Baylor Celebrates 50 Years Of Dr Pepper Hour

by Amanda Lewis, Student Newswriter

Baylor University students, faculty and staff will gather to celebrate a half-century of refreshment during "50 Years of Dr Pepper Hour" with food, prizes and traditional Dr Pepper floats from 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 13, in the Barfield Drawing Room of the Bill Daniel Student Center.
"50 Years of Dr Pepper Hour" will feature various activities and foods centered on Dr Pepper, including a Dr Pepper cake and a Dr Pepper fountain. The Dr Pepper Bottling Company and Museum will show commercials for the soft drink from the last 50 years.
More than 450 people fill the second floor of the Student Union Building each Tuesday from 3 to 4 p.m. to consume 72 liters of Dr Pepper and 30 gallons of Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla ice cream. The Baylor tradition is also included in various campus events, including Premiere weekends, Homecoming and Welcome Week.
"Dr Pepper Hour is a much-needed break during a busy week of school and other responsibilities," said Kirk Marshall, sophomore class president. "I regularly attend Dr Pepper Hour to see the people that I do not have the opportunity to see during the typical school day."
Dr Pepper Hour, formerly Coke Hour, began in 1953 when Mrs. Marie Mathis, assistant to the dean of the union building, began to serve frosted coke, or hot chocolate in the winter months, in the Barfield Drawing Room. The tradition continued as an informal meeting each week where the Baylor community could come to socialize and escape the typical school day.
Until July of 1997, Coca-Cola was mixed with ice cream for the floats. Since then, Dr Pepper has become the official soft drink of the university and is used exclusively in the floats. Consequently, the traditional gathering began to be referred to as "Dr Pepper Hour."
For more information, contact the department of student involvement at (254) 710-3321.