Duc caps
Beanies worn by first-year students at William & Mary in the twentieth century were known as duc caps. The word "duc" was a shortening of the word "introductory" and referred to the introductory courses underclassmen were enrolled in. The term ducs was also generally used to apply to classes. Students commonly stitched their name on the back of their hat. Male hats usually had a bill.
Numerous examples of the duc caps from the 1920s through the 1970s are part of the University Archives Artifact Collection in the Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) in Swem Library. See the SCRC's Flickr account for a variety colors and styles of the duc cap including one example of the university's first school colors, orange and black.
Contents
Material in the Special Collections Research Center
- The Flat Hat: September 23, 1958, page 3.
- The Colonial Echo
- University Archives Artifact Collection, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, William & Mary. Includes links to individual items with photographs in Flickr.
- Search the SCRC Collections Database for further information about orientation and related topics.
References
- SCRC File.
The SCRC welcomes various forms of support from friends and supporters. Here at the SCRC Wiki we welcome visitors to share what you may know about our collections as well as the traditions, history, and people of William & Mary based on your research or personal experience.
If you would like to share your memories or what you have discovered while using the SCRC's collections, please contact us at spcoll@wm.edu or 757-221-3090. We look forward to hearing from you.
Need help?
To search for further material, visit the Special Collections Research Center's Search Tool List for an overview of the Special Collections Database, W&M Digital Archive, Flat Hat-William & Mary News-Alumni Gazette index, card catalogs, and other tools available to help you find material of interest in William & Mary Libraries Special Collections Research Center.
Questions? Contact the Special Collections Research Center at spcoll@wm.edu or 757-221-3090, or visit the Special Collections Research Center in the Earl Gregg Swem Library at William & Mary.
| A Note About The Contents Of This Wiki |
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| The information available in this wiki is the best available from known documents and sources at the time it was written. Unfortunately, many of the early original records of William & Mary were destroyed by fires, military occupation, and the normal effects of time. Information in this wiki is not complete as new information continues to be uncovered in Swem Library's Special Collections Research Center and elsewhere. Researchers are strongly encouraged to use the Special Collections search tools for their research as the information contained in this wiki is by no means comprehensive. |
