The University of Illinois has produced its fair share of famous and successful individuals since its founding in 1867. None gained such unlikely fame as Illini Nellie, a Brown Swiss Cow. This bovine brought renown to the Dairy Science department–and became famous in her own right–for producing world record-setting amounts of milk. According to The Daily Illini writer Ken Herron, “Illini Nellie was almost as much of a landmark to campus visitors as the Stadium or the Alma Mater statue.” Continue reading “Illini Nellie”
Christmas Comes a Caroling
Forty years after the School of Music and the Office of Public Information recorded a Christmas program for a television-viewing audience, it is again available to the general public just in time for the holiday season!
Campus Folksong Club
In the spring of 1961, a Folksong Club emerged at the University of Illinois, organized by Dick Kanar and Vic Lukas. Students who attended the first annual University of Chicago Folk Festival, they walked away determined to found a club on campus to study, exchange, and enjoy traditional folk music.1
Lorado Taft’s Unusual Requests
from RS 26/20/16, Box 25, “Photographs of the Midway Studios”, University of Illinois Archives
Sculptor and U of I alumnus Lorado Taft had made quite a name for himself in American art circles by the late 1920s. His sculptures and statues, designed in his Chicago studio, had been installed in Chicago, Denver, Washington D.C., and other places around the country.
However, as many of the rich and famous with a listed mailing address probably do, Taft received requests of all different varieties. Some requests were more commonplace: autographs; personal appearances; quotations, recipes, or anecdotes for publication. Some requests were…less commonplace. Continue reading “Lorado Taft’s Unusual Requests”
Everybody Danced
Dances on campus were the source of pleasure for a large number of students who attended the University from before World War I through the 1960s. Dances were presented by various classes, Greeks, non-Greeks, Ag students, and the Y.M.C.A. and Y.W.C.A.
Formal and informal dances offered students the opportunity to dance the two-step, waltz, tango, jitterbug, and other popular dances during their free time. Continue reading “Everybody Danced”