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The Dartmouth
July 5, 2025 | Latest Issue
The Dartmouth

Homecoming celebration reflects traditions, College history

As the weather begins to get colder and the last of the fall foliage fights to stay on the trees, Dartmouth students know it can only mean one thing: Homecoming is here. As the members of the Class of 2013 eagerly partake in their first Dartmouth Homecoming, they embrace an annual tradition that dates back over a century.

When William Jewett Tucker became College president in 1893, he brought with him the "New Dartmouth" initiative. Under this initiative, Tucker held the first Dartmouth Night on Sept. 27, 1895. The purpose of this night was to create a tradition that involved the entire student body and united students with alumni.

Tucker felt that other traditions in place at the time, such as matriculation and Commencement, only honored one class and did not sufficiently bring the seniors and underclassmen together.

"The purpose of Dartmouth Night is to perpetuate the Dartmouth spirit and to capitalize the history of the College," Tucker said.

The night's festivities primarily included a bonfire and speeches by Tucker and other prominent members of the Dartmouth community.

The second installment of the spirited weekend saw the adoption of "Men of Dartmouth" as the College alma mater. The song was written by Richard Hovey, a member of the Class of 1885.

In its early years, Homecoming weekend primarily involved the student body gathering in Dartmouth Hall to listen to speeches from the College president, hear telegrams read aloud from alumni and celebrate the College's history.

The 1901 celebration, which commemorated the centennial of Daniel Webster's graduation from the College, featured alumni and students arrayed in 18th century garb parading through Hanover.

The 1904 Dartmouth Night welcomed two notable visitors Lord Dartmouth and young British politician Winston Churchill to campus and featured students running around the bonfire in pajamas.

The celebration expanded beyond the capacity of Dartmouth Hall over the next several years. Dartmouth Night festivities moved to Webster Hall in 1907 before eventually expanding onto the Green years later.

Over the next decade, Dartmouth Night grew into a nationwide celebration as alumni held Dartmouth Night parties across the country.

The arrival of World War I and II changed Homecoming festivities.

The traditional Dartmouth Night parade was discontinued in 1915 due to the war, and was not reinstated for another 58 years.

During World War II, the College also stopped the tradition of reading alumni telegrams aloud to the student body. Overall, the Dartmouth Night celebrations were more subdued during the war years.

In the 1950s, the administration, led by then-President John Sloan Dickey, tried to return to Dartmouth Night's social and intellectual roots. Dickey expressed a desire to "revive the greater meaning of Dartmouth Night" in a 1952 statement, and the College tried to find a balance between educational and celebratory events.

Due to a lack of student interest coupled with rising sentiment against the Vietnam War, Dartmouth Night was cancelled in 1969. The event was reinstated in 1973, along with the revival of the traditional Dartmouth Night parade.

In 1988, the celebratory weekend was officially given the name Homecoming, a name it retains today.

As the tradition of Dartmouth Night continued over the years, football gradually became an integral part of the weekend celebration.

Bonfires had been constructed after football victories throughout each season since 1888, and the fire on Dartmouth Night became associated with a major football game each season.

In 1946, the rally for the football game against Columbia was incorporated into Dartmouth Night celebrations, and the 1980 Dartmouth Night commemorated the 100th anniversary of the football team.

Throughout the history of Homecoming, two important traditions rushing the field and touching the fire have come in and out of being. In recent years, the College attempted to sponsor a College-organized field rush. Students who "touch the fire" or rush the field on their own, though, have been threatened with disciplinary action due to increased concerns about safety and student rowdiness.