May Queens (May Day Celebration)

      The May Queen, or Queen of May, her Maid-of-Honor, and Court attendants ruled over the May Day celebration, which included a May Pole dance, other exhibition dances, and singing. The first May Queen was crowned May 16, 1935 to celebrate Founder's Day and the 47th anniversary of Morris Harvey College. The Queen and her Court were elected by the student body from candidates representing each class and, during some years, certain sororities. Before Riggleman Hall was completed, the May Day celebrations took place on the South steps and lawn of the West Virginia Capitol, or at the Hubbard Mansion.

      There were no May Day celebrations during 1943 and 1951. The April 16, 1943 Comet (p. 2) said "There will be no celebration partly because of wartime conditions and partly because the students who would have to be responsible just don't have the inclination." In 1951, the celebration was supplanted partly by a Campus Carnival, also celebrated in May and having its own Prom Queen, and partly by the excitement over student involvement in filming Sadie Hawkins Day for Paramount Pictures.

The last May Queen was elected in 1970.

May Queens and Courts

1935 Queen Nell Martin. Maid-of-Honor Dorothea Updyke. Court: Sarah Thornburg, Louise Cooksey, Ruth Copley, Ruth Ann Williams, Opal May Doss, Emma Margaret Doss.

1936 Queen Charlotte Spriegel. Maid-of-Honor, Mary Emma Carte. Other information not available.

1937 Queen Virginia Banks. Maid-of-Honor, Francis Reeves. Court: Gladys Jackson, Maggie Morris, Della Judy, Virginia Trout, Marjorie Atkins, Wanda Hamrick.

1938 Queen Jean Nichols. Maid-of-Honor, Nancy Sayre. Court: Ruth Copley, Helen Bibby, Ruth Vinson, Margaret Sampson, Betty Lowery, Elaine White.

1939 Queen Elaine White. Maid-of-Honor, Nancy Sayre. Court: Helen Bibby, Ruth Vinson, Maggie Morris, Frances Robertson, Jocele Lilly, Better Lowery, Ruth Paisley, Virginia Rohr.

1940 Queen Elaine White. Maid-of-Honor, Helen Jenkins. Court: Margaret Zaharis, Jean Weller, Dormal Eisman, Ruth Paisley, Better Lowery, Zoe Humphries, Bernice Bibbee, Frances Robertson.

1941 Queen Helen Rippetoe. Maid-of-Honor, Betty Byrd. Court: Betty Lowery, Alice Townsend, Mildred Conner, Marian Gall, Charlotte Morris, Kay Atkins, Mary Campbell.

1942 Queen Electa Ranson. Maid-of-Honor, Betty Byrd. Court: Marian Rowe, Virginia Jordon, Dorothy Brookman, Jeanne Geisey, Betty Jo Winesett, Virginia Javins, Gloria Reed, Shirley Rosenbaum, Betty McMillion, Peggy Cooper.

1943 No May Day Celebration.

1944 Queen Charlotte Morris. Maid-of-Honor, Jeanne Geisey. Court: Mary Luke, Angelyn Kelley, Mae Marshall, Janice Thumm, Betty Collier, Jane Fike, Barbara Pierce, Nola Burford, Geneva Davis, Jean Harless.

1945 Queen Betty Hallanan. Maid-of-Honor, Betty Repass. Court: Betty Pierce, Christine Williams, Helen Kessell, Angelyn Kelley, Mae Marshall, Becky Baldock, Christine Walker, Olive Hilleary, Louise Dearman, Jo Alice McIlhattan, Lorraine Kinger.

1946 Queen Rosa Lee Nicely. Maid-of-Honor, Nancy Connel. Court: Jo Alice McIlhattan, Betty Robson, Connie Smith, Anna Cross, Roena Vinson, Jo Ann Jack, Carolyn Major, Eleanor Johnson, Olive Hilleary, Betty Cunningham, Anna Mary Crewsdon, Virginia Kessell, Jean Lucas, Bette Ireland, Mary Mandeville.

1947 Queen Bette Pierce. Maid-of-Honor, Jeanne Agsten. Court: Jo Anne Jack, Norma Dean Dick, Peggy Woodall, Louise Dearman, Helen Lee Boone, Jo Ann Case, Roberta Riggleman, Carol Pilcher, Rosa Lee Nicely, Betty Cunningham.

1948 Queen Mary Louise Hill. Maid-of-Honor, Betty Ireland. Court: Mary Lee Warner, Keith Ann Moore, Ann Kessler, Barbara Jones, Frances Beatty, Pat Wood, Carol Pilcher, Doris Skiles, Nancy Holcomb, Dorothy Francis.

1949 Queen Anita Cogan. Maid-of-Honor, Mary Lou Snyder. Court: Anna Mary Crewsdon, Janet Parkins, Imogen Given, Helen Kauffman, Marguerite Schoonover Hubbard, Ann Wray, Wanda Countz, Betty Jo McGrew, Doris Sue Smith, Ellen Bell.

1950 Queen Ramona Shipley. Maids-of-Honor, Mary Winter and Helen Kauffman. Court: Evelyn Ciccarello, Aracoma Dunlap, Cynthia Harris, Pat Curtis, Joyce Golden, Mary Lee Simmons, Carolyn Hayman, Mary Louise Wilson, Martha Burton.

1951 No May Day celebration.

1952 Queen Marilynn Dean. Maid-of-Honor, Jo Ann Pauley. Court: patsy McBurney, Nancy Dixon, Betty Lee Simms, Nancy Depp, Ann Bordas, Sue Hamilton, Louise Corey, Lou Rhodes, Eunice Johnson, Betty Jordan.

1953 Queen Elaine Culpepper. Maid-of-Honor, Jodie Fischer. Court: Jerry Lovell, Joann Loveall, Pat Huffman, Marlene Smith, Jodie Hoover, Serepta Corbett.

1954 Queen Joan Collins. Maid-of-Honor, Connie Ansel. Court: Marlene Smith, Janice Eberly, Wanda Morgan, Barbara Butler, JoAnne White, Patty Holt.

1955 Queen Patty Hendrickson. Maid-of-Honor, Nancy Henry. Court: Nancy Depp, Jean Parkins, Eloise Crickland, Jodie Fisher, Barbara Ross, Judy McCutcheon, Merewyn Davis [later Merewyn Meadors, U.C. biology faculty.]

1956 Queen Janice Cokely. Maid-of-Honor, Sue Sheets Clay. Court: Jodie Austin, JoAnne White Sally Leonard, Jerry De Hainaut, Eleanor Jacobsen, Bobby Shamblin, Judy McMurrer, Emma Frazier.

1957 Queen Kellen Burdette. Maid-of-Honor, Patty Wall. Court: Joanne Mullins, Dwanna Mullins, Frances Whited, Mary Dixon, Alicia Bigley, Nancy Casto, Judy McCutcheon, Joanne Rutroff.

1958 Queen Gloria Burgess. Maid-of-Honor, Flora Lee Vaughan. Court: Ann Martin, Dwanna Mullins, Jo Ann Ciccarello, Sylvia Simms, Mary Susan Griffith, Pat Setzer, June Ann Knight, Janice Woodrum.

1959 Queen Joan Webber. Maid-of-Honor, Jo Ann Ciccarello. Court: Ann Deskins, Carolyn Jarrett, Mary Hartsaw, Sylvia Sims, Mary Comer, Jean Gunter, Mary Susan Griffith, Jane Jackson.

1960 Queen Carol Hicks. Maid-of-Honor, Lynn Hoffman. Court: Nancy Copenhaver, Carolyn Casto, Jacqueline Ferrell, Midge Rutherford, Susan Conner, Nancy Williams, Duffy Agnew, Judith Ingalls.

1961 Queen Ruth Ann Campbell. No Maid-of-Honor indentified in records. Court: Martha Cochrane, Jo Ellen Lambert, Beverly Barnett, Ronda Fink, Ann Chrisman, Beverly Krebs, Jeanne Rada, Betty Williams.

1962 Queen Sue Ellen Doty. Maid-of-Honor, Carol White. Court: Ronda Fink, Peggy Price, Shirley Grady, Judy Ingalls, Sarah Repass, Jo Anne McNeel, Connie Barnett, Nancy Alden.

1963 Queen Brenda Johnson. Maid-of-Honor, Bobbie Tully. Court: Shirley Grady, Becky Morris, Mary Ann Chandler, Lynn Meador, Gail Cavender, Camelia Zakaib, Rona Rothhouse, Nancy Mullins.

1964 Queen Sue Hill Warner. Maid-of-Honor, Mary Ann Chandler. Court: Marilyn Klonowski, Maura Crowe, Sandy Grow, Ginny Reynolds, Louise Smith, Alberta Salem, Nancy Alden, Joyce Stephenson.

1965 Queen Diana Stephenson. Maid-of-Honor, Beverly Triplett. Court: Gail Cavender, Nancy Alden, Kris Lambert, Carol Levine, Marcia Jones, Carol Goodwin, Connie O'Hare, Mary Gunther.

1966 Queen Kris Lambert. Maid-of-Honor, Marilyn Klonowski. Court: Pam Maynard, Carol Dumville, Sue Miller, Lynda Stuber, Susan Johnson, Carol Goodwin, Libby Clark, Carolyn Griffith.

1967 Queen Sandy Grow. Maid-of-Honor, Carol Goodwin. Court: Patty Clark, Barbara Zehntner, Carol Dumville, Mary Jane Zellers, Sue Miller, Mary Gunther, Marcia Jones, Susan Johnson.

1968 Queen Mary Gunther. Maid-of-Honor, Marilyn Freedman. Court: Laraine Flinn, Nancy Hosking, Carolyn Kopf, Carol Dumville, Kathy Warren, Barbara Zehntner, Mary Conticchoi, Charlene Lane.

1969 Queen Carol Dumville. Maid-of-Honor, Joan Pierce, Rosemary Di Michele, Carolyn Reilly, Laura Dellagruzzo, Judy King, Kathy Murdock, Phyllis Cirelli, Marie Fort, Candy Bongard.

1970 Queen Laura Dellaguzzo. Maid-of-Honor, Mary Maxwell. Court: Donna Kemper, Karen Farmer, Robin Rodda, Stacy Martin, Kathy Murdock, Lane Parker, Patty Clark, Bonnie Hamlin.