March Comment Page 4 1976 Traditions at Weber Flag and Songs A purple and white flag and a song written about it head the list of ‘flag and song’ traditions at Weber State College. Early fight songs also generated spirit over many years. Little is known about the purple and white flag that was used as early as 1907. Stories have it that DavidO. McKay, then principal of the Academy, chose the school colors of purple and white. Purple for royalty and white for purity. A flag bearing these colors was designed as an emblem of the academy. Various drawings of the flag appear in the early ‘‘Acorn.’”’ The 1907 issue depicts the flag on the cover with one white and one purple strip and diagonal sections of the alternate color on each side. The flag was flown beneath the United States flag and was used at parades and official functions. Early accounts indicate that it was placed on the stage in the Moench building as a decoration during. devotionals and for commencement exercises. On Founders Day the students and faculty visited the old homes of the Academy in _ several locations, ending up at the Moench building. Participants occasionally wore white apparel and carried the sehool flag in the parade. It was also traditional for each class to design their own class flag and chose the colors. The banners were hung on the Moench building walls and were used at studentbody events. In the early 1950’s the flag was used at ground-breaking ceremonies on the upper campus. Some time during the move_to the new campus the original flag was lost. No one seems to know what happened to it. Perhaps someone kept it for a keepsake or it may have been in such sad repair that it was junked. If you know what happened to the purple and white flag the Alumni office would like any details concerning it. In an effort to bolster sagging ‘‘school traditions’? in 1968, the Alumni Association designed a new flag which was approved by the Board of Trustees as the official emblem of the college. Alumni board member, Ann Moyes, in true Betsy Ross fashion, hand crafted the original flag. The flag has a white field with purple border and the WSC seal in purple in the center, surrounded by a purple laurel wreath symbolizing achievement. There are school flags in the Fine Arts Center and the Administration Building and they are used for official occasions. A school song, written about the flag, first appears in the 1925 ‘‘Acorn’’ and became _ the traditional school song. It was written by William H. Manning, a music teacher at the college. The Purple and White Proudly waving o’er Old Weber, An ensign of truth and right; The flag I love; it waves above I love it with all my might. Oh royalty lies in its Purple And purity in its White. A king I’ll be if I’m true to thee And dare to do the right. An early Weber Academy flag as depicted in the 1907 “Acorn,”’ with the present Weber State College flag beneath it. Chorus Oh, I'll be true to thee, Oh, Purple and White And I will stand by thee in any fight, For truth and right I’ll always be Close by thee, Oh, flag. Aye! Aye! All thy children honor thee, Honor, thine forever be. Thou art mine forever — Purple and White. We will e’er be true, Oh, Weber, To thy virtues high and rare. We will adore, forever more, Thy name forever bear. So here’s to thee, Alma Mater, For thy glory and thy might, Thy flag shall be the flag for me, Forever the Purple and White. The song is still sung at Alumni functions and played at many college events although students of more recent classes are often not aware that it is the school song. Itis also a taped selection of the Stewart Bell Tower. Other songs became traditional along with ‘‘Purple and White’’ during the 20’s. Many of them were “‘pep’’ songs such as “On to Victory,’’ ‘“‘Here’s to You Alma Mater,’’ and ‘‘We’re Loyal to You Weber C.’’ These songs were adaptations songs. of other college In 1929 the college was unable to pay a music teacher and a very active music program was in danger of dying out. Roland Perry, in 1930, donated his time to the college after his regular teaching job at a junior high school and began the Musettes, a group of female vocalists whose name became synonymous with the college. The next year he was employed full-time by the college. He composed several pep songs, used for many years on the WSC campus. _ “Rah, Rah Weber”? was used on programs that were taken as far as Malad, Idaho. The song was sung to a syncopated beat. “The number started with a soloist singing to piano accompaniment and gradually choir members scattered throughout the audience joined in,’’ said Mr. Perry. ‘‘There was a rousing ‘rah’ by the end with almost everyone singing.”’ ‘Rah, rah, rah, rah, rah, rah, for Alma Mater, Six rousing rah’s we sing for Weber. Weber, Weber, Weber, rah, rah, rah. Growl out your growls and start to shiver, Here’s Weber!” The Purple and - White “Proudly waving o’er Old Weber, An ensign of truth and right.” Another song composed by Mr. Perry was ‘“‘We’re Gonna Ring the Bell of Victory Tonight” which became the college fight song. It was used along with the WSC Victory Bell (the tradition which was the first subject in the series). The flag and songs have taken their place among the traditions of Weber State College and it is interesting to note that while some WSC students feel such a tradition as a college flag is outdated several universities have recently developed, or arein the process of designing, such standards as emblems of their schools. At Weber State it’s a 70 year t tradition. _