1940-1949

Christine Crist (Class of 1946) describes the only dances that took place at the college during the WWII period. In December, the school hosted the Doll Dance in the gym (now the Weiss Arts Center). The Doll Dance was a formal dance for which attendees would bring dolls as a donation to disadvantaged children. The men used this opportunity to "look over the...newest freshmen girls...so we all got a big rush." The Mid-Winter Ball, held in January, was the last dance the college hosted for the duration of Crist's academic career.

In an interview, Christine Crist (Class of 1946) recounts the story of a secret marriage between an "impressive senior" at Dickinson who married Soupy Campbell, a soldier in World War II, the year before her last on campus. She left school without receiving her diploma, and Crist later discovered that she was married and pregnant. Campbell died during the war. To Crist, this story "stands out as a symbol of those years."

In an interview with Christine Crist (Class of 1946), the Dickinson graduate describes life at Dickinson College when a majority of the male students left for World War II. She guesses that the ratio of men to women prior to the war was five-to-one and reports that, in 1943, "the heart of the student body was picked up." In 1945, 11 men and 41 women graduated from Dickinson College, reflecting the male-to-female ratio after the war began.