Category: Found in the Archives

Students to Servicemen, 1917-1919

Posted on by Angela Jordan

Nearly a century ago, the Great War drastically changed the lives of servicemen and their families.  Over 3,000 University of Illinois alumni and students joined the military and Dean Thomas Arkle Clark faithfully corresponded with many students, alumni, and parents about military service, war experiences, and potential University admissions.  Servicemen and their families appreciated Dean Clark’s concern, for in the words of Edmund Allen, “It surely helps a lot to know that the folks at college haven’t forgotten, and it keeps the ties that hold us to the best things in life a little tighter around us.”[1]

Below are letter excerpts from University of Illinois servicemen during the Great War found in War Service Records, 1917-19. Continue reading “Students to Servicemen, 1917-1919” →

Why Home Accounts Count, 1936

Posted on by Angela Jordan

McLean County Store, Illinois, 1936

In 1936, as part of the College of Agriculture Extension Service, Ruth C. Freeman from the Home Economics Department prepared the presentation Why Home Accounts Count for McLean County, in cooperation with the McLean County Home Adviser Clara Brian and account-keeping families in McLean County.[1] Continue reading “Why Home Accounts Count, 1936” →

Glee and Mandolin Clubs, 1889-1921

Posted on by Angela Jordan

This post is based on the “University of Illinois Glee and Mandolin Clubs, 1889-1921” exhibit currently installed at the Urbana Free Library for the 5th annual C-U Folk & Roots Festival, November 1-2, 2013.

Mandolin and Guitar Clubs, Illio, 1898

Mandolin, banjo, and guitar clubs were wildly popular beginning in the late 1880s. They sprang up across the country and quickly became trendy with college students.  The Mandolin and Guitar Club at the University of Illinois–alternately known as the Mandolin and Banjo Club, and the Mandolin Club over the years–organized in 1889 and was one of the oldest university musical organizations, outranked only by the Band and Glee Clubs.  From its inception, the Mandolin and Guitar Club united with the Glee Club in one management association for concerts. These clubs constituted a central part of student life and served as the musical representatives of the University of Illinois.  The whole group frequently spent university vacations on the road performing, meeting alumni, and raising funds. Continue reading “Glee and Mandolin Clubs, 1889-1921” →

The Birth of the Computer Age at Illinois

Posted on by Bethany Anderson
Image depicting bubble chamber events on ILLIAC III (ca. 1960s). Found in Record Series 11/15/10.
Image depicting bubble chamber events on ILLIAC III (ca. 1960s). Found in Record Series 11/15/10.

Few innovations have captured the imagination as much as the computer, and even fewer academic archives have had the opportunity to preserve its history. The University Archives houses records that chronicle not only the history of computing at the University of Illinois, but also the “campus’ past, present, and future romance with it.”[1] Indeed, the University Archives contains records documenting Cyberfest ’97, a series of events held March 10-14, 1997, which celebrated the birth of HAL 9000 – the deceptive, clever, and sinister computer in Arthur C. Clarke’s and Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, who “became operational at the HAL Plant in Urbana, Illinois” – as well as the plethora of technologies wrought by the computer.[2]

Continue reading “The Birth of the Computer Age at Illinois” →

Personal Reflections on September 11, 2001

Posted on by Angela Jordan

On Tuesday, September 11, 2001, nineteen hijackers took control of four passenger airliners in a coordinated suicide attack against the United States.  In total, almost 3,000 people died, including 227 civilians and 19 hijackers aboard the four planes.  Across the nation, immediate responses included mixtures of horror, fear, anger, and sorrow.

Shortly after September 11, the Illini Union provided a space for the University community to express their thoughts about the event.  They hoped to promote dialogue in a civil and supportive atmosphere for the entire campus.  Less than a month later, this collection made its way to the University Archives.

This compilation of papers gives insight into the thoughts and emotions of the campus community during a historic national tragedy.  Below are six of hundreds of slips of paper now housed at the Archives Research Center.[1]

Personal Reflections on September 11, 2001, Record Series 37/7/4

Note: the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the author or the University Archives.

 

[1] Reflections on September 11, 2001 Disasters, Record Series 37/7/4, University of Illinois Archives.