Dobie High School Initiation Years

I've found one of the enjoyable things about perusing the old Dobie yearbooks is seeing threads of changing trends. Just following a line of thought from the 1968 opening of the high school through two decades reveals really interesting shifts.  

I'll include some fun posts of the changing cars in Auto Shop, as well a fashions both broadly and in cheer, band, and Lariaettes over the next month. 

But let's start with one that disappears on us.

One of the threads was the first decade's common practice of large-scale freshmen initiation. 

In 1968 when Dobie opened, most seniors elected to stay at South Houston, so the upperclassmen ranks were considerably thin. But that didn't stop them from initiating the freshman class with nose-to-the-ground penny pushing in the hallways. 

From that point on, every yearbook included photos of the popular public humiliations, particularly the forced proposals, wall-support, and beanie wearing. 

The 1970 book, which still holds the record for most pages of any Dobie yearbook and the odd distinction of organizing everything by astrological sign, has an astonishing 9 initiation photos included:

1971

1972

1973

1974

1975

1976

even the Longhorn icon on the freshman pages sports the beanie

the freshman car wash, sometimes titled car polish, was supported by the freshman sponsors who pitched in to help

1977

The ingrained acceptance of initiation was writ large in the '77 theme of the book -- what was typical in the life of students.

1978

But then, all photographic evidence of freshman initiation rites disappear.

There is not a single photo in the 1979 Yearbook of beanies or freshman being forced to do any activity because of their status. Interestingly, that book's theme was "Changes" including the retirement of Alan Sory as principal, a job he'd held since Dobie opened its doors. 

Whether it was a school mandate, or a bigger district push to end such traditions, is not mentioned. But it's gone from the yearbooks. The only thing you can find is a dress-up day in summer band, prior to the start of school, that singled out freshman. Anything else, and you know there was stuff, occurred off the books.