Archive for June 11th, 2009

Thursday, June 11th, 2009

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Cheers!

OSU account in Flickr Commons passes 100,000 views!

Join us for clapping, pats on the back, and a general hip-hip-hurray — we passed the 100,000 mark for total views on our Flickr Commons account. Thanks to everyone who looked, commented, and shared! The fun doesn’t stop here…

Starting next Wednesday we will be taking a trip, traveling through Oregon and beyond! This summer we will be building up a new Commons collection called “Take a Trip: Traveling and touring with the Visual Instruction Lantern Slides Collection,” releasing images each 1st and 3rd Wednesday from the Visual Instruction Lantern Slides Collection (P217).

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So why is this collection so special?

The Visual Instruction Department was created around 1932 as a unit of the Oregon State System of Higher Education’s General Extension Division, and was located on the Oregon State College campus in Corvallis. The department made slides and films available to schools, community clubs, churches, and other organizations for educational purposes.

pdx.jpg This eclectic collection contains 69 sets of mounted lantern slides covering a variety of topics, including many related to Oregon and the Pacific Northwest (Oregon Birds, Oregon Industries, Northwest Indians, Old Oregon Trail, Oregon State College, and Salmon Industry), as well as sets with biblical themes, U.S. history, and cultures in Europe.

tree.jpg Many slides are hand-tinted — one set is comprised entirely of 2″x2″ glass mounted color slides — and most sets include a typescript lecture (housed here in the Archives) that provides general background information on the topics.

How did they get here? The sets were probably acquired by the University Archives in the 1970s. They were transferred to the Horner Museum in March 1980 and then returned to the Archives in June 1996. Many sets were originally owned by the University of Oregon.

What can you expect? We will launch with a set from the Lewis & Clark Exposition Centennial Celebration (set 49), followed by Early Settlement of Oregon (set 38), Shasta & Sunset Routes (set 23), Trip to Mount Hood (set 25), Crater Lake (set 65), Sorted Oregon Views (set 55), and anything else that catches our “travel Oregon” fancy!

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Thursday, June 11th, 2009

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New Exhibit in the Archives Reference Room: Class Gifts

Ever wonder why there is a huge sculpture of Benny the Beaver in the MU Commons? It was a class gifts from the Class of 1966 — one of many class gifts given over the years! Trysting tree memorial, Lady of the Fountain, The Runner — all gifts…

Check out the new display in the Archives Reference room to see how past classes have given back to OSU and are giving back today.

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Thursday, June 11th, 2009

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New Flickr set celebrating the history of commencement at OSU

It’s a magical time of year… The flowers are blooming, families are beaming, graduates are throwing their caps — and it’s time for a new Flickr set!

The first commencement took place at OSU in 1870, though the class was a bit smaller than you would expect today. Robert Veatch gave the valedictory address, “Utility of Science,” at the June 30 commencement ceremony and Alice Biddle, who was only 16 years of age when she received her degree, read a paper called “Progress of Mind.”

The location has changed, from the College Chapel in the Administration Building (now Benton Hall) to the College Armory (now the Gymnastics Training Center) to the Men’s Gymnasium (Langton Hall) — before finally settling in Gill Coliseum for the first time in 1950. Ceremonies were held in Gill until 2001, when the first outdoor commencement ceremony in Reser Stadium on June 17.

Fun Facts:

1950: Families were requested not to bring babies or small children to baccalaureate services or commencement exercises. Childcare was provided in the Orchard Street Nursery School for a charge of 50 cents per day.

1970: Controversy erupted in 1970, when the university implemented a Faculty Senate requirement for seniors to take finals. This meant that commencement was moved back to the Sunday after finals week and that blank diplomas were given during the ceremony. A boycott of commencement was called by the student body. Ultimately the administration rescinded the policy.

Eremurus flowers, grown especially for OSU commencement by the A.J. Stone Family of Amity, Oregon, decorated the Coliseum (and previously the Men’s Gymnasium) from 1948 through 1991. The flowers are commonly called Desert Candle or Fox-tail Lily.

To learn more, visit the History of Commencement page.

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