Senior Sombrero
Edith Hansen McGill with the Senior Sombrero
Man Wearing the Senior Sombrero at a Campout
Child Wearing the Senior Sombrero on the Beach
Student Wearing the Senior Sombrero
The Senior Sombrero was a hat worn by the Senior class at Pacific University to show school spirit in the Fall of 1926. It may have been inspired by similar sombreros that were in use at U.C. Berkeley and U.C.L.A. The sombrero was supposed to be passed to the next senior class after graduation, making it a symbol of the seniors. This tradition seems to have been short-lived, however. Edith Hansen McGill was able to document the senior sombrero and its travels in her photograph album, but few other photographs of it have survived elsewhere. Photographs in her album show Pacific students wearing the senior sombrero at the beach, during camping trips and during other outdoor pursuits.