Prom In the winter, Wilson held a Junior-Senior Promenade, or “Prom” for short. While we typically associate the prom with high school now, back then it provided an opportunity for Wilson’s all-female student population to socialize with the men at nearby men’s colleges such as Gettysburg, Franklin & Marshall, and the Naval Academy. The first Prom was held in 1905; juniors and seniors attended while the freshmen and sophomore classes were responsible for transforming Wilson’s gymnasium into a suitably themed area. Prom lasted from early evening until one o’clock in the morning, when the live orchestra played their final song. In 1928, Prom became a two-day affair with a dance on both Friday and Saturday nights. The 1956 “Greenwich to Broadway” themed dance was an elaborate affair of “subway stops” around campus, starting Friday night at “Greenwich” (Laird Hall) for dancing, and picking up again Saturday afternoon at the “Metropole” (Laird again) for jazz and continuing through a New York City-themed tour around campus to stops such as the Brass Rail (Alumnae House), Schrafft’s (South Hall), and Sardi’s (Riddle), before finishing up with another formal dance on Broadway (Laird once again).
