You are Invited......

The Graduating class of 1959

Punahou School - "Senior Dinner Dance"

Friday June 5, 1959 - 6:30 to midnight - Oahu Country Club

By Jon Larson:

Here is a list of the 40 songs from our Senior Prom dinner dance held the night before graduation. Do you remember them all? I bet you remember most of them. Close your eyes, go back 40 years, smell the carnation, ginger and pikake leis and sense the excitement as you play this beautiful music from the 1950's over again in your mind.

Set:

I

II

III

IV

V

VI

VII

VIII

IX

X

XI

XII

XIII

The "Dance Card"

Jan Collins recently uncovered her "Dance Card" for our Senior Prom, also referred to as a "Bid Card". This brings back memories for all of us I am sure of our Punahou dances so many of us attended. The card would list the songs that would be played in sets. The ladies were allowed to ask the gentlemen to dance any particular set or sets. This was always negotiated weeks ahead of the dance. When he accepted, she would write his name into the bid blank space on her dance card for that set with the objective to fill up the card by the day of the dance. I recall asking certain ladies if I could be on their dance cards so it worked both ways as far as I was concerned. Those few couples "Going Steady" usually only danced with each other the entire evening. I was always a little jealous of their more relaxed familiarity with each other. But the rest of us got to change partners during the evening as often as we were adventuresome and this had many obvious benefits as far as I was concerned. Of course you always danced the first and last Set with your special partner or date for the evening. Between sets there was often a scramble to locate your dance partner for the next set.

Senior Prom Invitation and Bid Card

The Dance Lei

There was the wonderful (only in Hawaii) custom where the gentlemen bought beautiful leis for their dance dates for the evening. The more special the lady and occasion, the thicker the lei.

Triple Red and White Carnation Lei

 Carnation leis were the most popular. Double was good but for that very special lady and occasion, a triple carnation was really the way to go. White, pink and dark red were the most popular colors. At $6 to $12 per lei even back then, this was a considerable financial set back for the gentlemen. My father usually loaned me the money for the leis which I earned back mowing the yard. I purchased the leis at Kaimuki Florists and picked them up Saturday afternoon so they would be as fresh as possible.

Vanda Maunaloa Orchid and Maile/Ilima Leis

Attempting to be really cool, I recall asking my dance date ahead of time the color of the dress she planned to wear so that I could coordinate the color of the carnation lei with her dress. But when in doubt, white carnation went with everything.

Ginger and Pikaki Leis

 I remember well each of the special ladies I was privileged to escort to various Punahou dances including Denby, Beppie, Sally and Linda Jane. If all went well, the expected routine was I would arrive at the house nervous, walk up to the front door and knock, my date would hopefully open the door but sometimes she was still getting ready leaving me to stand there and deal with the anxious parents (and often brothers and sisters as well). At the first opportunity I would place the lei over her neck and give her a gentle Aloha kiss on the cheek. What a wonderful ice-breaker this was.

Denby recalls our Junior Prom date at the Princess Kaiulani Hotel a little differently as follows: "I was wearing a light brown dress with matching shoes. You wore a white dinner jacket, a perfect choice for the 1950's. You gave me a white carnation lei but I think you were too shy to kiss me so you just left the lei on the car seat and I picked it up. You were fun and nice and by no means a "social zero" or else a cool person like me never would have gone out with you".

And then off we would go to the dance. . My old beat up 1940 Chevy I bought for $110 was only good for hauling "the gang" and our surfboards and boogie boards to Sandy Beach, Makapuu or Haleiwa for surfing (with its leaky muffler, torn seat covers and sand in everything) so I always borrowed the family car from my parents. And then as we walked onto the dance floor together, the most beautiful mix of fragrances from all the flower leis would greet us.

Plumaria and Tuberose Leis

8th grade Cotillion - The Dan and Ginny Wallace Dance Studio:

I was not a great dancer as I recall. My parents' money was wasted on me for formal dancing classes in the 7-8th grade at the Dan Wallace Dance Studio at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Waikiki (remember those days?). I was painfully shy with the ladies back then and a total conversational nerd. I used to make up lists of subjects to talk about ahead of time and keep the list in my pocket and secretly refer to it when conversation became strained and the lady looked the other way. Then refreshed with new subjects I was good for another 5-10 minutes of conversation.

My favorite dance class partner was my good buddy Diana Jardine because she always made me relax and have fun so I did not feel self-conscious. To make matters worse, we spent a lot of dance class time riding the elevators in the Royal Hawaiian instead of on the dance floor. But the etiquette of the time called for young ladies and gentlemen to be able to dance formally. So our parents were determined we learn to dance formally even if we weren't at that early age. But boy did that change by high school.

The school dances themselves were always great fun. I recall concern by the school that we often danced too close together with too much full body contact. An edict issued that there would be a minimum distance between the dance partners (I recall 6") but with the hormones beginning to surge in all of us (guys and dolls alike) that did not work. I even recall one of our teacher/chaperones bringing a ruler to a dance to make the point by demonstrating the proper distance apart. As soon as she turned away, we resumed our "full body contact" positions as we enjoyed our first real advance signals of some of the "incredible possibilities" that awaited us with the boy-girl thing just beginning to reveal itself to us.

"A White Sport Coat and a "Red" Carnation"... (wasn't that a '50's song?) Doug Snyder is all dressed up for the Prom... Wearing leis was a guy thing too.

These were all such wonderful customs. How formal and quaint and naive they seem today in these supposedly more sophisticated but casual times. Hawaii, Punahou, and the Fifties.... There will never be another time quite like this. It reminds me once again of how truly blessed we all were to be part of these unique times of prosperity, naivete and stability with their time honored civilized customs and rules of behavior where traditions, manners and etiquette were all so important.

May I have the next dance please? They are playing our song. And it is ....

"The Last Dance"

 

More input about "Proms, Carnation Leis and Kisses"

Karen Cloward: "I recall the times I had to give a lei to my date like for the Sadie Hawkins dances. I and some of my friends would save a few bucks by purchasing bags of carnations and making our own leis. Talk about a trip down memory lane....most of the songs on that long list are still favorites of mine. That is probably because of the special memories associated with them. I, also, vividly remember the dance classes with the Wallaces. (They were good friends of my parents.) You are right, Jon, we are truly blessed to have lived our youth in such a unique time - the "best of times".

Diane Devereux: "I loved Dan and Ginny Wallace! I practiced with a broom at home! For the junior prom Jim Haley gave me one of those gorgeous soft, fragrant triple, white carnation leis. I made and wore an emerald green velveteen and chiffon dress with matching satin shoes and felt very, very lovely! (I may even still have that one as well as my senior prom dress in my trunk.). Jim looked so handsome in his white dinner jacket. We went to a post prom party at Barbara Buscher's Kahala house on the beach. He was a fun date and such a gentleman. I went to the Sr. prom at Oahu Country Club with Dick Silverstein who was a kick. I made a lovely gold chiffon dress (still have it as it was a sewing feat of pride and joy) w/matching shoes (really was the thing then, eh?). Dick gave me 12 - twelve - strands of pikake, the most I have ever had or ever will have!"

Katy Cabot: " I am tempted to send you a very glamorous photo of me (and Lumpy Lochbaum) in my "loving-hands-at-home" senior prom dress. The dress was very photogenic but I seem to recall a grave concern on my part in keeping the strapless top UP! - some things you just don't forget."

Janet Faye: "PS: If you could just remind me who I went to the prom with, my day would be complete."