Mystery of the 'Bagels' Tombstone Revealed by Centenary Alumni Office

SHREVEPORT, LA— The mystery of the tombstone that appeared on the Centenary College campus at the begiining of the fall semester has been revealed by David Henington, director of alumni relations.

As it turns out the bagels referenced in the "Here Lie the Bagels" part of the epitaph are not the edible kind eaten by modern-day students. Instead, they refer to something students of the 1950s were ready to bury forever.

Henington explains:
“Among the many improvements on campus are concrete sidewalks. Generations of students remember a campus that was mostly dirt and heavily wooded, with foot paths and brick walkways criss-crossing campus. The bricks were not always level and rocked when stepped on. When it rained or was wet, they were messy. “Bagels” were fictitious characters that lived underneath the bricks and squirted mud that plastered the legs and clothes of students.

“Alumni remember wearing nice clean slacks and dresses, only to have them ruined by the Bagels.

“Next time you walk on the sidewalks between the SUB and the Meadows Museum, Jackson Hall, and Rotary Hall, notice that names are imprinted in each section. Many new graduates in the early 1950s gave money to help pay for the sidewalks so future Centenary students would not have to deal with the Bagels.

“In 2000, during the Founders’ Day Celebration program honoring 175 years of Centenary there were many references to campus folklore. This sparked the interest of Harry Brown, class agent for the class of 1952, and he had this tombstone created in honor of his 50th class reunion. It is his hope that this marker continues to generate interest in the history and legends of the College and campus improvements.

“Graduates who experienced the presence of the Bagels remember them clearly as the hallmark of the campus at that time.

“Alumni have many memories of Centenary….It’s the small things that they remember."

The tombstone is located in the Hodges Rose Garden between Hamilton Hall and the Hargrove Amphitheater.

- 30 -