Cauldron

Issue date: 10/11/07 Section: Features

Media Credit: Courtesy of Archives Lynne Manley, UST's first Mardi Gras queen, was a junior in the spring of 1950 and was crowned during the celebration that began an on-going tradition.

While many people associate Mardi Gras with beads, floats and Bourbon Street, to UST students, faculty and alumni the Mardi Gras is a classic tradition that developed from a recognized Houston event to a profitable fundraiser.

The first UST Mardi Gras, held February 17, 1950, was celebrated as a carnival and dance. The program attracted hundreds of fun-loving fans. Mardi Gras was held in the Houston Coliseum and featured vocal solos, piano and dancing. However, the height of the night was the coronation of the Mardi Gras queen and king. Lynne Manley, class of 1951 was the first Mardi Gras queen.

Although UST was still small, the school had the clout to bring in Hollywood stars who headlined the event. Ann Blyth and Pat O'Brien, movie stars of the time, were crowned honorary queen and king of Mardi Gras. More Hollywood celebrities attended Mardi Gras until 1957, like Debbie Reynolds, who was one of the most sought out actress during the mid-1950s. Her most notable works were "Singing in the Rain" and "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." Other colleges like Rice University, were invited to participate in the event by crowning their own student princesses.

Betty Kaffenberger, one of the first UST staff members, who now works in archives, said Mardi Gras continued to bringing more "visibility to the University."

Apart from the musical entertainment, costume contests, side shows, presented by students, and floats filled the night with excitement and thrill. There were also raffles. One lucky student won the chance to drive away in a new 1951 Ford 8 Custom Sedan; two students enjoyed margaritas in Mexico or New York Times Square as part of a 7-day, all-expenses-paid vacation, and another student studied stress free from then on, winning a four-year, full-tuition scholarship to the UST.

Betty Fisher, class of 1942, said Mardi Gras was one of the most memorable events. "We were barely 100 students, and to be able to be involved with an affair with Hollywood stars and fill a coliseum is phenomenal."

In 1959, Mardi Gras officially changed into a ball where students, faculty and guests dressed in lavish gowns and suits to dance the night away.

Today, Mardi Gras is an annual fundraiser held to raise money for UST's Francis E. Monaghan Scholarship Fund. Last year, the scholarship event, "Under the Big Top" raised $1 million. The crowd was entertained by the World Famous Nerveless Nocks, who performed a variety of circus acts, such a flying trapeze, tightrope-walking, juggling and lion-taming. Many students benefit from the success of this fund-raiser, one of whom was last year's queen, Communication major Susan Trawick, whose UST education depended on the donations of benefactors.

Mardi Gras began as a student-organized celebration and developed into a successful fund-raiser. Although the Mardi Gras celebration has changed dramatically, it remains a tradition that has a positive impact on students and the University.

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