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
Category: Found in the Archives
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”
Halloween Post: Hugh Atkinson
Don’t ever try telling me that archivists don’t know how to have fun! Case in point: Our intrepid assistant and blogger Rory Grennan is paying homage to former University Librarian Hugh Atkinson today, with a bit of a nod to the fact that many archivists (and librarians) at Illinois now bike to work. Do you see the resemblance??? Continue reading “Halloween Post: Hugh Atkinson”
Homecoming History: Hobo Band Parade
from RS 39/2/20, Box 2, ACT-5
Parades are almost a given at any Homecoming celebration, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is no different. However, in the early years of the 20th century, Illinois Homecoming weekend featured something other than floats: the Hobo Band Parade. Continue reading “Homecoming History: Hobo Band Parade”