It may be hard to imagine ISU students 85 years ago celebrating at Veishea – you can bet there were no pizza or gyro stands, convertible-led floats or crowds rocking out in front of 10-foot-tall speakers.

On May 11, 1922, Iowa State was engulfed in the world of Veishea for the first time. The event was a conglomeration of the individual spring celebrations of the divisions of the university then known as Iowa State College.

That union was even reflected in the name. Veishea was originally an acronym, standing for Iowa State’s five divisions at the time: Veterinary medicine, Engineering, Industrial Science, Home Economics and Agriculture.

The name was coined by Frank D. Paine, a professor of electrical engineering. Paine later went on to serve on the ISC board of directors and in the general engineering department at Iowa State, and eventually served as mayor of Ames for two terms, until his death in 1942.

But the event could not exist with just a name alone. The Veishea Central Committee was formed to plan the festivities, led by then-student Wallace McKee, of the class of 1922.

The committee met in Beardshear Hall, as the Memorial Union was not yet built. The committee’s intention for Veishea was to combine the various festivities that were held previously during the spring.

Spring events before the first Veishea included the May Day Festival, the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, the Ag Carnival and Home Economics Club Day. Elements of these celebrations were partially or entirely integrated into the plans for the first Veishea.

Activities included a parade with horse-drawn floats, open house exhibits, a baseball game against the University of Nebraska and an ROTC mock battle.

A performance of the student-run-and-performed production “Scandals of 1922” was known as the night show – a precursor to today’s Stars Over Veishea.

Spanning from May 11 to May 13, the first Veishea was underway, laying a foundation for the festivities that would spark memories for countless ISU students to come.

And the rest is history.

– Compiled from information on the ISU e-Library.