A phrase that I often hear is, “Back in the day…” which when used by students might mean 20 years ago or 150 years ago. It is a handy phrase which in this posting means 95 years ago…So, back in the day each class would get together and decide on a common piece of apparel that all members of the class would purchase and wear on campus. Sometimes this would be a hat, sometimes a specific pair of pants. In this instance, we see the juniors who will become the class of 1913 in their newly acquired garb.

This picture shows all of the men of ’13 in their stunning wool coats. From this shot we have no sense of the colorful presence they made while walking across campus. Luckily for us interested folks of the future, one member of the class felt compelled to capture this colorful display.

The Wabash Magazine was a monthly publication of the student body. Each fall they would publish a “Football Number” and as the last issue of the year a “Senior Number”. The March issue was the “Junior Number” and here is the cover created for the year of 1912. This cover tells us that these vibrant coats were scarlet and black. Indeed they were quite a feast for the eyes and served to mark a “’13 man” anywhere in town.

Beth Swift