CalPoly

Poly Royal

Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | Print Friendly

Of Cal Poly's many campus traditions, perhaps the best known and loved is Poly Royal, the annual campus event that celebrates the university's learn-by-doing philosophy. Poly Royal's origins lie in the Farmers' Institute and Basket Picnic, the first open house event on campus, which was held May 24, 1904. The founders of the California Polytechnic School decided to "hold a monster picnic at the school in early May when noted educators and prominent citizens will address the people." More than 200 visitors attended that first Farmers' Institute, touring the school's new buildings, eating barbecue, and listening to a speech by Trustee E. J. Wickson, a member of the agricultural faculty at the University of California at Berkeley.

By 1908, the Biennial Report of the Board of Trustees noted, "The day is now looked upon as an established feature of the school year, furnishing as it does excellent opportunity for 'extension work' in agricultural education among residents of a large community." Two years later, the Farmers' Institute was so popular that the Pacific Coast Railway offered reduced fares, which lured more than 800 visitors. In 1913, over 3,000 persons attended the Farmers' Institute, which was joined with celebrations of the school's first ten years of operation. The combined Farmers' Institute and Decennial celebration featured a barbecue, a pageant of San Luis Obispo history, and commencement ceremonies for the class of 1913. By the 1920s, however, the Farmers' Institute had disappeared, perhaps a victim of funding uncertainties during this period.

In 1933, plans began for a new campus open house. Although he would not assume the presidency of the school until July of that year, Julian McPhee supported the creation of a new annual event as a method of publicizing the school while preparing agricultural students for livestock judging at the state level. The organizers of the first Poly Royal were Carl "Gus" Beck, advisor of the FFA chapter and seven agriculture faculty members. Various names — Little International and Cal Poly Agricultural Exposition — were considered and discarded; eventually Poly Royal was selected as the official designation. The event was billed as "A Country Fair on a College Campus" and students began preparations to show their campus to parents, friends, and supporters.

On March 31, 1933, "hundreds of visitors from the coast counties and the San Joaquin valley thronged the California Polytechnic campus for the first annual Poly Royal agricultural show," reported the San Luis Obispo Daily Telegram. The 1933 El Rodeo yearbook enthusiastically described that sunny Friday's program of events:

One of the greatest products of a showman's hand was featured by the Agricultural Division in the form of the Poly Royal. The day was begun with a big stock parade. Stock judging continued throughout the day, and those in attendance at the show were given the privilege to inspect all the agricultural equipment and to view exhibits of farm projects. A well-prepared barbecue, held in Poly grove, constituted the noon meal for campus residents and others. Climaxing the great day came the Poly Royal dance in Crandall gymnasium. The setting was perfect and the music, by the Paramount Dance orchestra, equally as good. All of the day and evening were well attended.

Other popular events held at the first Poly Royal included horticulture judging, tours of the industrial shops, a baseball game, and presentations of awards.

Poly Royal differed from previous campus events because of its role as one of Julian McPhee's strategies for reinvigorating the college. Earlier campus events were similar to the Chautauquas popular at that time, with an emphasis on lectures from leading citizens and dignitaries. From its inception, Julian McPhee intended Poly Royal as the popular embodiment of Cal Poly's learn-by-doing philosophy, with its livestock and horticultural exhibitions and student project showcases offered to visitors as proof of the effectiveness of vocational education.

Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | Print Friendly