E riu EXTRA Mnrdoy, February 7, 1949 Page Three am sDe'scen s rol', M HO louds Depie72 Year Histor Dance Started By Two Fiddles By PIL DAWSON J-Hop, "the country's greatest formal," has traveled a rough road from its humble beginnings in 1877 in Hank's Emporium on Main Street. Two violins and a piane made: enough music for the 20 couples at that first edition of the now traditional shindig. BY 1891 THE DANCE had ac- quired two orchestras and moved into the ice rink, where some 300 persons danced waltzes, polkas, galops and shottisches until the wee hours. The decorations were tasteful - potted plants in different parts of the rink added greatly to its appearance-and dancers had the use of "Gibson's Art Parlors" as reception rooms. But men were advised not to wear silk hats because of insuffi- cient storage space. THE J-HOP progressed onward and upward, sometimes run by the fraternities and sometimes by the junior class, until 1896 when tem- pers flared in heated controversy about the gala event. In that year the Board of Re- gents ruled that the nine major fraternities should share man- agemaent of the dance with the independents and the remaining fraternities. The nine were disgusted. They made plans to hold their own ball in Toledo, while the others dog- gedly went ahead with the official version in Waterman Gym. The upshot of the controversy was that the junior class took over, except in 1899 when The Daily reported: "It is far worse that our present J-Hop Committee, under the lead- ership of a sophomore, has suc- ceeded so poorly in maintaining the high standards set by its pre- decessors... . "Due to the inability of the dec- orator to fulfill his contract, strangers were kept busy wonder- ing which of the color combina- tions represented the colors of Michigan . . . Refreshments were a wafer and a glass of water .. . The lighting was poor. . . Pro- grams looked like a cross between cardboard and leather." Tired,.Happy Revelers Relax after Gay Weekend By HAROLD JACKSON - Ann Arber has returned from Olympus. The mystic aura of J-Hop color and enchantment which lifted the campus to a ulhvgropnd of gcds for three memorable days faded with yesterday's twkilight. Gene are the amber streets and ivory towers; gone the film of dreams, the w'eb of spherelike melody; gone the crimson fantasy and sulky shade-s of a week-end never to be forgotten. OVER SIX THOUSAND REVELLERS turned out to make the 1949 Hop one of the largest in campus history. Three thousand 1couples alone parked the I-M Building to dance to the famous trum- pat of Charlie Spivak and the superb piano of Elliott Lawrence. Count- less more celebrated at smaller parties which stretched all the way to Detroit and Jackson. The pleasure seekers began gathering Friday afternoon, many boasting colds, sore muscles and hangovers from the Winter Car- nival. Dinner was the first order of business and filet mignons and fish disappeared a la Emily Post in prodigious quantities all - ever town. CAT Next came white tie, tails and sleek satins for the first contin- gent of J-Hoppers, and equally noisy private parties for the rest. J ~ ~ a THE I- Building was a "Stair- ray to the Stars" from 10 till 2. Ann Arbor's first legalized "open Black coats, flashing smiles, bare season on students" was a bitin shoulders and gleaming formals pressed past blue walls and silver success, Alderman Pinias Clamp stars into the main ballroom. told the city council last night. The special ordinance requiring Celestial blue and white was the main color theme, augmen- a merchant "planning to rob stu- ted by soft greens, warm reds dents any more than usual to first and pale yellows in the lighted buy a special hunting license" put the city in the black this week-end columns lining thce dance floor.fo Glittering blue letters marked for the first time since 1890. each white fronted booth and *x * * Daily-Alex Lmanian ! - J-Hop Chairman Joyce Atchison and Escort Bob Schultheiss - By LILI ASHE Executive huddle in the Patrons' Booth: President Ruthven and glistening metallic cloth draped IT TOOK the city fathers al- w Pry a nickel out of legislative the bandstands. most three-quarters of a century Gov. Williams-ROT dtscussing how to pto figure out a way to cash in on tightwads-instead debating the relative merits of Scotch plaid and A canopy of stars formed an the J-Hop gravy. polka-dot bow ties, overhead path to the brilliant sky- r like effect set against the North "It hurt us to hear the mer- Wall where Mars, Saturn, and chants' cash register concerto Dr. Margaret Bell roaming around the dancefloor making Venus leaped between light and drowning out the music ina the mental notes on coeds: eligible for this year's grand "posture darkness through the magic of I-M Building and not hear even award." blinking lights. a lonely echo in the city vault," 1-. ::'* * Alderman Stanley Snare com- Dean Alice Lloyd waltzing to the strains of the Blue Danube THE FRIDAY WHIRL -stopped plained. withHumpreytheBetaBullog.only after the last breakfast donut with Humphrey. the Sets BtlldOg. Naturally every merchant had to buy a license or miss his share Ed Shaffer, leading local liberal, representing the preletariat On the Alr of the J-Hop loot-thereby jeop- ardizing his spring trip to Ber- at this capitalistic function-looking smart in his top hat, white The 1949 J-Hop hit the air- muda. tie and sweatshirt. waves for a broadcast of music 5 '5 0 from 11:30 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. J-ep Committee "has beens" led by last year's chairman Bobby both Friday and Saiuray over LEADING license buyers were: Ream, ad mngriate"habel eachoerthlatthye'scfarsaloo Station WHRV. The programs Restaurants "for permission to Ream, admitting privately to each other that "these favors looked were handled by John Carroll, sell tooth picks 3 for a dime." like something out of Woolsorth's, the drinking water is warm, and pecial events director of th . the damned old decorations probably aren't even fireproof." station and former announcer to ake stu cos or a bette - - for the University Marching ride than usual-charging "3 S.i bu Sith"hfrsto wateh.well Band. _- . wean nromage running auout i w e stp anwi oiled and advancing all the clocks twenty minutes. Humphrey, the Beta bulldog, frdntically signaling for a cut-in THOSE WERE the days when from a brother. spectators were admitted to the '- galleries for a small fee. One of the university's efficiency experts painting "No Exit" signs spotlight explode and set fire on all the exits. He was the one that put "Stairway" signs on the See ZANY, Page 5 elavator shafts in the new Administration building. FOR MORAL SUPPORT: Strapless Insurance Secures Dancers The 1949 J-Hop made world- What's more, Lloyd's sent an SQUINT CARRIED a satchel wide social history-it was the adjuster all the way to Ann full of tape, elastic, wire, glue first dance to ever offer "strapless Arbor to assure immediate set- and chewing gum which he felt maurance to all its customers. tlement of claims. E. Willoughby sure would take care of all emer- Through a special deal engi- Squint, a descendant of the neered by publicity chairman original Lloyd, flew here from gencies. "One case was so bad, Donna DeHarde, the famed Lloyds London, arriving at noon, Fri- however, I had to give up my sus- of London completely covered the day. penders," he reported, adding that Ann Arbor social front. Squint, in cooperation with the "some of those dresses were def- a a Ann- A,'bo' PosliceDeoartment es- initely not good risks to begin had been dunked and wild shouts of glee faded into lazy 4 a.m. silences. Saturday saw a city of p.m. risers and slow starters but af- ternoon gatherings followed by more banquets soon had the second spin well underway. While the second group attend- ed the I-M Building, the rest roamed the town from party to party, serene and wearying but en- joying to the utmost carefree and "car free" independence. REVERIES BEFORE friendly fires, quiet breakfasts, wanderings in the early morning air amid lazy snowflakes and a fragmentary moon-all bridged the gap from dance to dawn. At 4 a.m. club wielding house mothers cleared their porches of vagrants and exhaustionover- took the city. Sunday church services were well attended-by those over 30. The weekend stretched into Sunday dinner for some, afternoon movies for more, but by sundown even the hardiest of the revellers was ready to quit, and the 1949 J-Hop slid easily into history. cents per mile per revolution of each wheel, and four cents extra if the cab has a spare tire." Ice companies "for blackmailing students under threat of telling the University who bought ice cubes." Bookstores "in order to mark up used books to three times their original cost instead of two and sell them to J-Hoppers as valen- tines. Clothing stores, seeking to "sell left over 'Bundles for Britain' at Fifth Avenue prices." Dime Drive Short As this special edition of The Daily goes to press, the Ann Arbor March of Dimes drive is lagging far behind its quota, according to Mrs. J. E. Stowe, local chairman. Although today theoretically ends the campaign,.only $4400 - has been collected towards the city's quota of $13,000. "We at present haven't enough money to pay for the new respirator we ordered," she said. Contributions are still being accepted. Mrs. Stowe's phone number is 2-0622. THE MERE PURCHASE of a J-Hop ticket entitled each gentle- man's date to ironclad insurance against "all mechanical or struc- tural failures by strapless for- mals which might lead to the em- barrassment of the female in question." tablished an emergency strapless road service for all coeds attend- ing the Hop. If a policyholier felt' things slipping, she called police. The call was relayed by radio to a prowl car in which Squint was pa- trolling the city and he rushed to her assistance. with." After going without sleep for 48 hours, Squint indicated .he was not sorry to see J-Hop end. "It was a most harrowing ordeal," he confessed, confiding that "my field in the past has always been battleships."