Step Sing, in the Beginning

It’s that time of year again. It’s time for Step Sing! Like the rest of the campus, the University Library is excited. To celebrate, we pulled out some early mentions of Step Sing from past Crimsons to share.

1951 Crimson announcement of Step Sing

The first Step Sing was announced as a “Singspiration” in the October 12, 1951 issue of The Crimson. It was planned by the Baptist Student Union and held on the steps of Renfroe Hall, a women’s dormitory on the East Lake campus.

The event must have been a popular activity for the student body because a second Step Sing was planned for the spring semester that same academic year. Step Sing has been one of the university’s most beloved traditions ever since.

In the beginning, the “Singspirations” lasted about 30 minutes and included both sacred and secular music. As far as we can tell, Step Sing did not become a competition until the following year. Although the Crimson did not record  winners in 1953, an April issue of the paper that year noted “the bang-up affair” would have them. Apparently, they were the same winners as the following year because the 1954 issue of the school paper proclaimed, “Pi Kappa Alpha and Young Women’s Auxiliary win again.”

What will the story be this year? Who is going to win? We look forward to finding out, and, rest assured, this year’s story will live on in the memories of all involved and will be preserved for years to come in the University Archives found in the University Library.  

Contributed by Jennifer Taylor, Chair, Special Collections and University Archives