The history of the Pull tug-of-war will be the focus of an address by 1970 Hope graduate — and former puller — Dr. Bruce Geelhoed of the Ball State University history faculty on Thursday, Oct. 10, at 4 p.m. at Hope College in Cook Auditorium of the De Pree Art Center and Gallery.
The event is being presented through the Visiting Research Fellows Lecture Series of the college’s Van Raalte Institute. The lecture will be preceded by a light reception that will begin at 3:30 p.m.
The public is invited to both the reception and the lecture. Admission is free.
The Pull, generally believed to have started in 1898, is one of Hope’s most enduring traditions and currently the longest-running tug-of-war on college campuses. Geelhoed will outline six distinctive eras in the Pull’s history and give specific attention to the four Pulls that ended in draws — 1916, 1926, 1952 and 1977 — and how those draws affected future Pulls.
The freshman/odd-year Class of 2023 won this year’s Pull, which was held on Saturday, Sept. 28. In a historic change, this year’s contest took place on campus (along 11th Street between Lincoln and Fairbanks avenues) due to high water levels at the event’s long-time home on the Black River because of Lake Michigan’s near-record highs.
Geelhoed has been a member of the faculty and administration at Ball State since 1975. His research specialties are the history of the Eisenhower administration and the history of higher education in the United States.
The De Pree Art Center and Gallery is located at 275 Columbia Ave., between 10th and 13th streets.