"Coeds are making history on this campus, and this week the oldest extra-curricular activity of the school was invaded by a woman for the first time.

Accompanying the Wake Forest forensic squad to Charlotte and speaking in the Pi Kappa Delta regional contest there was Martha Ann Allen, who now holds two "firsts" in the debate field. She is the first girl to be invited to join the local chapter of Pi Kappa Delta, national forensic fraternity. And she holds the distinction of being the first member of the weaker sex ever to represent Wake Forest in any varsity debate tournament.

In the meet at Charlotte Martha Ann entered the contest for extemporaneous speaking, impromptu speaking, poetry reading and parliamentary procedure.

In addition to her forensic duties, Martha Ann takes an active part in publications, being a member of the Old Gold and Black, Student and Howler staffs, and is also an assistant in the News Bureau.

With the entrance of a girl into public speaking, the first in 109 years, athletics seems to be the only activity remaining which the coeds have not entered yet. Wonder how long it will last?"

[The 1943 Pi Kap Delta Regionals was the only tournament attended (in April) due to war. Allen made the finals of Parliamentary procedure contest.]

"With my high school experience in debating, I joined the Wake Forest Debate Squad; John McMillan and I were Founders' Day debaters. It was as members of the squad that Burnette Harvey, (who later became professor of law at Boston University), and I became friends. Our friendship continued through the years. For two years, I traveled with the Debate Squad to meets around the country. Professor Aycock coached the debate team. When I graduated, he wrote in my annual, 'You make me think of a breeze blowing across a field of new- mown hay. Don't ever lose your enthusiasm.'"

Martha Ann (Allen) Turnage, '42-'44
Served as Vice Presidents at both George Mason University and Ohio University

Becca Eaton paper on Martha Ann Allen

1st Wake Woman to Travel to Debate Tournament

Front: Bill McGill, Proessor Aycock, Martha Ann Allen
Back: C.C. Hope, Burnette Harvey, Bob Smith, J.D. Davis

1946 Howler. "Miss Nancy Easley, daughter of Dr. J. A. Easley of the college religion department, was chosen as Eu president during the spring elections, thus becoming the first woman to hold a literary society presidency in the history of the school. When the squad began competition in 1946 again after the war, one article included: "Prof. Aycock also announced that Nancy Easley, co-ed member of the squad, compiled the highest composite score of any woman entrant at the convention (Pi Kappa Delta Forensics Convention, Georgetown, KY). Miss Easley placed second in extempore and after dinner speaking, third in impromptu, and fourth in oratory in a field of twelve school. She was the only woman who entered each division and won high acclaim from the judges for her speaking ability."

Old Gold & Black Headline of Oct. 1, 1948 touted that : HISTORY IS MADE AS GIRLS ATTEND DEBATE MEETING

[At] the second squad meeting of the year under new coach Frank Shirley. It says that for the first time in Wake history, a number of those reporting on the new topic were women. (not the case as a women traveled in 1943, see above). [in a later article is say at a later mtg., "The girls out for the debate team have been paired and have begun preparations for debates among themselves."

Lucie Jenkins Johnson, '49 wrote in a letter April 1, 2001. "I was one of the first two (or was it four) girls on the debate team. Dr. Shirley began coaching then. We did realize what a "cutting edge" move his action was. This was '48. The girls didn't go on the road because we were [refined] champions, then under the leadership of Henry Huff. The girls were part of the "home practice" team before the boys went on the road. However, I do remember our trip girls made it on the road - to Duke to debate their 2nd team. Topic was a national education issue. "

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In the Franklin R. Shirely Notes he indicates that the "1st girls ever inducted" into the National Forensics honorary, Pi Kappa Delta, at Wake Forest occurred in spring 1951: Carol Oldham, Cecyle Arnold, Ann Kelly, & Elva Lawrence.

Elva Lawrence Hunt '51

The characteristics of Franklin Shirley that stand out in my mind are his gentleness and supportiveness. When I was a senior back in 1951, he took a woman's team along with three men to a tournament in Florida by way of an Oklahoma meet. He drove his new Chevy, but since we were to be gone for about ten days, storage space was dear. The information from Stillwater instructed the women to bring evening dresses for the final banquet. Well, Cecyle Arnold and I wanted to do the proper thing, so we lugged along, in our limited space, two long dresses. As it turned out, not one other woman debater brought her long dress: We had to sit through a banquet as well as walk to the podium for awards in those damn long dresses. We were embarrassed almost to tears. Fessa smiled and reassured us we looked great and that we had followed the directions and should be proud that we did. The pain was assuaged, somewhat.

Elva Lawrence Hunt, Cecyle Arnold O'Bryant and Ann Kelly Leake were active and successful team participants. Partners Lawrence and Arnold traveled with the team to Pi Kap National in Oklahoma, but only after there was a special effort by Professor Shirley to get permission from Dean Lois Johnson for the girls to leave the campus for the long trip, even though it was a spring vacation week. In 1950 the team combined to win first place Women's negative team at Wingate College's Strawberry Leaf Tournament. The men's team of Virgil Moorefield & Wiley Mitchell were the 2nd place Men's affirmative team.

Clara Ellen Francis was Euzelian President in 1951-2; her debate partner Joe Mauney was President of the Philomathesians. She writes a delighful account of Debating in Shirley's early 1950s

"Miss Francis (Mary Ellen) set a record by being one of the three women debaters who were the first coeds ever to reach the finals in the five year history of the tournament. The other two coed finalists represented Florida State Univ." (won final 2-1, ten top schools invited to the tournament) Old Gold & Black, Feb. 18th, 1952

Qualifying for the NDT at Univ. of South in Sewanee, TN. Kay Arant and Carwile LeRoy. the Old Gold & Black, March 22 said, "Miss Arant is the first coed ever to represent the South at the West Point Tournament. Kay Arant was Euzelian President in 1954