Rollins College Trivia

Why are Rollins teams called the “Tars”?

During World War I, a Navy unit was stationed at Rollins and trained on Lake Virginia. Sailors used to be called “tars” because of the tar they put on their hair to keep it in place. The name stuck at Rollins.

Who won the Rollins-Florida football game of 1907?

Rollins played intercollegiate football until 1951. In the early years their competitors included the University of Florida and the University of Miami. Rollins beat the Gators in 1907.

What Rollins publication has as its motto “Stick To It”?

“Stick To It” is the motto of The Sandspur, Florida’s oldest college newspaper. In its first issue on December 20, 1894, the editor wrote: “Unassuming yet almighty, sharp and pointed, well-rounded yet many-sided, assiduously tenacious, victorious in single combat and therefore without a peer…”

When did Rollins become coeducational?

Lucy Cross was a graduate of Oberlin, the first college in the country to admit women, and it is no accident that Rollins was founded as a college for men and women. The University of Florida began as a college for men only, and F.S.U. was the Florida College for Women until both institutions became coeducational in 1947.

Does Rollins award an A.B. or a B.A.?

The original Rollins degree was the atrium baccalaureus (A.B.) with the diploma written in Latin. In the 1920s, the diploma was “modernized” to Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) and translated into English. In recognition of the College’s centennial in 1985, diplomas were once again issued in Latin and the degree became once again the A.B.

When and where was the Peace Monument Built?

Hamilton Holt (President 1925-1949) was a prominent and eloquent voice for world peace. He advised Andrew Carnegie on the establishment of his Endowment for International Peace, and he worked closely with Woodrow Wilson to encourage America’s membership in the League of Nations. In 1938, on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the Armistice ending World War I, he installed a monument to World Peace on the campus. It stood in front of Gale Hall until it was vandalized in 1943. What’s left is currently resting in the Mills Memorial Building.

What was The Animated Magazine?

Hamilton Holt had been editor of The Independent, and he carried on this interest through The Animated Magazine. Begun in the 1920s, this February event attracted prominent figures to “speak” their articles and an audience of thousands would hear them on the campus horseshoe.

What was the Dinky Line?

The Orlando & Winter Park Railway began service on February 13, 1889; the little train carried local farm and students until its last run from Oviedo to Orlando in 1967. The tracks ran along the lakefront and the station was at the end of Ollie Avenue, the beach area now called “Dinky Dock”.

What does Fiat Lux mean?

The original college motto was “Sit Lux” – “Let Light Be”. After a few years, the faculty changed it from the subjunctive (provisional) to the jussive mood (command) and the College motto became “Fiat Lux” – “Let there be light”. The words appear on the official College seal.

What is “Fox Day”?

At the entrance to the dining hall (“The Beanery”) in the 1930s, there stood two statues, a fox and a cat. One night the cat disappeared (tradition says it was tossed into the lake by fraternity pranksters), so the statue of the fox was put in storage for safekeeping. In 1956, Hugh McKean (President 1951-1969) established a tradition of a surprise holiday each spring, announced by the mysterious appearance of the fox on the center of the campus. President Bornstein continues this popular tradition to the delight of the students and faulty alike.

Whose ashes are buried on the Rollins campus? Where?

In the early years of the twentieth century, one of the country’s most popular writers was Rex Beach. His adventure stories were widely read and many were made into popular movies. The Spoilers (1942) starring Marlene Deitrich, John Wayne, and Randolph Scott can be seen on late-night television. Rex Beach served as the first President of the Rollins Alumni Association and it buried with his wife in front of the Alumni House.

The sister of what famous American author attended Rollins?

Ernest Hemingway’s sister Carol was vice-president of her class and she wrote stories for The Flamingo (“A Literary Magazine of the Youngest Generation”). Carol left after her sophomore year to marry a Rollins classmate.

What is The Walk of Fame?

At “Sunset Hill”, his home in Woodstock, Connecticut, Hamilton Holt had a family Walk of Fame. He brought the idea to Rollins and installed the Rollins Walk of Fame around the horseshoe in 1929. Students and alumni were encouraged to collect stones form places associated with great figures of world history and culture. Thomas Edison liked the idea so much that he started a “Walk of Friendship” which can still be seen at his estate in Fort Meyers.