Abstract The Central Dance Association (CDA) records are valuable for researching one of the major student organizations at Clemson from 1932 into the 1970s. Before 1955, during Clemson’s all-male military era, the CDA sponsored up to a dozen dance weekends per year for cadets and their dates. Music was provided by locally, regionally and occasionally nationally famous bands and orchestras. After 1955, the group gradually offered fewer dances but prioritized bringing nationally popular musical...