Trinity’s tradition of class rings began on the Waxahachie campus in April 1933, when business manager Will McPherson issued a set of four-karat bands to the senior class.
This was no empty gesture: with the Great Depression roiling student finances, McPherson had given these same Trinity students free tuition and spending money for the 1932-33 academic year. In handing out these rings, McPherson signaled his philanthropic intent to extend the practice for at least one more year.
While students resumed paying full tuition in following years—as well as purchasing class rings on their own—rings still signify Trinity’s graduating seniors passing into the real world, and serve as a reminder for students of their years on campus.
Today, students are awarded their rings at a special ceremony held during spring family weekend, christening each ring by dunking it in Miller Fountain.
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