Miss St. Francis

The University of St. Francis has a long tradition of celebrating the accomplishments of our graduating students. In the early years of the school the highest honor for a graduating senior was to be named "Miss St. Francis." Elected by secret ballot by the student body and the faculty, this senior was most representative of St. Francis ideals. In 1935, Grace Maguire, president of the senior class, was crowned the first "Miss St. Francis" at a formal coronation ceremony held in the College Auditorium on May 19th. She had 11 ladies in waiting and four local children who formed her court.

The tradition continued until 1960 when it was decided that the Baccalaureate Graduation and Honors Day should be combined onto the same day. This merger of events left no room for the ceremonies involved with crowning a senior "Miss St. Francis" so the event was dropped. In the 1954 photo below Sister Elvira Bredel (president - 1953-1962) crowns Geraldine Knowles who had a much smaller court.

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