From These Roots

May in the Upstate of South Carolina is filled with flowers blooming, warm breezes, and the smell of Magnolia in the air. Throughout the country, students from grade school to college have celebrated May 1st through May Day celebrations. May Day has its long roots in Europe, when people would celebrate it as the mid-way point between the spring equinox and the summer solstice, when crops began to grow. Celebrations were filled with singing, dancing, and bonfires. By the Middle Ages, most English villages had maypoles to use in their celebrations.

European settlers brought the tradition of May Day to the United States and by the late 19th century, May Day celebrations were popular on school campuses. Students would dance around the maypole and a May Queen would be elected by the student body. The May Queen was generally a young lady who showed kindness, beauty, talent, and good character. In addition to the May Queen, there would be a May Court made up of other young ladies who were usually sponsored by different classes or groups on campus.

A lot of planning went into the May Day programs at North Greenville. Each year, there was a committee formed to plan the event. Originally, May Day was sponsored by the sophomore class, but over time the whole student body became involved. With very few exceptions, the celebration was held outside in the central part of campus. In addition to dancing around the maypole, there was usually some sort of themed entertainment for the Queen. Themes through the years include the United Nations and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The May Day Court attendants all wore special dresses and their escorts wore suits. Some years, two campus children, one boy and one girl, were chosen as the mascots for May Day. Having an outdoor event sometimes led to unexpected interruptions. One May Day, in the late 1950s, a dog decided to join the fun and began running around making the participants and guests laugh throughout.

The first known May Day celebration at North Greenville was held in 1947 and the theme of the event was the life of Mother Wingo, a dorm mother at North Greenville. Viola Hayes Heath, a sophomore, was crowned as the May Queen. Viola was a Tigerville native who went on to become a teacher after graduating from North Greenville Junior College. She taught at Locust Hill and Mountain View Elementary Schools from 1947-1969. She then became one of the first teachers in the adult education program at Greenville Technical College and later served as the college’s registrar until her retirement in 1986.

May Day celebrations continued at North Greenville until 1965. By that time, interest in the celebration had waned and the spring semesters were usually winding down by May 1st so it was a difficult time to hold an event. The last May Queen crowned was Joyce Owen.

May Queens through the years:

1947: Viola Heath
1948: Esther Mae Owens
1949: Virginia Anderson
1950: Mary Rector
1951: Helen Leopard
1952: Mildred Leopard
1953: June Plyler
1954: Vivian Ballenger
1955: Sara Lee Sawyer
1956: Betty Jean Gillespie
1957: Jeanne Baker
1958: Evelyn McWhorter
1959: Beth George
1960: Pat Harrison
1961: Mary Lillian Miller
1962: Carolyn Collins
1963: Martha June Green
1964: Madeline Lackey
1965: Joyce Owen