Beauty Knows No Pain |
|
| History | |
|---|---|
| Genre: | Precision drill team |
| Motto: | Beauty Knows No Pain [1] |
| Year originated: | 1940 |
| Originated by: | Gussie Nell Davis[2] |
| College: | Kilgore College |
| City: | Kilgore, Texas |
| Current | |
| Director: | Dana Blair |
| Assistant Director: | Shelley Wayne |
| Number of members: | 71 |
The Kilgore College Rangerettes are a precision drill team from Kilgore College in Kilgore, Texas. The team was created by Gussie Nell Davis in 1939-1940[3] and made their debut on September 12, 1940.[4]
Gussie Nell Davis, a teacher who had previous experience with training high school marching drill teams, was hired by the Kilgore College president in 1939. He wanted to create a diversion for fans to stay in their seats during half time rather than drinking alcohol. He instructed her "to produce a halftime show that would keep men in their seats instead of under the stands taking a nip." Her first shows provided "unaccustomed sobriety".[5] Miss Davis retired in 1979, and died in 1993.[6]
They have performed internationally, including Venezuela in 1972, Hong Kong, Macao, and Korea in 1975, Romania in 1977, Nice, Paris, and Cannes, France in 1985 and 1995, Singapore in 1977, and many other locations around the world.[6] Since 1951, the Rangerettes have appeared at the pregame and half-time shows at the Cotton Bowl Classic[3] and have appeared at several Dallas Cowboys games. Parades include Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and Dwight Eisenhower's first inauguration.[5]
Contents |
In 1939, Kilgore College Dean, Dr. B.E. Masters, decided that the college needed an organization that would attract young women to the college and keep people in their seats during football game halftimes. His goal of equalizing the male/female student ratio had a secondary benefit - the folks would stay in the stands during halftime instead of sipping improper beverages under them.
Dr. Masters brought Miss Gussie Nell Davis to Kilgore College to create something special. Her creation and gift to the world were the Kilgore College Rangerettes! The first group of its kind in the world, the Rangerettes brought "show business" to the football gridiron. Miss Davis' team took to the field during the 1940 football season, pioneering the field of dancing drill teams now seen across the nation. Miss Davis retired in 1979, and died in 1993.
The first assistant director of the Rangerettes was Peggy Crowder. Miss Crowder was a Rangerette in the 1940s, and later returned to Kilgore College as Dr. Peggy Coghlan, the Vice-President of Instruction and Chief Academic Officer. The creator of the "Stomp", Dr. Coghlan retired from the college 1996.
Barbara "Pill" Harmon was the second assistant director, and resides in Texas.
Mr. Denard Haden became the first Rangerette choreographer in 1948. He created the Rangerette style by using innovative patterns and steps, and developed many original ideas that are still used by dance and drill teams today. A very creative choreographer, Mr. Haden, was also a well-known dance instructor all over East Texas. He retired in 1978, and died in 1983.
Mrs. Deana Bolton Covin was the third assistant director of the Rangerettes from 1972 to 1979, and she became the second director of the Rangerettes when Miss Davis retired in 1979. Mrs. Covin became very well known for her emphasis on precision, polish, and perfection. She retired in 1993, but continues to play a very active role in the Rangerette Forever Alumni organization.
The second Rangerette choreographer was Mrs. Ruth Flynn. Mrs. Flynn worked with Mrs. Covin from 1980-1984. She is a former Rangerette who now directs the Tyler Junior College Apache Belles.
Mrs Covin's first assistant director, Laura Davis, was also the third Rangerette choreographer. Miss Davis is a former Rangerette Lieutenant and Swingster (1975–1977), and worked as the assistant director with Ruth Flynn and Mrs. Covin for one year (1983–1984). After Mrs. Flynn left Kilgore College in 1984, Miss Davis took over choreography in addition to her duties as assistant director. Miss Davis currently resides in Dallas, Texas.
Mrs. Covin's next assistant director and choreographer was Miss Dana Brown. Dana is a former Rangerette Lieutenant and Swingster (1981–1983) who assisted Mrs. Covin from 1986-1993. Originally from Dallas, she became the third director of the Rangerettes after Mrs. Covin retired in 1993, and then Mrs. Dana Blair in 1994. Mrs. Blair is the first director to have been a Rangerette.
The current assistant director and choreographer of the Rangerettes is Mrs. Shelley Wayne. Shelley is a former Rangerette Lieutenant and Swingster (1985–1987) originally from Houston who returned to Kilgore College after directing the Westfield High School drill team (Houston, TX) for one year. Mrs. Wayne and Mrs. Blair have worked together with the Rangerettes since 1993.
The Rangerettes are the world's best-known collegiate drill team, traveling from coast-to-coast and border-to-border in the United States and on several world tours, the highlights of which are listed below:
1972 Performed for five days in Venezuela
1975 Star attraction at the American Fortnight in Hong Kong, Macao, and Korea
1977 Toured for 15 days behind the Iron Curtain in Romania
1985 Performed at the Carnival Celebration in Nice, Paris, and Cannes, France
Feb 1995 Performed at the Carnival Celebration in Nice, Paris, and Cannes, France
Jan 1996 Invited performers in the Fiesta Bowl Parade in Phoenix, AZ
Feb 1997 Part of the Chinese New Year celebration in Singapore
Nov 1998 Invited feature performers in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Mar 2000 Honored guests at the Saint Patrick's Day Parade and Lord Mayor's Ball in Dublin, Ireland
Jan 2001 Traveled to Washington, D.C. as invited guests of the Texas State Society for the inauguration celebration of President George W. Bush. Performed at the Texas Black Tie and Boots Ball, and were one of the first groups down the inaugural parade route. Nov 2002 Invited guests in the Field's Jingle Elf Parade in Chicago May 2003 Invited guests and feature performers during Indianapolis 500 race week Nov 2003 Invited feature performers in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Jan 2005 Traveled to Washington, D.C. as invited guests of the Texas State Society for the inauguration celebration of President George W. Bush. Performed at the Texas Black Tie and Boots Ball, and were one of the first groups down the inaugural parade route.
Jan 2009 Traveled to Washington, D.C. as invited guests of the Texas State Society to perform at the Texas Black Tie and Boots Ball for the inauguration celebration of President Barack Obama.
The Rangerettes have appeared in major football bowl games across the nation and have performed at the New Year's Cotton Bowl Classic in Dallas each year since 1951. They provided the halftime entertainment for three East-West Shrine Bowl games in Palo Alto, California in the 1980s, the only organization to ever be invited for return engagements in the history of this all-star game.
Cover girls on hundreds of publications including Life, Newsweek, Esquire, Texas Monthly, and Texas 24/7, the Rangerettes have also been the subject of articles in many major American magazines and newspapers. They were featured in the Cinerama movie, "Seven Wonders of the World," and have appeared on many major national television programs.
In 1943, Gussie Nell Davis created a variety show that was known as Ranger Roundup. When Ranger Roundup first made its debut, there was no auditorium where the performers showed their routines; however, Ranger Roundup was held in a gym, formally known today as the Rangerette Gym. Ranger Roundup quickly became a school event, also a student fundraiser, which occurred once a year and united the student body. The cheerleaders, band, other fellow students, and the Rangerettes all participated in this local show and came from surrounding East Texas towns of Longview, Gladewater, Hallsville, and Kilgore.
Each year Ranger Roundup continued to grow more intricate than the year before. Gussie Nell Davis asked L’Louise Lacy Graham, the head of the Kilgore College art department at the time, to create a backdrop for the variety show. The first backdrop that Ms. Graham designed was a Louisianan inspired backdrop, which consisted of buildings from New Orleans, for Ranger Roundup. After that, L’Louise Lacy Graham and Gussie Nell Davis became very good friends, and Ms. Graham was asked to create most of the props for Ranger Roundup and the Rangerettes in general.[7]
Through the 1940s and the 1950s, Gussie Nell Davis kept the name Ranger Roundup for her variety show. Starting in the early 1960s Ranger Roundup was renamed to Rangerette Revue which was still a school-wide talent show for Kilgore College.[8]
In 1964, the talent show was moved from the gym to R.E. St. John Memorial Stadium, a football field for Kilgore College.[8] There was a freshman Rangerette who could do circus trapeze routines and to accommodate her performance, Gussie Nell Davis had a special set built for her on the field.
Shortly after Gussie Nell Davis changed the name of Ranger Roundup to Rangerette Revue, she modified the show’s name one last time to Rangerette Revels.[8] In addition to changing Rangerette Revue to Rangerette Revels, Ms. Davis permanently moved the variety show from R.E. St. John Memorial Stadium into Dodson Auditorium on the campus of Kilgore College due to the fact that the football stadium was being resodded and she could not produce proper dance formations on the baseball field diamond, which was right next to R.E. St John Memorial Stadium.[7]
In 2011, Rangerette Revels is celebrating its 66th annual variety show. Every April, Rangerette Revels is held Wednesday night through Saturday night with five performances, with two shows on Saturday.[9]
REVELS Themes: