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In 1914 the student body of what was then Virginia Polytechnic Institute created the first Class ring designed by a Committee. Their efforts would fuse the spirit and strength of this university through eighty-five years of tradition. Finally only twenty-one years after its inception, the ring program grew to include perhaps its most prestigious event, the Ring Dance. The Class of 1935 held the first Ring Dance in March of its Junior year. Sixty-seven years later, the Virginia Tech Class of 2002 will proudly carry on this tradition. Ring Dance weekend, as it is now known, is comprised of two main events. A celebratory banquet is held on Friday night to kick off the festivities. This semi-formal event includes dinner and, entertainment. On the following night the entire Ring Dance tradition comes to together with the Ring Presentation Ceremony. Upon entering the dance, each couple will receive a pair of ribbons in the Class colors. The woman will wear her date's ring on her wrist with the darker ribbon, and the gentleman will wear his date's ring on his wrist with the lighter ribbon. When the time comes for the Ring Presentation, the Cadets of the Junior Class will march into the ballroom, forming the graduation year of the Class. The Cadets then form a saber arch under which each Cadet's date is escorted by a freshman Cadet, a tradition dating back to the first dance. As each couple presents their rings, "Moonlight and VPI," written specifically for the Ring Dance by composer Fred Waring and lyricist Charles Gaynor, is sung. The evening comes to an end at midnight with fireworks over the Drillfield and the playing of "Silver Taps." The Class of 2002 cordially invites you to join us in celebrating one of Virginia Tech's most distinguished traditions as we bring the Virginia Tech Ring Program into the next millennium.