May 14, 1919: Stay in Williamsburg for Commencement

The Flat Hat newspaper implored College of William and Mary students to remain in Williamsburg in the article "Remain for Finals" (see page 2) of the May 14, 1919, issue.

"It is now time for every student in College to begin to make plans for remaining in Williamsburg through Finals. No three or four days could be spent more wisely. Many students go through the first three years of their college life and have never been present at a single commencement exercise. The consequence is that when, at the end of their fourth year, they find themselves about to graduate, they have no idea what to look forward to in the way of celebrations. And then it is that they begin to realize that they have lost much that could so easily have been taken advantage of if they had only done so.


Perhaps one of the best arguments why a student should remain on the campus until the close of all activities is because of the support and respect that he owes to the graduating class."

The article concluded: "So we trust that the habit of boarding the first train after examinations have closed will not prevail this year. We shall have several long, warm months to stay at home after we get there and no doubt shall grow restless under them, so let all of us put off going home for just a few days, and stay over in Williamsburg; have a jolly good time and give the class of ’19 the biggest send off of any class that has ever left our institution."


For additional information about the first women students at the College of William and Mary see: When Mary Entered with her Brother William: Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945 by Laura F. Parrish; "The Petticoat Invasion": Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945; The Martha Barksdale Papers; and the Women at the College of William and Mary page on the Special Collections Research Center Wiki.

May 1-3, 1919: Easter Dances

On May 14, 1919, The Flat Hat (see page 3) reported on three "Easter Dances" held May 1st through 3rd in the dining hall. Examples of cards from other dances around this time period can be found at the SCRC's Flickr page. The article describes the dances, including the various hosting organizations, the band, and, apparently most importantly, who attended. Note that Easter fell on April 20th in 1919.

From similar college newspaper articles, it might be expected to include a list of women who went to the dances, including those from the College of William and Mary. However, this dance article only includes a lengthy list of the "visiting girls," or those women who came from off campus to the various dances.

I find it difficult to believe that none of the "Marys" attended the Easter dances. Some questions arise as to the neglect of the women college. Why are the college women not included in the listing? Is it possible the "Marys" did not attend any of the dances? Is it possible that the women held their own dances? Does the exclusion of the "Marys" signal any discord among the co-ed student body? These are just a few questions which prompt a deeper analysis of the reception of the women in addition to their adjustment to co-educational life.


This post was composed by Jordan Ecker.

For additional information about the first women students at the College of William and Mary see: When Mary Entered with her Brother William: Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945 by Laura F. Parrish; "The Petticoat Invasion": Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945; The Martha Barksdale Papers; and the Women at the College of William and Mary page on the Special Collections Research Center Wiki.

April 15, 1919: The Death of a Board Member

James N. Stubbs, a member of the Board of Visitors of the College of William and Mary from the institution's reopening in 1888 until his death, passed away on April 15, 1919. His death was noted on the front page of the April 16th issue of The Flat Hat. Stubbs attended the College of William and Mary from 1858-1860, was trained as a lawyer, served as a major in the Confederate Army during the Civil War, and was a member of the General Assembly from 1869 until his death.

Faithful readers will remember Mr. Stubbs as the member of the Board of Visitors who offered a resolution at the June 25, 1918, meeting of that body "to the effect that the Strode Bill was in direct opposition to the 1906 contract by which the Commonwealth of Virginia had taken full responsibility for the College of William and Mary and that therefore the College should refuse to accept women."



For additional information about the first women students at the College of William and Mary see: When Mary Entered with her Brother William: Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945 by Laura F. Parrish; "The Petticoat Invasion": Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945; The Martha Barksdale Papers; and the Women at the College of William and Mary page on the Special Collections Research Center Wiki.

April 2, 1919: Mary Praised or Patronized?

During their first year at the College of William and Mary, the women students had their ups and downs with their male counterparts. While some welcomed them, others were not as generous welcoming the women students. On April 2, 1919, The Flat Hat ran a front page article about the women's performances of two one-act plays: "Three Pills in a Bottle" and "A Flower of Yeddo." In the article, the author praised the women's collective acting abilities by writing "the plays were...pleasantly entertaining from rise to fall of curtain."

While the overall tone of the article is pleasant, one could read some of the words as a bit patronizing to the actors. At one point, the author wrote that "if...the girlish features of the amateur smiled behind the make up of the actor, it was not for boredom." Would a comparable description of the features of the actors or their non-professional status have been made about male actors? The plays' sets were also described as "simple but lovely."

At the end of the article, the author mentioned that the performance was to raise money for the war fund. Though peace was declared in November 1918, the impact of World War I and efforts on the home front had continued. This mention of the nature of these performances raises the question in my mind if this review of the performances would have been printed so prominently if it had been purely for entertainment and not also connected to the war effort?

Though the review of the women's performances of the two one-act plays may appear to be complimentary, I have to wonder if there is a patronizing tone to the review. But don't let my skepticism sway your interpretation. I have linked the original article above, click on it, and read it for yourself. Then, if you feel inclined, comment on this entry with your interpretation. We would be interested to hear our readers' interpretation.


This post was composed by Jordan Ecker.

For additional information about the first women students at the College of William and Mary see: When Mary Entered with her Brother William: Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945 by Laura F. Parrish; "The Petticoat Invasion": Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945; The Martha Barksdale Papers; and the Women at the College of William and Mary page on the Special Collections Research Center Wiki.

A Step Away from 1918-1919: The College of William and Mary's First African American Coeds

In the Fall 1967, almost fifty years after the first women students were allowed to matriculate, the College of William and Mary welcomed its first residential African American coeds. The university had admitted its first African American student, Hulon Willis, in March 1951. After Willis, William and Mary admitted two more students of African descent in the 1950s, including one woman in 1955, who withdrew from the institution at the end of the academic year. It was sixteen years later for anything approaching a "mass" number of black students to matriculate at the College, at the same time. The three African American coeds were Karen Ely, Lynn Briley, and Janet Brown.

Images from the Colonial Echo, the College of William and Mary yearbook

When the young women came to campus, the only other African American students on campus were three undergraduate men who were attending part-time and one graduate student. The young women were interviewed by Nadia Tongour in the October 1967 issue of the student newspaper The Flat Hat. The women discussed why they applied to William and Mary, the social attitudes they encountered, and their views on the current state of black political activism. Roommates, the women mentioned their curiosity about how white people lived and realizing that there were no significant differences, Karen Ely said, "I've been surprised at how little difference there is. I expected a much more different transition from a completely segregated high school to a predominantly white college."

The Flat Hat article is an example of how socially and culturally aware African Americans were in America, particularly during the 1960s. Ms. Ely commented how surprised she was about the lack of social and class competition at the university. Many people think black Americans are only concerned with racial issues, but as this comment demonstrates that in addition to race, class was and continues to be a big issue with African Americans.

One comment that stands out in the article, which could also apply to the contemporary social atmosphere at William and Mary, is the lack of discussion about race. Janet Brown stated "I wish that people would feel freer about discussing race relations with us. They seem to shy away from the subject." If the reader did not know the article was from 1967, they might think Ms. Brown is talking about William and Mary in the twenty-first century.

The new students were from the Hampton Roads area, according to the 1968 Colonial Echo. Janet Brown was from Newport News and both Karen Ely and Lynn Briley were from Portsmouth.Their respective majors were Elementary Education (Brown), English (Briley), and Biology (Ely). As far as student organizations, an area always high on the list of interests to William and Mary students, Janet Brown was a member of the Young Democrats and the Black Students Organization. Lynn Briley was also a member of the Black Students Organization. In addition to her participation in the Black Students Organization, Karen Ely also participated in the Chorus.


This post was composed by Jeffreen Hayes.

For additional information about the first women students at the College of William and Mary see: When Mary Entered with her Brother William: Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945 by Laura F. Parrish; "The Petticoat Invasion": Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945; The Martha Barksdale Papers; and the Women at the College of William and Mary page on the Special Collections Research Center Wiki.

February 19, 1919: "Pres. Resigns: Dr. Lyon G. Tyler Resigns After Thirty Years of Faithful Service"

After serving as president of the College of William and Mary since 1888, the February 19, 1919, article regarding President Lyon G. Tyler's resignation appeared in the student newspaper The Flat Hat. The article chronicled the tenure of President Tyler, highlighting his most important accomplishments on behalf of William and Mary. For example, Tyler secured state funds for the College by overseeing its transfer to the Commonwealth of Virginia, transitioning its private institution status to a public institution. Another significant highlight during Tyler's tenure and the college's history is the historic admittance of women, as mentioned in the article:

"Another and more recent development in William and Mary was the establishment of the women's department. At the last legislative meeting, a bill was introduced with sympathetic support of the president, admitting women to all the courses at William and Mary. This great innovation in the higher educational field in Virginia was successfully begun this session with a promising enrollment of representative students."

The article continues to discuss the new Home Economics department established and the role of the dean of women. It ends with:

"This victory for the higher education of women by the state marks with distinction the closing session of President Tyler's thirty years of service and of the first quarter of the third century in the history of William and Mary."

Regardless of how the male and female students may have felt about their co-education, there appeared to be a consensus of the monumentality of educating women in addition to President Tyler's vision of William and Mary. What a way to end one's career, on a historic high note.

This post was composed by Jeffreen Hayes.

For additional information about the first women students at the College of William and Mary see: When Mary Entered with her Brother William: Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945 by Laura F. Parrish; "The Petticoat Invasion": Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945; The Martha Barksdale Papers; and the Women at the College of William and Mary page on the Special Collections Research Center Wiki.

February 5, 1919: Mary Joins the Flat Hat

On February 5, 1919, the Flat Hat, the College of William and Mary's newspaper, provided the first co-educational news report for the campus. In a section simply titled "the marys," the women of the campus wrote about their experiences for that week. Most of the information in the section was of a social nature, commenting about grades and the women's intramural sports teams.

At the end of the section, the anonymous author wrote that "we are glad to appear for the first time in this college publication and are eagerly waiting to do our part in making it a success." The women of William and Mary would have few opportunities to make their contributions to the Flat Hat a success. The next "the marys" section appeared in the February 12 issue, but then disappeared for quite a few issues. The Flat Hat would take a few more years to fully integrate women into its staff.

This post was composed by Jordan Ecker.


For additional information about the first women students at the College of William and Mary see: When Mary Entered with her Brother William: Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945 by Laura F. Parrish; "The Petticoat Invasion": Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945; The Martha Barksdale Papers; and the Women at the College of William and Mary page on the Special Collections Research Center Wiki.

January 29, 1919: The Flat Hat Returns

An unexpected hiatus of The Flat Hat during fall 1918 was due to confusion at The Gazette Co. after the death of the owner of the plant. Publication of the College of William and Mary's student newspaper was able to resume in time for the new semester. The first issue back included a recap of the Cotillion Club's two Mid-winter dances the previous Friday and Saturday and an article about the YMCA on the front page. A brief explanation of the newspaper's printer problems as well as a small article about how the end of World War I was impacting the College with the removal of the SATC can be found on page 2.

For additional information about the first women students at the College of William and Mary see: When Mary Entered with her Brother William: Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945 by Laura F. Parrish; "The Petticoat Invasion": Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945; The Martha Barksdale Papers; and the Women at the College of William and Mary page on the Special Collections Research Center Wiki.

Student Groups for Women, 1918-1919

Participating in campus activities was a challenge for the first class of women at the College of William and Mary. Women were not allowed in most of the activities or clubs that played a large role in campus life. Fraternities, literary societies, athletic teams, and the student newspaper, The Flat Hat, were closed to female membership. In its first year, coeducation was not expected to extend much further than the classroom.

Prohibited from joining many of the established campus organizations, women created their own groups in which they could participate and socialize. The Women's Student Council, initially presided over by Florence Harris and later by Martha Barksdale, was one such group. According to The Colonial Echo, "the purpose of the organization is to represent and to further the best interests of the women student body, to regulate the conduct of the women under authority of the college, and to promote responsibility, loyalty, and self-control."

The Alpha Club was a multi-faceted organization. Headed by Celeste Ross its first year, the group sought to "develop departments of Music, Dramatics, Literary Activities, and other interests, all united in name and general purpose in the original Club."

Members of the Alpha Club. From The Colonial Echo.

More mysterious is a group called the "P.P." Club. Catherine Dennis' scrapbook contains several photos of the club's officers (she was vice president; Alice Burke was president and Martha Barksdale served as secretary), but no mention of its purpose or interest. The club may not have been an official organization as it does not appear in the yearbook, either. The "P.P." Club: (l-r) Martha Barksdale, Alice Burke, Catherine Dennis. From Catherine Dennis' scrapbook.

Still, men and women were not completely separated in their activities. Ruth Conkey was an assistant editor on The Colonial Echo for 1919, both sexes were encouraged to participate in the "Cercle Francais" French club, and everyone could attend events such as the literary society debates, films, dances, and sporting events. Full integration into campus life would take time, but the first class of women made a good start of it.

The Flat Hat is available online; editions of The Colonial Echo and Catherine Dennis' scrapbook are available in the Special Collections Research Center.

This post was composed by Kate Hill.

For additional information about the first women students at the College of William and Mary see: When Mary Entered with her Brother William: Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945 by Laura F. Parrish; The Martha Barksdale Papers; and the Women at the College of William and Mary page on the Special Collections Research Center Wiki.

May 8, 1918: The Flat Hat Recaps the Meeting of the Board of Visitors

The May 8, 1918, edition of the Flat Hat provided a brief summary of the April 19th meeting of the Board of Visitors on its front page including continuing preparations for the arrival of the College of William and Mary's first female students in the fall. Meanwhile, the newspaper's second page (incorrectly dated March 8, 1918) included a plea over two columns entitled "Urged to Stay in College." The presence of the article offers further illustration of William and Mary's precarious enrollment as numbers declined due to the ongoing conflict of war, personal economics, and other reasons.


For additional information about the first women students at the College of William and Mary see: When Mary Entered with her Brother William: Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945 by Laura F. Parrish; "The Petticoat Invasion": Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945; The Martha Barksdale Papers; and the Women at the College of William and Mary page on the Special Collections Research Center Wiki.

April 24, 1918 - Last Student Editorial Against Co-education

While the Strode Bill had been passed a month earlier, some students at the College were not willing to let women in. On April 24, 1918, an opinion piece ran on the front page of the Flat Hat entitled "Sine Qua Non," by "A Student." In it, "A Student" explained what a tragedy it was that the College was going to lose its "traditions." At the end of the article, the author suggested to his fellow students to stop co-education by dissuading the young, college aged women in their lives from attending William and Mary in the fall.

As history tells us, this young man's plot failed to keep co-education from the College, and in September, twenty women did enter as part of the class of 1922. Interestingly, this is the last of the Flat Hat articles decrying co-education. This illustrates that compared to other institutions that went co-ed in the first half of the twentieth century, William and Mary students and faculty were rather accepting of the idea of co-education. For example, a college about the size of William and Mary, Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, went co-ed in the fall of 1942. The students at Drew were outraged, as their student newspaper, The Acorn, indicates in April, 1942. The entire front page of that April issue was consumed by the headline "Drew Goes Co-Ed," followed by an article, which attempted to placate an assumed outraged student body by stating that the "girls" who will only be at the college during World War II, will not be allowed to live in the dormitories on campus and will be kicked out once the men come back from the war. This type of strong reaction against co-education is actually quite normal for most colleges in the twentieth century. Reaction against co-education prevented universities and colleges, such as Harvard and Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine; from going co-ed until the 1970s.

So, while some at William and Mary may have had adverse reactions to the idea of women enrolling in the college and meddling with "tradition," these sentiments were rather tame and in the minority compared to other colleges and universities across the country as they thought about and became co-educational.

Additional information about the history of Drew University is available from the Drew University Archives.


For additional information about the first women students at the College of William and Mary see: When Mary Entered with her Brother William: Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945 by Laura F. Parrish; "The Petticoat Invasion": Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945; The Martha Barksdale Papers; and the Women at the College of William and Mary page on the Special Collections Research Center Wiki.

March 13, 1918: The Flat Hat

The Flat Hat article of March 13, 1918, about coeducation at the College of William and Mary, which appeared after the House of Delegates had voted in favor of the Strode Bill, was a bit more optimistic than the article of February 27 (there was no mention in the newspaper's March 6 or 10 issues). The article stressed how the college would benefit from coeducation, with larger appropriations from the General Assembly for more buildings, including "new dormitories, another dining hall, and a new and more commodious gym." The newspaper anticipated the "new social element" that the presence of women would bring to William and Mary and predicted that the "bonds of tradition would be broken" with coeducation. No longer would things have to be done merely because "that's the way it's always been done," and the participation of women in activities would "rejuvenate them with better standards."



For additional information about the first women students at the College of William and Mary see: When Mary Entered with her Brother William: Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945 by Laura F. Parrish; "The Petticoat Invasion": Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945; The Martha Barksdale Papers; and the Women at the College of William and Mary page on the Special Collections Research Center Wiki.

Feburary 27, 1918: The Flat Hat

To again quote from Laura Parrish's M.A. thesis When Mary Entered with Her Brother William: Women Students at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945:

The Flat Hat, the student newspaper and chief forum of student opinion at the College of William and Mary, did not comment on the Strode Bill until after it had passed the Senate. On February 27, the paper discussed the effects of coeducation in negative terms. It saw the necessary enlargement of the physical plant and of the faculty as being of questionable value and as a step that would not "help our tradition in the least." The article, or editorial as it may have been, suggested making another college coeducational or upgrading one of the women's normal schools. It concluded with the hopes that if coeducation became a reality, the students would "make the best of it," and "that our environment--socially and in every other way [would] be benefited by coeducation."

The Strode bill had passed the Virginia Senate by a vote of 19 to 13. The necessary physical plant improvements at the College included expanding certain departments (more faculty) and adding more dormitories and in the short-term completing the remodeling of existing dorms to accommodate "such a new addition to our student body." The Flat Hat's editors seem to have accepted the eventuality of coeducation at their College by this date.



For additional information about the first women students at the College of William and Mary see: When Mary Entered with her Brother William: Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945 by Laura F. Parrish; "The Petticoat Invasion": Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945; The Martha Barksdale Papers; and the Women at the College of William and Mary page on the Special Collections Research Center Wiki.

February 19, 1918: The Flat Hat

The February 19, 1918, issue of The Flat Hat shared more details of the activities of the previous week's meeting of the College of William and Mary's Board of Visitors, including mention of the endorsement of the Strode Bill. There was no commentary from the student newspaper on the BOV's decision at that time.

The Flat Hat is a rich source of information, announcing events taking place on campus as well as reflecting student opinion. It began publication in October 1911 and, except during the fall of 1918, has been continuously published ever since. Until a few years ago, library staff indexed the The Flat Hat (as well as the Alumni Gazette and the William and Mary News) by subject and personal name. This index is still available as a card file in the Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) for public use. All three of these publications are available in the SCRC in Swem Library on microfilm and in paper format. Contact the staff of the SCRC for further information or search assistance (spcoll@wm.edu or 757-221-3090).

The Flat Hat is available online from the Special Collections Research Center. All issues from September 1939 through May 1950 and most issues from August 2004 through February 2007 are available for browsing and keyword searching online. The remaining issues from 1911 through April 1990 and August 1992 through March 1999 are available for browsing only at present. Current issues of The Flat Hat can be found online at http://www.flathatnews.com/.



For additional information about the first women students at the College of William and Mary see: When Mary Entered with her Brother William: Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945 by Laura F. Parrish; "The Petticoat Invasion": Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945; The Martha Barksdale Papers; and the Women at the College of William and Mary page on the Special Collections Research Center Wiki.

February 12, 1918: The Flat Hat

The Flat Hat's page 1 coverage (see the bottom of the page) of the February 12, 1918, meeting of the Board of Visitors made no mention of the endorsement of the Strode Bill revealing simply: "The Board of Directors of the College met today to discuss and decide some important things to be carried through in the near future." Further information would follow in the next issue of the student newspaper.



For additional information about the first women students at the College of William and Mary see: When Mary Entered with her Brother William: Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945 by Laura F. Parrish; "The Petticoat Invasion": Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945; The Martha Barksdale Papers; and the Women at the College of William and Mary page on the Special Collections Research Center Wiki.