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Serving the Mars Hill College Community Since 1926
Friday, May 10, 1985
mance of the traditional Pop’s
concert featuring the college choir.
All students and campus visitors
are welcome to attend, however.
The show will be directed by Dr.
Bill Thomas and will have a coun
try western motif.
The Baccalaureate address, on
May 19 at 11:00 in Moore
Auditorium, will be given by Jean
J. Kirkpatrick, former U.S. Am
bassador to the United Nations. A
native of Duncan, OK, Mrs.
Kirkpatrick is a graduate of
Stephens College and Barnard Col
lege. She holds M.A. and Ph.D.
degrees from Columbia Universi
ty. She has done post-doctoral
work at several other institutions,
including the University of Paris
and Georgetown University, and
has received honorary degrees
from other institutions. A
Democrat, Mrs. Kirkpatrick had
been extremely active in the Na
tional workings of the Democratic
Party before President Reagan
chose her as his U.N. appointee.
From 1972 until 1974 she served as
Vice Chairman of the Democratic
National Convention’s Committee
on Vice Presidential selection and
in 1976 she was a member of the
convention’s membership creden
tials committee.
This woman has been the author
of many articles for national
magazines and education journals.
Among the several books that she
has written are “Political
Women” in 1973 and “The
Reagan Phenomenon” in 1982.
Mrs. Kirkpatrick, who served
throughout the first Reagan ad
ministration, returned to private
life in January, resuming a teacher
career which she had interrupted in
1981 to accept the U.N. post. Her
baccalaureate address will certain
ly be an honor for the class of
1985.
The Commencement exercises
featuring the awarding of degrees
will take place in Moore
Adutiorium at 3:00. Approximate
ly 275 graduates, including those
who graduated in December, as
well as those who will graduate in
August will participate. Dr.
Grayson will deliver his com
mencement speech and there will
also be an organ recital by Donna
Robertson.
The Hilltop salutes the class of
1985 and wishes them the most
sincere wishes of success as they
leave Mars Hill College!
Courting Mountain
Style
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Also, the b
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Thon.
Athletes of the Year
By ROGER WHITENER
English Department, ASU
In pioneer days if a girl, either
by chance or divination, managed
to locate a suitable prospect for a
husband, she still faced a major
obstacle: getting to know him well
enough to decide whether she
wanted him for a husband.
Sometimes a mountain girl
would accept the first available
candidate just to get away from the
hardships at home, but generally
she demanded at least a brief
courtship.
This might involve being walked
home from church, talking with
the young man on the front porch
or in front of the fireplace, visiting
in the barn, lying, fully clothed, on
the bed in a variation of New
England bundling. All these ac
tivities were, of course, generally
either in view of earshot of the
young lady’s parents.
The “walk home” was usually
the initial stage of the courtship,
perhaps even the means of first
bringing the couple together. If the
young lady were attractive or
otherwise desirable, she might
have already “kicked” (turned
down) other prospects before
allowing her choice to do the
honors.
The walk was usually subdued
and awkward, for an eagle-eyed
mother and curious children were
sure to be in attendance. Once
home, the young man usually beat
a hasty retreat, though on a second
visit he might be invited to the
porch to “set a spell” with the
family.
Saturday night courting or “sit
ting up” was often the next step, at
which time the couple again sat
with the family around the
fireplace, attempting private con
versation under difficult cir
cumstances. In New England the
couple might advance their
romance through the use of a
courting stick, a hollow stick some
five or six feet long through which
endearments might be shared. Lit
tle mention is made of this device,
however, in Southern Appalachian
courtship tradition.
A further advance in the
couple’s relationship might include
a visit to the nearby barn. Accord
ing to Dr. Gratis Williams, Ap
palachian folklorist, this step did
not indicate questionable behavior
on the part of the young people;
rather it merely allowed them a bit
of freedom for getting to know
each other better.
The final step in the courtship,
according to Dr. Williams was the
Southern Applalachian version of
bundling.
“In Kentucky,” says Dr.
Williams, “The couple would lie
fully clothed on the bed, being very
careful that their position was
across rather than longways of the
bed. This was different from the
New England and Pennsylvania
practice which allowed the couple
to stretch out in normal bed posi
tion, though often with a safety
board between.”
In either instance bundling was
looked as a proper aspect of court
ship since most relationships
reaching this stage resulted in mar
riage.
Especially careful mothers occa
sionally provided their daughters
with courting or bundling stock
ings which covered them from the
waist down and removed all
possibilities of hanky-panky. Such
garments were often handed down
as heirlooms.
Obviously many mountain
courtships were too brief to be
overly involved with tradition. The
young were frequently still
strangers when the marriage knot
was tied. Others, however, chose
to follow established patterns and
probably made better marriages as
a result.
gratulations to Todd Blondin and Lavonda Wagner for being named Hilltop Athletes of the Year. The outstanding
'idual performance and contribution to team performance of both Todd and Lavonda was the basis for selection as
Athelete of the Year.
See the “Year
In Pictures”
Page 3
irewell.
Looking For Something To Do?
ation approaches.
It help but look back
liege experiences at
lere have been many
factors that have
r education here,
mior Chris Harrison,
jor and former SGA
s stressed that Mars
led him to make his
5 and mold his own
the direction he has
le will get married in
attend South Eastern
ive August. Another
- I Glenn is a biology
1 will be attending
irUCFhe “closeness” be-
Hill students and
hg seniOlid an extremely large
Iraduak.
i sending close to 275
‘into the world’ with
It dreams and aspira-
^vlosca, a Computer
j, will work for the
Irnment in computer
I while going to
graduate school part time at VCU.
Business major Jeff Morgan will
be married on the day prior to
commencement, and then will
work for a firm in Atlanta. Lisa
Anderson, an English major, will
be wed in the college’s am
phitheater soon after graduation
and will pursue a career in educa
tion.
The Hilltop’s current Editor,
David Wachter, will report to Pen
sacola, Florida, to begin flight
training for the U.S. Navy. It has
been stated by a Navy Lieutenant
that only one in 1,000 applicants
are accepted into this program.
David says, “I am excited about
graduating! I’ve got the ‘flying
fever’, but I’ll miss Mars Hill and
the people here.”
Graduation is definitely an ex
citing time! As one senior ex
pressed his enthusiasm, “Think of
the most awsome, wonderful feel
ing— triple it, and that’s what it
feels like to be graduating!”
Another member of Mars Hill’s
Class of ’85 said without hesita
tion, “...the essence of bliss!”
By DAVID WACHTER
Executive Editor
Last Friday I had the chance to
travel to Pope Air Force Base (near
Fayetteville, N.C.) and meet the
members of the Thunderbirds. The
Thunderbirds are the U.S. Air
Force’s aerial demonstration team
who’s aerial ,artistry is nothing
short of fantastic. This summer the
Thunderbirds will have several
shows throughout the Southeast
which include the following:
May 12 Dobbins AFB, GA
15 Maxwell AFB, AL
June 1-2 Greenville, SC
8 Harrisburg, PA
9 Myrtle Beach AFB, SC
12 Moody AFB, GA
15 Eglin AFB, FL
16 Dothan, AL
July 4 Memphis, TN
If you live near, or will be in the
vicinity of any of these show
fights, make plans now to see the
Thunderbirds. Their precise high
speed jet maneuvers will be
something you won’t soon forget.
Flying their F-16A Falcon Fighters, the U.S.A.F. Thunderbirds make a pass over the Statue of Liberty
in New York Harbor.