Cap history slide show 14 0112

Go Down in Cap and Gown History!

Share your Cap MemoriesVolunteer for the Cap History Project

www.capandgownclub.org

The Cap His t o r y Pr o j ec t

http://www.capandgownclub.org


Looking back on our years at Cap and

Gown, (our) friendships have not only survived

the years but have grown, and remind us of the

strengths of (our) individual members and the

cohesiveness that was generated by the times of

the Korean War and the educational rigors of

the University. We were truly blessed, but

didn’t realize it at the time.

The Class of

1953


The Class of

Parties weren’t all we did at the club, but we did

them memorably. They seemed to be in our DNA.

The long-time head of the graduate

board, Herman Heydt ’29, would often arrive at

the Club for meetings with a case of booze, which

quickly found a use among us.

1955


The Class of

One of Football Captain Royce Flippin’s most vivid

memories was of the winning football game against

Dartmouth 6 – 3 in a snow storm. Royce handed off to

Bill Agnew on an inside reverse for the winning 4th

quarter TD with key blocks by teammates / Club

mates: end Joe Grotto and fullback Dick Martin. Also

special and meaningful to Flip was his secret

engagement to Louise the evening before the

game, but not announced until post-game so as not to

deflect focus from the upcoming mission on the field.

1956


The formation of our section began our sophomore year

during a two week bicker in February 1955. Two

considerations existed in the 1950s on the selection of a

club section: 100% inclusion of sophomores in the bicker

system had been mandated by the Graduate Interclub

Council in 1950 and the club undergraduate members

visited with prospective sophomores in their dormitory

rooms (unlike the current system).

The class of

1957


The Class of

We came to Cap between the Korean and Vietnam

wars. Many of us had signed on to the popular ROTC

programs either to escape the draft or to make use of

government scholarships. Military uniforms were

seen all over the campus and at breakfast or lunch.

Coats and ties were still required at dinner.

1957


The Class of

In the 1950s Cap and Gown remained one of the most

popular among the 17 clubs in existence at the time.

Over the years clubs tended to develop personalities.

In 1920, F. Scott Fitzgerald ’17 wrote in This Side of

Paradise a description of several clubs including ―Cap

and Gown, faintly religious and politically powerful‖.

1957


The Class of

During our all male life at Cap, parties occurred only

at specified and closely controlled times. Chaperones

were required when bands played at house parties and

on a few other occasions. In spite of (and maybe

because of) the close scrutiny, the Library bay window

was a popular place to ―entertain‖ your date.

1957


The Class of

During our senior year, we lost long-time football coach

Charley Caldwell, the great innovator of single wing

football when the T-formation was dominant and the

author of Modern Single-Wing Football. Dick

Coleman, his number one assistant, took over the team.

Harold Dodds, who had greeted us in our freshman

year, departed in our senior year after 14 years as

President, to be followed by Robert F. Goheen.

1958


The Class of

In the 1950s we liked Ike, even though Adlai Stevenson was

an alumnus of Princeton. It seemed to be a time of

stability. After graduation humanities majors could look

forward to starting out at $400 per month, and, in

demand after Sputnik in 1957, engineers commanded a

munificent $450.

1958


The Class of

We lived mostly within the rules – no cars within 50

miles of Princeton; no girls in dorm rooms after 7 p.m.

with an extension to 9 p.m. on weekends; mandatory

chapel attendance; classes 6 days a week; and the

Gentlemen’s Agreement which specified our conduct on

and off the campus.

1962


The Class of

We helped to lead the way from the big band era of dance

bands to the era of rock and roll. The old dining room served

as the dance floor with, at least on one occasion, the famous

Chuck Berry performing in front of the bay window. Mike

Hartman, our Vice President and the one who had organized

the Junior Prom in 1961, had connections and the rest is

history. Even our chaperones were seen on the dance floor. In

1961 and 1962, the twist became a national craze and Cap’s

partiers were experts.

1962


The Class of

The early 60’s were an active and exciting time in

America, which saw the election of John F.

Kennedy as President, the early escalation of the

Viet Nam War, and the landing on American soil of

the English musical sensations, The Beatles. Few

of us realized at the time how significantly the war

escalation would impact many of our lives.

1964


The Class of

The class of 1968 arrived at the end of an era and the

beginning of another at Princeton. Many things we took for

granted in the fall of 1964 had changed radically by the

spring of 1968. When we accepted our offers of

admission, few of us had probably given much thought to

co-education. Four years of mixers, road trips, and week-end

dates later, we were among the most ardent supporters of

the admission of women to our alma mater.

1968


The Class of

1969ers arrived on campus shortly after mandatory

vesper services were finally eliminated but still facing

strict enforcement of ―parietals‖ that mandated when

women could visit dormitories and rules that prohibited

undergraduates from keeping cars near campus. Before

graduation, not only had those unpopular restrictions

disappeared, but also 1969 knew they would forever claim

the distinction of being the last all-male class to graduate

from Princeton.

1969


The Class of

Cap’s musical taste tilted to soul with Otis and

Carla vying with Sam and Dave to be the most

played, followed closely by the Wicked Pickett and

Aretha. The street was only permitted to have 10 or

so parties per semester, so we really had to make

the most of them. Great bands were brought in for

nearly every party.

1969


The Class of

The almost two and a half years from the debauchery

that Saturday night in February until the Tuesday

afternoon in June brunch with our families after

graduation were replete with more extremes of

experience than I can recall or recount. Kaleidoscopic

images form and then reform in an ever changing

panoply of distant and ravaged memories.

1971


The Class of

The smell of the fire crackling in the fireplace on a mid

week winter evening, when the first really big snowfall of

the season has just begun to materialize, unannounced

and without so much as a hint of warning, but the coffee

was freshly ground, the backgammon tables were

set, your friends were going nowhere, and everything

around you just seemed to be slowing down… how gentle

and enveloping a memory is that?

1971


The Class of

1970 was an interesting year to go through bicker. The class of

1972 was the last to enter Princeton as an all-male class. The war

in southeast Asia was raging, the sexual revolution was in full

bloom, and drug use was becoming commonplace. Early on, we

wore coats and ties to Sunday dinner in Commons, and parietals

(no women in the dorms at certain hours) were strictly

enforced. In January of freshman year, the university sponsored

"Co-ed Week," a sign that campus life would soon change

dramatically. In the fall of sophomore year, we experienced the

draft lottery, which resulted in many classmates celebrating while

others enrolled in the National Guard.

1972


The Class of

We eagerly awaited the fun and festivities that the spring

promised. However, the country's invasion of Cambodia

changed everything. The University went on

strike, exams were essentially cancelled and the eating

clubs responded as well. Many of us attended a meeting

in the Cap and Gown living room, at which the

membership voted to cancel House Parties. Everyone

agreed—no way were we going to party it up with

everything going on. The seniors made the greatest

sacrifice, but followed their collective conscience.

1972


The Class of

The ladies were quickly becoming integral to club

life. During bicker senior year, three talented gals

regaled our sophomore guests with a re-worked

version of Neil Sedaka's "Breaking Up is Hard to

Do." Dancing on the living room table, they belted out

"Cappa cappa gown, doobie do down down," breaking

up carrot sticks as they sang.

1972


The Class of

The year began with a resounding victory over Cottage in

Blow Pong. Another highlight of our friendly rivalry with

51 Prospect occurred on the Saturday of Houseparties

Weekend. We rented a pig from a local farmer, greased

the pig up, and set him loose in Cottage’s foyer late that

evening. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, the pig was

horrified by what he saw, retreated to Cottage’s coat

room, and waited to be returned to the friendly confines of

Cap. Who could blame him?

1978


The Class of

Whether it was a game of backgammon or pool, a party

or just a beer in the tap room, the men and women of

Cap had a place to escape from academic pressure, to

relax, to tell a joke, and to smile and laugh. Memories of

the friends made and times had at Cap have been

cherished by our class for many years now and will

remain so for many years to come.

1978


The Class of

The Tap Room downstairs boasted a tap that flowed —

mirabile dictu — 24/7 and a jukebox from which one

could hear the strains of the Spinners and Trammps.

Needless to say, it served as a favorite rendezvous spot

for members and guests to relax. In this age of

designated drivers, it may seem hard to fathom that the

drinking age in New Jersey was then 18.

1979


1983The Class of

Two events from the first week of February 1981 are

inextricably linked: Celebration by Kool & the Gang

was #1 in the US and the 1983 Section signed into

the Cap & Gown Club. This group of 33 women and

30 men would endeavor over the ensuing 2-1/2

years to justify their celebrated theme song.


1983The Class of

1983 was Dennis Normile’s first year as

the Club Steward. In reflecting on that

first year Dennis said, ―After surviving

that first year with 1983, it’s been a cake

walk since.‖


The Class of

From our second floor TV room, we watched historic events

including the Berlin Wall coming down, the Soviet Union

dissolving, newly released MTV videos by Phil

Collins, Heart, Madonna, Sinead O’Connor , and Jon Bon

Jovi, as well as Greg LeMond winning the Tour de

France, the first seasons of The Simpsons (a Sunday night

event) and Jim Carrey and Damon Wayans’ In Living

Color. A rising star stand-up comedian named Jerry

Seinfeld also launched his show to our viewing pleasure. A

nightly ritual was to go upstairs after dinner and watch

Jeopardy!

1990


The Class of

As this is a history book, where we were in history? Bill

Clinton is in the White house, but who knows for how long

as he is undergoing impeachment for his uh….

indiscretions. The internet is still a baby. For many of

us, the princeton.edu email was our first address (the 1999

section was the first to have a technology chair). And

what the hell was a cell phone? Oh yeah, it’s that suitcase

with a phone attached to it in the car.

1999


The Class of

All in all, our years in Cap were some of the best of

our lives. How many of us showed up at Cap on a

weeknight for ―an early dinner‖ before heading

upstairs to the library to study, only to find

ourselves still at the club, at our third table of the

night, four hours later, still chatting with

friends, new and old?

2000


The Class of

Whether you sat in the sunroom or dining room during

meals, there was always a spirited dialog on an array of

topics. We debated the upcoming Presidential election as

we munched on Hot Pockets, discussed Britney Spears’s

latest music video over sausage soup, and pondered if

Tom Brady was a one-year-wonder as we ate breakfast

for dinner. We had cell phones but rarely used them and

our Facebook was printed by the University. If you

needed to find a friend, he or she was going to walk

through that big, wooden door sooner or later.

2003


The Class of

While Dennis took care of all of us as our

fatherly figure and put up with all of our

antics (thank you, D!), he was also the

mastermind of our formal events. He even

helped to bring a lobster dinner to spring

Lawn Parties, surpassing any of our

wildest dreams with his attention to detail

and incredible taste.

2005


The Class of

Beirut, Robo, and country music controlled by the

new iTunes touch screen dominated the old

taproom. While ―Red Dirt Road‖ and ―Telluride‖

played downstairs, DJ Bob’s blared tunes turned

our living room into a dance floor on big nights.

2005


The Class of

Actually, we were pretty into our slip ’n slides; we

created a giant one in the backyard each

Lawnparties. While everyone else on the Street kept

their seersucker and sundresses fresh and

clean, Cap members were down to get wet and more

than a little muddy on the 60-foot long slide.

2007


The Class of

Whether we were studying at the library’s huge

table, basking in the sunshine on the back lawn, relaxing on

the (much smaller) deck, shooting pool upstairs, or just

relaxing in the TV room (which always seemed to be

showing Man on Fire), we spent many wonderful hours at

61 Prospect. We look forward to returning for years to

come – after all, as Herman Heydt Jr. ’29 said, ―Whenever

I enter this club I feel happy inside.‖

2007


The Class of

One of the best things about Cap was its

reputation as an accepting place. As long

as you were excited to have a good

time, we were happy to welcome you in.

As individuals we were unique but as a

group we were all Cap and Gown.

2009


The Class of

President Tilghman’s visit, in April of 2010, also kicked off a wonderful

run of warm and sunny days for our section to enjoy the post-thesis

life. Headed into our graduation day, the Class of 2010 saw 45 of 60

days above 75 degrees and 48 of those days had sun! Needless to

say, the spirit of 61 Prospect itself was rewarding us for our loyalty

through a tough, igloo-building and thesis-writing winter with the

opportunity to perfect our baggo swings (and our tans!) out on the

front lawn. The Class of 2010 spent over two years as undergraduate

members, but our memories will be influenced most by those May

afternoons spent in the sun, learning that there is no such thing as a

lead in baggo, and no such friends as those we met in the Cap & Gown

Club.

2010


Share your Cap MemoriesVolunteer for the Cap History Project

www.capandgownclub.org

The Cap His t o r y Pr o j ec t

http://www.capandgownclub.org

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Cap history slide show 14 0112

Art & Photos