By Lily Nussbaum | Staff Writer
While the placement of a crown and the passing of the embellished dark green cape are clear indicators of a new queen each year, a smaller, more personal tradition occurs behind the curtains.
Alumna Kaylin Clemons, taking the unofficial title of “longest reigning homecoming queen” when crowned in 2019, said she was in shock when her name was announced. Her first thought: “They never taught us how to get down the steps, only up.” Her second: “I am a part of Baylor history.”
“I will never forget that moment,” Clemons said. “There really is just this sense of joy but also excitement that we have a tradition of women leaders at Baylor that are so strong and have impacted the community.”
After being announced as queen, Clemons said she was whisked offstage and greeted by her parents, who the committee had called beforehand, along with her best friends.
In the bustle of pictures and excitement, Clemons said past queen and alumna Kennedy Knight pulled her aside. As Knight congratulated her, she took off a gold chain necklace with a pearl and placed it on Clemons.
“You know she was able to wear that necklace for a year, and then she was putting it on me during that ceremony to pass on the torch,” Clemons said. “Since I was queen for two years [due to COVID-19], I actually got to wear it at my wedding.”
Knight said the moment was bittersweet but joyous. She said she had worn the necklace at significant events during her time as queen, and it held many fond memories. By passing the chain, she passed down those memories to the next person.
“[Clemons] and I didn’t really know each other,” Knight said. “Our paths didn’t cross. But because of our shared love for Baylor and specifically being chosen to be homecoming queens, we were able to have that strong bond that came before us and, of course, will continue on way after us.”
The 1984 necklace is just one of the two major items from the box the queens receive. The other is a scrapbook filled with pictures and moments of advice from each of the past queens. Clemons said she began her homecoming weekend by flipping through the pages.
“Reading through the letters of these women who were selected because of their investment in the community and their achievements while on campus across the four years was just really encouraging,” Clemons said. “There is a tradition of excellence in the women before us and that they are just as strong leaders that were built on the women before them that they were able to look up to.”
Every queen gets to place her pictures, notes, blessings and mementos in the notebook. Knight said her pictures included one of her being crowned and others from throughout the weekend.
“It was sweet to look back and see all of the different queens before me and to know that this is a legacy,” Knight said. “We get to represent not just us and who we are now, but all of those ladies previously. We represent one another.”
While the homecoming court has grown to include a king alongside the queen, crowning a homecoming queen is one of the only women-rooted traditions in Baylor’s history. The box and its contents represent this history and significance.
“Even though I might not know the queen 20 years ago or 20 years from now, we are able to share in those memories of the homecoming weekend, of being able to pass on the pearl — the moment the crown hits your head and all of those shared traditions,” Knight said.
