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Simmons College Traditions . . .
Then and Now

PARENTS' WEEKEND / FAMILY WEEKEND

Scheduled activities for what appears to be the first Parents' Weekend, November 19-21, 1972, were located on campus for freshmen and seniors and their parents. Friday afternoon's registration desk was located in Beatley Library, and tea was served in the dorms. The evening's events provided a choice between a movie showing in Alumnae Hall or live folk entertainment in the Smith Hall basement.

On Saturday morning, faculty presentations were followed by small group discussions and then lunch in Bartol Hall. In the afternoon, the Glee Club entertained, followed by a Drama Society presentation in the Simmons Hall Living Room. A Saturday evening talent show was presented by students and faculty. Sunday's only scheduled activity, brunch at the Brookline home of President and Mrs. Holmes, brought Parents' Weekend to a close.

From 1974, Parents' Weekends were held most every year and the scheduled activities closely followed the format begun in 1972: Friday afternoon tea and evening entertainment on campus, a whirlwind Saturday with faculty presentations in the morning, lunch at Bartol Hall, time for sightseeing, and dinner dances or an evening of entertainment. In the mid-1990s, the Saturday morning program included a State of the College address by President Holmes. Parents' Weekend was transformed into Family Weekend in 1995, but the activites remained largely the same, including Sunday brunch at the home of the President.

 

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Page updated: June 27, 2006

 

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