OWU Timescapes
Dancing Through the Decades
In the early days of Ohio Wesleyan, students were expected to avoid dancing as a display of personal responsibility. But violations and “sneak” dances became more common until the “dancing situation” had to be addressed by the administration. Following a student petition, dancing was finally permitted in campus buildings in 1929, and students haven’t stopped shakin’ it since.
In 1962, a dance party at the MUB was the place to be. More recently, in December, the annual President’s Ball was held in the atrium of Schimmel/Conrades Science Center, where Trent Williams ’17 hit the dance floor. The ball, which is planned by the President’s Club for the senior class, was created in 1985 at the suggestion of then-sophomore Gay Johnson Grossman ’88 in response to a 1985 retreat held by then-University President David Warren to discuss community building on campus. Johnson planned the formal event and later ended up marrying her date, Steve Grossman ’87. (Read about more couples who met at OWU)
