A page from Raymond Walter's 1949 diary in which he describes his trip to Hiroshima.

As the University of Cincinnati welcomes it 27^th president, Gregory Williams, it seems appropriate to look back on the previous 26 UC presidents.  A list of former presidents and their photos appear on UC’s Office of the President website, but if you are wondering what Raymond Walters was doing in 1949, what Nancy Zimpher did on her first day as UC President or similar information on UC’s former presidents, then the Archives and Rare Books Library is the place to go.

The University Archives in the Archives and Rare Books Library holds the administrative collections of the seven most recent University of Cincinnati presidents, from Herman Schneider, who began serving as acting president in 1928, through Nancy Zimpher.  These collections contain office files, correspondence, and other administrative records.  The terms of other presidents are also documented in the archives through biographical files, Board of Trustees minutes, presidential reports, and various university publications.

The records in the Archives and Rare Books Library can answer a number of questions including what Raymond Walters was doing sixty years ago.   Walters, the 20^th and longest serving president of the University of Cincinnati, traveled to Japan early in 1949 on a special mission with the U.S. Army to serve as an expert on university administration.  While in Japan, Walters kept a diary and commented on the people he met including General MacArthur, the Japanese system of education, the rising Japanese population, and the aftermath of World War II, especially after a visit to Hiroshima.  Luckily, Walters’ diaries do not begin or end with his visit to Japan.  Walters kept diaries for every year between 1925 and 1960, providing insight on events on campus and university administration along with a glimpse at the world during those often turbulent thirty-five years.

As for Nancy Zimpher’s first day as UC’s president, her daily calendars while president can be found in the Archives and Rare Books Library.  Zimpher’s first day included a walking tour of west campus, lunch with faculty representatives, brief visits with deans, staff, and students, and a reception with student government leaders.  Still curious about other former UC Presidents?  For further information on former UC presidents and UC history, please visit the Archives and Rare Books Library website.