Could this be the last-ever dunking of an engaged student? It's Denny Thompson and the year is 1978
Once upon a time, an engaging tradition at Bluffton College went something like this: When an engagement between two college students was announced, the male student earned a dunk in the college lagoon.
No one knows when this tradition began, and it’s possible that these two photos represent the final-ever dunking in this now-forgotten tradition.
The photos, from the spring of 1978, show Denny Thompson getting tossed into the lagoon following the announcement of his engagement to Jana Saxon.
Like all other tosses, as the after-photo shows, the best thing to do is to run for safety when the victim hit the water.
Bluffton Forever will stand corrected if we learn of any dunking later than 1978. And, as an after-thought, checking out the lagoon’s condition today, this tradition would be a difficult one to continue.
Where is/was the lagoon?
I’d like to see the Tug of War pictures that students took part in on each side of the Riley at the College. I doubt they do that anymore with all the Big Rocks on the banks now.