Editors: For more information about events involving the Canebearer and Outstanding Senior Woman reunion, contact Nancy Miller or Kay Oltmans at the ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä Heritage Center at (303) 492-6329.
Canebearers and Outstanding Senior Women from past University of Colorado at Boulder graduating classes will gather during the university summer commencement for a reunion.
At least 30 Canebearers and Outstanding Senior Women will be on campus for events Aug. 11-12, including leading the student procession for the commencement ceremony, a tradition that hasn't been seen on campus in nearly 30 years.
Established as a tradition in 1899-1900, the cane was a symbol of merit and honor for a senior man chosen each year by his classmates. The Canebearer carried the gold-topped black cane, originally called the Senior Stick, at commencement while leading the procession.
In 1938 Byron White, ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä's first All American football player and retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice, carried it and led the seniors to graduation. Other Canebearers include former ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä President Robert Stearns, former Colorado Gov. George Carlson and numerous Rhodes Scholars.
Each Canebearer's name is engraved in the gold bands that encircle the cane. In 1956 a second cane had to be purchased because the original was full of names.
Glenn Porzak, a Boulder lawyer specializing in water rights and land use law, was Canebearer in 1970 and remembers the honor well. At the time, many students were involved in protests of the Vietnam War and contingency plans were in place to shut down the university if necessary. Ralph Nader was the commencement speaker that year.
"We were able to prevent the university from being shut down and to move forth with the commencement ceremony," Porzak said. "It fell to me as Canebearer to make a statement that would placate everybody. As a tribute to everything that was going on that year, Kent State and the war, everybody took off their caps," he said.
In 1936 the tradition was expanded to include an Outstanding Senior Woman, who was also selected by the senior class. She was chosen to walk with the Canebearer and carried a bouquet of red roses.
Anne Hylan Riley, who was voted Outstanding Senior Woman in 1947, also remembered the experience, noting that she felt embarrassed carrying the bouquet of roses during her commencement.
"When I graduated, it was just a couple years after World War II had ended, and all the service men were back," Riley said. "That was a great time."
Riley and other volunteers have been interviewing past Canebearers and Outstanding Senior Women and so far have 30 interviews on tape. At some point she hopes the interviews will be used as part of a display at the Heritage Center.
Because of the growing size of ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä-Boulder's graduating classes, the tradition was discontinued in 1972.
The canes and their history are displayed at the ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä Heritage Center, a museum packed with exhibits depicting the university's history. The museum, open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, is located on the third floor of Old Main on the Boulder campus. The museum is sponsored by the University of Colorado Alumni Association and is free and open to the public.
The ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä-Boulder 2000 summer commencement ceremony will be on Saturday, Aug. 12, at 8:30 a.m. in Norlin Quadrangle.