institution's social life since the early days at Morris Harvey College in Barboursville. At that time, the Home Coming was part of the Graduation Week celebrations, during which alumnae would "come home" to visit friends and faculty. By 1935, the celebration shrunk to a one day event coinciding with a home football game. The first crowning of a "Queen" in conjunction with a homecoming celebration occurred in 1937, when Nancy Atkeson McClung was named Miss Morris Harvey. That title persisted until 1964, when the queen began to be call Fall Festival Queen. Between that time an 1986, the title wavered between Fall Festival Queen and Homecoming Queen. Since 1987 the queen has been known as the Homecoming Queen.

      There were no homecoming events during World War II (1943, 1944, and 1945) or during the 1965-66, 1966-67 and 1970-71 academic years, and thus no queen. Student newspaper articles in 1966 bemoan the lack of a homecoming celebration, but the custom was not resumed until 1968. Reasons for the later lack of events are unclear, but appear to include the lack of a Fall sport around which to organize the event.

      Homecoming Kings made their appearance beginning academic year 1986-87. Previously, the Queens were the center of attention, though from the late 1950's on the names of their "escorts" were often included in student news articles about homecoming. Prior to 1986 many Queens were called Fall Festival Queen. There were no instances of a Fall Festival King.