School Traditions at OSU #2

Grooves: carving up a tabletop

Grooves: carving up a tabletop

Have you ever heard the story of the “Senior Tabletops”?

Starting in 1915, the seniors carved their names and other designs on the top of the “senior table” at a popular restaurant in town. Each year the restaurant furnished a new tabletop, while the old ones were stored at “the co-op building,” and later, the MU basement. The tabletops were put on display in the MU in 1932 as a way to revive interest in the waning tradition, but apart from brief revivals in the 1950s and 1960s, the movement was unsuccessful. The tabletops were displayed in Gill Coliseum in the 1950s before moving to the newly remodeled McAlexander Fieldhouse in 1984.

During the 20th century, spirit at Oregon State went through a lot of change as many traditions have come and gone. Some of the traditions have involved athletics, while others have simply embraced our alma mater. Enjoy your daily sampling of some of guest blogger Ben Forgard’s favorites!

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *