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Judy Sinchak (Wingenroth) Interview
AS: So this is Anna Swartwout withJS: Judy Wingenroth
AS: -for the Queens of Slippery Rock Oral History Project. So before we begin, can we know
your majors, minors, and your hometown?
JS: Yes, I was an Elementary Ed major with a Geography minor, and I was from Portview,
which was a suburb of McKeesport. I graduated from McKeesport High School.
AS: What other activities were you involved in at Slippery Rock?
JS: I was the president of my dorm my freshmen year, which was Fairview Hall then, believe it
or not. I was in the women’s senate because of that. I was an RA for two years, my sophomore
year at Summit and my junior year at Rhoads. I was in the Newman club and I was a member of
the Tri Sigma sorority. I was on the Orientation committee as well.
AS: That’s awesome. What did Homecoming mean to you then and what does it mean to you
now?
JS: Well, I was a sophomore when I was the Homecoming queen and there had never been a
sophomore before so I was stunned to win, first of all. I never expected to win. It meant so much
to me. It gave me a lot of self-esteem, I think. It meant a lot to me then, but I think all through
the years it’s meant so much to me, like even times if I would be down and looking back on my
life about certain things or whatever, it’s always been a bright, shining moment to me because I
so appreciated the fact that my peers elected me and thought something special of me. So, I think
it was very good for self-esteem and to this very day it’s one of my favorite memories of my life,
really.
AS: Awesome. What made you decide to run for Homecoming queen, especially that young?
JS: I didn’t decide to run. It was different in those days and I have a letter that I’m giving you
today and you’ll be able to read about it, but in those days, it was very different. Every class had
a meeting the week before Homecoming or so, it was about a week before, and so the sophomore
class had a meeting. We were in a little auditorium, I don’t remember if it was in McKay or
where it was, but it was an auditorium. And so it was posted on campus as to when this meeting
was and I went to the meeting, you know, just to hear about it, like to see who was gonna be
nominated or whatever, and when somebody nominated me I truly was shocked. I was not

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expecting it. And then I can’t exactly remember if they voted there, I think that’s what happened.
There were maybe four or five people nominated and at the end, they had a- you had to put your
head down maybe and they had a show of hands or something, and then when I found out I won,
I really, really was surprised. So that was very nice. So each class did the same thing so there
were four nominees. So your class nominated you and that’s what made it so special, to think
that other people thought something of you. It wasn’t like a beauty contest. I wasn’t beautiful,
like that’s why you won. I think people voted for people that they, you know, wanted to be
friends with or whatever. So there were four of us nominated and then, I think it was the
following week, they took our pictures and my picture’s up on the table. You’ll have to see it
later up there. They had it in front of the ballet box so there were four pictures there. So during, I
don’t know how many days’ worth of voting there was in the Student Union, which was in North
Hall at that time, people put their votes in. Then the Friday night before Homecoming there was
a big bonfire, like there probably still is, a pep rally at Thompson Field, and we were sitting on a
little stage, a little platform and somewhere during that bonfire they announced who won. And I
remember sitting there thinking, aw there’s no way I’m gonna win cause a senior usually won
and sometimes, I guess, a junior won. So when they announced my name, honestly, I think
everybody was surprised, and I was the most surprised.
AS: That’s awesome, though. Did you guys campaign at all then?
JS: No, not in the least. It was exactly as I described to you.
AS: Yeah, real quick.
JS: Yeah, you know what, I lived in a freshmen dorm. I was an RA that year and I think those
girls liked me. I was their RA, I was their friend, and I don’t know if I was on the Orientation
Committee that year or the next year, I think it was my junior year that I was on it, but anyway. I
knew everybody and I liked lots of people.
AS: Definitely. Were there any stigmas around the Homecoming queen like that you heard?
JS: No, it was very different then. It was very innocent compared to what it would later be. Yes,
it was very innocent and I think it was fun, really it was.
AS: That’s awesome, though. Why do you think you won?
JS: I think I won because I truly, genuinely liked other people. I was respectful, I think, of other
people and I always said hi to everybody and they always said hi back. I think just because I

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cared and I love Slippery Rock, I really did. I loved it then and I loved it before then, after then.
Both of my daughters went here. I met my husband here. So Slippery Rock meant a lot to me.
AS: Yeah, awesome. What did your family think of you winning?
JS: Well you know what, I described that in here. My father was an immigrant from Slovakia,
from Czechoslovakia then, that was the name of the country at that time, and my mother was the
daughter of immigrants from Czechoslovakia as well. And, just like now, people that are firstgeneration of immigrants, you wanna do your best in whatever you do, you wanna make your
family proud of you, so my family was very proud. They really were. They were proud that I
went to college to start with. One memory I have is there was a picture in the Post-Gazette thenI don’t know if it was the Pittsburgh Press, it’s not in print anymore, now it’s the Post-Gazette,
but there was a picture they actually put in there of the Slippery Rock Homecoming Queen and a
distant relative of mine that lived in Monessen, who was also the daughter of immigrants,
contacted my family and they were all excited. So they were very proud.
AS: I’m sure. How did your college experience change once you became Homecoming Queen?
JS: You know what, it was good before that, it was good after. I mean I had a positive
experience, I think. I felt like I was the same person before and same person after. I just liked
people. I had a lot of friends.
AS: Well that’s awesome, though. Did it have any effects after college and does it still?
JS: You know what, I think it does. It means a lot to my children. It was funny over the years,
my one daughter is going to be here today, the other one couldn’t come and my son’s in the
West, but yes, it always meant a lot to me, it really did. It was just one of those things that- I
never got great honors as a teacher but my honors came from the parent’s notes that I got. I
taught Kindergarten so it wasn’t like I won lots of things in my lifetime but I feel like probably
the greatest honor I ever had was to be Slippery Rock’s Homecoming Queen.
AS: That’s awesome. Have you come back for a lot of different Homecomings?
JS: Many, many. Both my daughters went here. One was here from ’88 to ’92. The other was
here from ’96 to 2000 so I was here with all of them and also, I was Mrs. Yards’ first RA. She
was the last housemother in the state university state college system. She was at Summit two or
three years and then she was at North Hall for twenty-two or twenty-three years and North Hall
lounge is named after her. You might not ever hear her name now but she was just a fabulous
person, so over the years, even before my daughters came and after, I would come back and visit

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her. So in 1989 or 90’ they dedicated North Hall lounge after her and I came back, they asked me
to give a talk about Mrs. Yards and my memories of her.
AS: That’s awesome. Would you be more inclined to come back if there was a ceremony or just
something recognizing the different Homecoming queens?
JS: You know what, I would always come for anything just because I love Slippery Rock. I feel
like when I come back here I’m myself again, whatever that person is or whoever that person is.
AS: Yes, thank you so much for talking with us.