College Streaking - Part 40

 Washington College May Day Streak

There's a May Day streaking tradition at Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland.  It started innocuously in 1967 when Bennett Lamond, a professor of English, was reading some May Day celebrations in literature to his class, and one student suggested that instead of reading about it, they do it.  So Lamond set up a maypole, which the students danced around (above).  Later that night, some students danced around the maypole naked.

Streaking on May Day (not necessarily around a maypole) became a tradition.  These are Washington College students in 1974, the year when college streaking became a national fad.

These are some students in 1978.

More students in 1978.  One of them, Peter Abronski, was arrested by police for indecent exposure and taken to jail.  The entire student population congregated outside the jail in protest and refused to leave until Abronski was released.

That incident generated headlines for the small-town college, referred to in the caption of this photo.  Unfortunately this photo has been censored.

The May Day streaking tradition continued.  These are streakers in 1980.  In recent years, the celebration has been toned down due to ubiquitous cell phones, but students still strip after midnight and, in the absence of a maypole, they dance around the flagpole.

Happy May Day!