Infrequently Asked Questions

from the desk of the University Archivist

What did early students have to bring with them to campus?

According to our first prospectus, printed in 1798, "Every boarder upon his entrance into the College is to bring with him six shirts, six pair of stockings, six pocket-handkerchiefs, four cravats, four towels, one hat, and three pairs of shoes - all quite new." Also "the uniform for the season in which he comes consisting in a complete suit for Sundays and another for week days, a silver tumbler and spoon, two knives and forks, a matrass [sic] and a pillow, two pair of sheets and two pillow-cases, three blankets and a counterpane or rug. These items will be furnished by the College, on demand, and paying immediately their amount in advance."

Newly-ordained Jesuits' first blessing in front of Dahlgren Chapel, ca. 1925

Which was the first campus building to be named after some one who was not a Jesuit?

That would be Dahlgren Chapel, the ninth building on campus, dedicated in 1893. Elizabeth Drexel and John Vinton Dahlgren (A.B. 1889, LL.B. 1891) had originally proposed that a small mortuary chapel be build as a memorial to their infant son, Joseph Drexel Dahlgren, who died in 1891. However, then Georgetown President J. Havens Richards, S.J. had a grander vision, suggesting a larger chapel capable of serving the whole university community which the Dahlgrens agreed to fund. In addition to being the first building named after a non-Jesuit, the Chapel was also the first to be funded exclusively by outside gifts.

Georgetown boat crew, circa 1881

When and why were Blue and Gray adopted as Georgetown's colors?

In 1876, the Georgetown College Boat Club (the original crew team) was founded and one of its first actions was to appoint a Committee on Colors. Georgetown did not have any colors at the time and it was felt that they were needed so supporters on shore could identify the team during races. The Committee, desiring colors to both honor Georgetown students and alumni who had fought in the Civil War and to express "the feeling of unity that exists between the Northern and Southern boys of the College", recommended the adoption of Blue and Gray. The young ladies from the neighboring Visitation Academy immediately sewed a half blue, half gray banner, bearing the inscription Ocior Euro ("Swifter than the Wind"), and presented it to the College. The banner, now lost, was prominently displayed at commencements and other school events and its colors quickly became part of our tradition.