| From
the March 16, 2006, edition of “Northwest This Week.”
Tower Queen Marzella Clary, crowned in 1930, later married F.B. Houghton, who became an instructor in Northwest’s Department of Agriculture.
The following is excerpted
from “Transitions: A Hundred Years of Northwest” by
Dr. Janice Brandon-Falcone. An illustrated history of the University’s
first 100 years, “Transitions” is available from the
Bearcat Bookstore on the first floor of the J.W. Jones Student
Union. The book can also be purchased online at www.nwmissouri.bkstore.com
or by calling (660) 562-1246 (ext. 1246 on campus).
It might have begun as a way to get students
to buy yearbooks. The “Tower” staff sponsored a contest
in 1923 to choose a Tower Queen. Only those who bought a copy
of “Tower” could choose the queen from each class.
In addition to a queen that year, the yearbook also pictured two
boys and another girl who were featured as the wittiest, the peppiest
and the most popular boy. Within two years the queen candidates
included representatives from each class. Voting was still reserved
for those who purchased a copy of “Tower,” but one
could own five votes with a $3 down payment on a copy, whereas
$1 down only produced one vote.
That year a girls committee chose a boy to
be college sheik, and the faculty chose a person named as most
versatile on the basis of grades, attitude, influence and abilities.
An artist in St. Joseph chose the most beautiful, and the coaches
chose the most athletic boy and girl.
By 1927, the yearbook featured pictures of
four girls, one from each class. This practice continued for a
number of years, but voting rules changed. By 1935, outside groups
were making the final selection for campus beauty. That year the
Sigma Chi
fraternity at the University of Nebraska
made the final selection. The next few years, the queens were
chosen by orchestra leaders. That practice continued for a few
more years, until, by 1941, the queen candidates were nominated
by the “Tower” staff, and the queen and attendants
were chosen by popular vote by the men of the student body. By
1948, voting was drawn from the men who attended the dance. Through
the years the selection process varied, but the Tower Queen candidates
were always seen as talented, intelligent, popular, and attractive.
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