As we move into the Homecoming season, I feel that it fits the spirit of this time of year to pay tribute to the tradition and heritage of the university.
Right now we are overwhelmed with midterms, coming back from a fall break that was all too short. The semester seems like it will never end – but we know it will. Before we know it, all of students who today rush to class, cram for tests and run off of four hours of sleep just because we can will become Furman alumni – and while we only have a few short years as students, that alumni status will last us the rest of our lives.
Those who have become alumni before us have shaped the campus that shapes us. As current students, our time at Furman is defined by the traditions passed onto us by the students of yesterday. Freshmen women are still serenaded on their balconies during the first few days after move-in. Homecoming floats still deck the mall, with a dance downtown after the game. Couples still have that special moment under the bell tower. Keys are still jingled at kick-off, with a resounding ”FU!” rising from the crowd as the ball goes into play. Seniors still swim in the fountain on the last day of class.
Many current students, myself included, come to Furman as a legacy. We’ve heard about sledding on lunch trays and traipsing across Europe on study abroad tours for our entire lives. Other students are living the Furman experience afresh, having no idea what to expect. Our experiences of today have been shaped by the students of yesterday. Whether or not we know the experiences are coming, they are made all the more special through the knowledge that they have been shared by those who came before us.
The Paladin is publishing this special issue to pay tribute to the students and faculty who came before us. Our content is new, reflecting the campus that is continually changing. Our campus is not stagnant, not mired in the past. It simply is a living tribute to a century of Furman. To feature this heritage, every photograph in this issue is taken from The Paladin in another incarnation, whether the left-leaning Paladin of the 1960s or The Hornet, as the paper was known for its first few decades. The masthead is taken from the early 1960s issues of the paper – members of these graduating classes are marking 50 years since their graduation, and we thought it fitting that The Paladin should pay tribute to their golden reunion as well.
