An Early Visit from President Williams

By Janice Schulz

Flyer for William's lectureWhile processing a new collection last week, I stumbled upon a flyer announcing that someone now very familiar to us was a guest speaker during African American History month in 1995 – our own President Gregory Williams. Then the dean of Ohio State University’s law school, President Williams came to UC on February 28 to talk about his autobiography, Life on the Color Line: The True Story of a White Boy who Discovered he was Black, and to do a book signing. The book was newly published at the time and it even landed President Williams on Oprah the week before his UC visit. Langsam, UC-Clermont and UC-Blue Ash Libraries all have copies of the book cataloged as KF373.W474 A3.

T. M. Berry Project: Sargent Shriver and Special Thanks to Gail Berry West and Judge Ted N. Berry

By Laura Laugle

Berry and Shriver talkingMy favorite finds for this week come to the Archives and Rare Books library courtesy of Judge Ted N. Berry and his sister Gail Berry West who kindly donated another addition to the Theodore M. Berry Collection. The pair came to visit the ARB while Gail was up from Washington D.C. visiting. I had a great time escorting them down memory lane with some items of particular interest I pulled from the collection for their visit.

Among the treasures they brought were these two photos which picture Berry and Shriver at a meeting with top management at the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) and Vice President Hubert Humphrey (seated at the far end of the table next to Sarge in the photo below.) Though they worked together closely for almost four years during the Johnson administration we have only a few photos of Berry and Shriver together and little in the way of correspondence other than that which pertains to the operation of OEO programs. Continue reading

New Archival Collection: University College Business Technologies Department Records

French Hall

French Hall was the last home of University College.

By Janice Schulz

A new collection of records from the Business Technologies Department of the former University College has been processed and is now available for research in the Archives & Rare Books Library. The collection spans the years 1994-2007 and includes correspondence, meeting minutes, news and event records, scheduling documents, and syllabi.

Continue reading

New Collection Documents Development of Medical Education

By Janice Schulz

Slide from a 2005 classroom presentation on respiratory issues

The Archives & Rare Books Library has completed processing a new twenty-box collection of records from the Raymond Walters College Department of Nursing and it is now available for research. Spanning the years 1969-2005, the collection provides important information for anyone studying the history of nursing training and evolving health care practices. Raymond Walters College’s Nursing Program has been in existence since the college opened in 1967; therefore the collection covers nearly the entire lifespan of the department. Continue reading

Wish you could Dance? Check out the Cincinnati Ballet Records in ARB

Whether you love to dance or just wish you could, you’ll certainly enjoy viewing the photographs, drawings and posters in the Cincinnati Ballet records.  This recent donation to the Archives and Rare Books Library spans almost the entire history of the Cincinnati Ballet from the early 1960s until 2009.  These records provide a look into the formation of this acclaimed Cincinnati institution and even its connections with UC. Continue reading

Civil War History: The Battle of Bull Run

By Janice Schulz

Bull Run - Battlefield of the Morning, July 21, 1861

The first major land battle of the Civil War was fought near Manassas Junction, Virginia, on the banks of Bull Run Creek on July 21, 1861. It was intended by the advancing Federal army to demonstrate their strength and was expected to bring the war to a swift end. It did no such thing. As the conflict began, both sides had confidence in their own superiority over the enemy. Northern civilians went so far as to travel to Bull Run complete with picnic baskets and parasols to watch their glorious army beat the rebels back. Early on it appeared that the Union would come through victorious, but surprise reinforcements arriving for the Confederacy resulted in a Union retreat. Continue reading

Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak Makes a 1987 Guest Appearance at OCAS

By Janice Schulz

UC OMI College of Applied Science poster for Wozniak appearanceAs the Engineering and Applied Science merger comes to a conclusion, College of Engineering and Applied Science Library Director Ted Baldwin has presented the Archives with some interesting material from his offices at the former CAS Library. Recently we came across a reminder that an intriguing guest speaker was on the agenda for OCAS’s 1987 Technology Exposition. Steve Wozniak, who prefers to be addressed simply as “Woz,” co-founded Apple Computer Inc. in 1976 along with Steve Jobs. Woz was the engineering muscle behind the development of the Apple I and Apple II personal computers, released in 1976 and 1979 respectively. In 1981 a plane crash forced him to take time off from Apple and he decided to return to the University of California at Berkley to complete his Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering and computer science. (To divert attention away from himself, he enrolled under the name Rocky Raccoon Clark.)   He returned to Apple in 1983, but left again in 1985 to devote his attention to inventions and education. Continue reading

T.M. Berry Project: A Long Way from the Back of the Bus

By Laura Laugle

Throughout processing the collection there have been a few things which I’ve really wanted to find. This photo is one of them. On the left is Lt. Roger Terry, one of three Tuskegee Airmen whom Theodore M. Berry defended during court-martial hearings for entering an illegally segregated officers’ club at Freeman Field in Indiana.

For more information on the Tuskegee Airmen trial and the Freeman Field Mutiny, please see T.M. Berry Project: The Tuskegee Airmen Case of 1945.

Continue reading

The Bearcat

By Janice Schulz

Have you looked at the Archives & Rare Books Library’s Bearcat exhibit lately? If not, you will want to check it out because we are continually adding new images and links to this evolving display of Bearcat memorabilia. The exhibit’s 70-plus images date back to 1914, when Leonard “Teddy” Baehr lent his name to what would become UC’s beloved mascot. Recent additions include the new Bearcat statue installed in 2010.   In addition to the images we have provided links to pages on Bearcat history and tradition as well as current news. (Remember the snowball arrest at last year’s Pitt game? – Yeah, we have the video!) Join us for a fun trip through the years with our Bearcat!

Leonard “Teddy” Baehr, the football star who lent his name to the Bearcat, 1914

Celebrating the NCAA championship, 1961

Bearcat Statue

The Bearcat statue installed in 2010