Hello, my name is Zaynaib Giwa but everyone calls me Ola for short. I just started my stint at the University Archives during the beginning of this fall semester. I was entrusted with the task of organizing and converting the University Board of Trustees (BOT) meetings into PDF/A documents.
Who are BOT? Continue reading “Working for the University Archives”
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”
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!
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
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”