D’Anne Harris
President, Letterwomen’s Club
Women athletes in the Class of 1960 did not have opportunities to participate in interscholastic team sports. Instead, they engaged in Letterwomen’s Club competitions, intramural teams in many sports, and community contests. While 100 males earned East High letters from sports teams through interscholastic competitions in 1959-60, 58 females earned their letters, pins and stripes by accumulating 500 points for each original letter and 300 points for each following stripe. According to the 1960 Echoes, “these points were earned by participating in extracurricular basketball, volleyball, tennis, and swimming, and having not more than two absences during the nine weeks period of after school activities.” Members of Letterwomen’s Club were also expected to sell football programs, much as male lettermen sold football and basketball tickets.
Community-based athletics for young women included YMCA and Wichita Swim Club teams, softball and basketball teams often based in churches, and other sports sponsored by local organizations.
East High’s cheerleaders were also accomplished athletes who led student cheering sections throughout football and basketball seasons. Cheerleader Vicki Pettit Foss, one of the most prominent female athletes at East High, “out-finessed a field of seasoned competitors to win the Wichita City Women’s Golf Champion at the age of 14.” (See Vicki Pettit Foss)
The following article about two Letterwomen appeared in The Messenger, January 29, 1960
Two Girls Participate in Sports; Earn Letters, Pins, Awards
“Approximately 800 hours during the course of two and a half school years have been spent earning sports letters, stripes, pins, awards, and participating in club activities by two girls, Sharon Adams, ’60, and D’Anne Harris, ’60.
“Not only has Sharon earned an All Sports Letter, the first two stripes that go with her letter, and first place award in softball, tennis, hockey, and basketball, but she also participates in badminton, tumbling, swimming, volleyball, Letterwomen’s Club, Modern Dance Leaders, and Basketball Officials Club.
“Sharon sold approximately 400 football programs, earning a reward of a basketball season ticket from Letterwomen’s Club as top seller.
“D’Anne has earned an All Sports Letter, a Swimming Letter, and two stripes to go with both letters.
Not only has D’Anne won a first place in hockey and two third place pins in tennis and basketball, but she also participates in hockey, basketball, tennis, bowling, volleyball, golf, softball, and synchronized swimming. D’Anne is president of Letterwomen’s Club, a modern dance leader, and swims with the intra-mural swimming team. (Right, Toni Volhein and D’Anne Harris sell a football program to Nancy Harris ’62)
“Because Sharon and D’Anne enjoy sports, they both plan to attend Emporia State Teachers College where they plan to major in physical education.”
Members of Letterwomen’s Club earned points by practicing archery skills in after-school sports.
Community-based Teams
Girls athletic teams sponsored by community organizations benefited from skilled coaches, regular practices, and intense competition with rival teams. Many of these teams included young women who attended different high schools. Due to concerns about female fitness and stamina, the rules at this time did not allow full-court play; the center line could not be crossed. Forwards for one team and guards for the other played on one end of the court, while forwards for the other team and corresponding guards played on the other end. Once in a great while, teams were known to play full-court in defiance of red-faced refs and their blaring whistles. (Below, East Heights Methodist Church Basketball team, 1960, with coach Larry Shannon. Back row, second, is Pam Abilgaard; front row on the right end are Marilyn Tompkins and Lee Bacon.)
