Florida State College Banquet for Women (Group G)

Florida State College For Women Banquet Overview

The Florida State College for Women banquet was a significant event every year for the Florida State College for Women which they celebrated the success of the students who were enrolled in the university by giving awards and doing traditional dances to celebrate the year at hand.  They had speakers at the banquet like Governor Cary A. Hardee and Annette Abbott Adams, the assistant attorney general of the United States just to name a few.

Some of the traditions the Florida State College for Women had were the Thanksgiving dance and skit, Scripture Reading, Sermon, and Organ recital just to name a few. The Thanksgiving dance and skit was a tradition they did every year up until at least the 21st annual banquet service which is the one being discussed. The women who attended the banquet would look forward to it every single year and it was a tradition people would volunteer for and beg to be a part of. The dance included flapping their wings like they were a turkey and having fun among their peers. The skit included the history of how Thanksgiving came to be with the pilgrims and was a skit that was highly coveted to be in as well. The skit was rehearsed and practiced thoroughly by the women who were in the skit. The scripture reading was also a tradition in which the banquet included up to at least the 21st annual banquet for the Florida State College for Women.

The scripture reading was where one of the highly regarded students in the university who had a high GPA and was highly regarded around the university would read a piece of sculpture from the university's history to keep tabs and not lose the importance of the university's history. The sermon for the banquet would be given by someone of importance who would give a speech to motivate and teach the women of the university about qualities that would be significant for them to have moving forward. In addition to qualities, the sermon would tell stories that incorporated lessons for the women of the college to learn from.

Finally, the organ recital included a prelude, violin solo, vocal solo, and organ recessional which were all performed by different people who have been practicing and learning for a long time before the banquet. The order in which the recital is listed is the order it was done in the banquet. The Florida State College for Women glee club also performed in the ceremony. The glee club sang songs and would emphasize choral vocals in their songs. The banquet was an event that celebrated the past year of the university and brought everyone together with good food and good music, traditions, and times. 

Baccalaureate Services Program 

This program details the sequence of events for Florida State College For Women's baccalaureate service. On the top of the pamphlet is the handwritten insertion "Sylvia's Graduation" meaning that Cooper most likely received this program while attending her friend Sylvia's graduation. Furthermore, Cooper affixed a newspaper clipping to the front of the program titled "Mr. Church Gives Organ Recital". The inclusion of this clipping implies the significance of Mr. Church's performance, which could possibly mean that Cooper had him as a professor during her time at Florida State College for Women.

Banquet Program 

This program lists the order in which performances will take place during the Florida State College for Women's Banquet. The program is affixed to the page on top of a handmade frame that appears to have pink roses drawn on it in order to represent the contents of the program since each of the performances was titled after various flowers such as "Red Roses and Golden" and "Spring Buds".