At 7am on a December morning in 1969, a number of UNCG students
gathered in front of the Elliott University Center with 2000 candles, white
paper bags, soufflé cups, and a really big pile of sand. With these supplies,
they started a campus tradition which continues today: the annual luminaries display.
Before the project could begin, Kim Ketchum, president of
the UNCG senior class of 1970, presented the idea for the display to Katherine
Taylor, dean of students, and to Terry Weaver, manager of the Elliott
University Center. They agreed to allow the students to proceed with the
display, and ultimately, the project received the blessing of Chancellor James
S. Ferguson. Chancellor Ferguson provided money to purchase the sand and
candles from his discretionary fund. The white bags and soufflé cups were
donated by the cafeteria.
Throughout the day, students stopped by to help assemble the
luminaries. They carefully placed sand and a candle (balanced on the soufflé cup)
in each bag. Ketchum and six other students used a Physical Plant vehicle to
position the luminaries strategically along the campus streets. Around 6pm,
students emerged from the residence halls to light the candles. As the
luminaries burned, groups sang Christmas carols around the campus and gathered
to drink hot cider and hot chocolate around a bonfire that burned in a metal pit.
Ketchum recalled, “It was a success then, and it’s very
gratifying that our class started a tradition that endures to this day. I think
that this probably was the first large luminary display in Guilford County, and
the rest of the area picked up on it.”
UNCG’s sororities and fraternities carry on this tradition today, preparing the luminaries, lighting them, and cleaning up. In 2011 sustainable luminaries were introduced, which decreased prep-time and eliminated potential hazards. And, as is part
of the campus tradition, when the candles burn out, students return to their
studies, as Fall semester final exams loom in the immediate future.
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