Challenge yourself to Tom’s Trivia!
See if you know as much as King of UConn Trivia Tom Breen ’00 (CLAS).
Scroll to the bottom to reveal the answers.
A popular campus social occasion, through the 1960s, was a day in the fall semester when residence halls competed in events ranging from sack races to costume contests. What was the name of this day?
A: Dad's Day
B: Derby Day
C: The Community Chest Carnival
D: Fall Carnival
Agriculture has been an essential part of UConn since the institution was founded in 1881 as the Storrs Agricultural School. Who was the last president of the school to also have been a farmer?
A: Charles Beach
B: Glenn Ferguson
C: Albert Jorgensen
D: Benjamin Koons
When Week of Welcome was Freshmen Week, a panel of three seniors would enforce traditions like a candlelight oath ceremony and beanie-wearing. Their slogan was the forbidding, “Read, Hear, and Obey.” What was this group called?
A: The Committee of Three
B: The Archons
C: The Order of the Night Moose
D: The Black Triumvirate
The first Husky to have a significant NBA career was the country’s top rebounder, led the team to three consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, and memorably scored 30 points in a victory over American International College, when the player guarding him was none other than Jim Calhoun. What was his name?
A: Tom Penders
B: Dee Rowe
C: Toby Kimball
D: Bobby Osborne
One of the Vocational-Agriculture groups on campus as photographed in 1946 by entomology professor and longtime unofficial University photographer Jerauld A. Manter.
Answers
- B. Sponsored by Greek organizations, Derby Day featured costumes, floats, and a raucous award ceremony at which trophies were given out to winning residence halls.
- C. Jorgensen, who served the longest tenure as president in UConn history, had worked his way through college as a farm laborer and owned a farm in Iowa when he was appointed to the presidency. His background helped assuage fears that the growing university would move away from its agricultural roots.
- D. The origin of the name is unclear, but each of the three “chancellors” chosen to enforce Freshmen Week traditions was a member of the Black Triumvirate. One of the duties involved being thrown into Mirror Lake by freshmen after a late night pajama parade.
- C. Drafted in the third round by the Boston Celtics, Toby Kimball spent a decade in the NBA and retired in 1975, having played for the Celtics, the San Diego (now Houston) Rockets, and other teams.
I thought it was the Pied Piper who was thrown in mirror lake.
#1 [64-68] Never heard of “Derby Day” … our charity celebration + parade was for “CCC” which you called the Community Chest Carnival.
#3 [65] I was a “Blue Legionnaire” [Soph’s], we wore armbands and were the “arresting” force for the Black Triumvirate, scouring the campus during freshman orientation for “culprits” who were tried onstage by the BT. The major crime was not wearing the Freshman Beanie. Sentences may have involved whipped cream during trial on a raised platform. Don’t remember the lake bit, I was probably running the other way. All culprits seemed to be good looking?
side note – there were also a list of questions that the Frosh had to know … one unfortunate one was WHAT WAS THE COLOR OF DR HOMER BABBIDGE’S eyes. The answer was supposed to be BLUE. However, he had a one glass eye that was – PURPLE. Luckily, he had a great sense of humor.
#4 [68/69] My roommate [Naval Officer] and I [Marine puke] had lunch with Toby Kimball [recently passed] in San Diego, while we were in the service. Always a nice guy.
Ray Burrington – 4 yrs Student govt, one year Class of ’68 Treasurer [we paid the farmer for Jonathan 7 upkeep]; also part of CCC parade float team for Lambda Chi Alpha.
ps- have since had 3 Siberian Huskies + 2 grand-Huskies
Rayuconn@cox.net
#1 Derby Days was/is a Sigma Chi fundraiser in which any sorority, athletic team, residence hall, etc can compete. Proceeds go to the Children’s Miracle Network.