By Laura Laugle
Theodore M. Berry during his freshman year at the University of Cincinnati, 1922
T. M. Berry Project: Freshman Year
Category Archives: ARB Library
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
As 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.
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
The Bearcat statue installed in 2010
2011 Ohio Sunshine Laws Manual Available
By Janice Schulz
As a State of Ohio public entity, the University of Cincinnati is required to adhere to Ohio’s public records laws. The laws can be found in Ohio Revised Code 149.43, but interpretation can be tricky. To assist Ohio agencies and citizens with understanding and applying both the public records laws and the open meeting laws, collectively known as “sunshine laws,” the Ohio Attorney General and the Ohio Auditor of State have jointly published the Ohio Sunshine Laws Manual. In plain language, the manual describes what a public record is, how to request records, exceptions to the law, enforcement of the law, and obligations of public offices. Like many state laws, interpretation of the public records laws happens during actual court cases, and the manual is updated annually to include new and/or different interpretations that affect how we need to comply. The 2011 Sunshine Manual can be viewed and downloaded free of charge and hard copies, also free of charge, can be requested on the Ohio Attorney General’s website.
T. M. Berry Project: Alpha Phi Alpha Continued
By Laura Laugle
Close up of Theodore M. Berry with Alpha Brothers from the group photo below at the 26th Anniversary Convention in St. Louis, Missouri, 1933
The photos that I took to preservation a couple of weeks ago (see my blog post T. M. Berry Project: Alpha Phi Alpha) came back last week and are looking lovely! They really did a great job, especially with the photos featured in today’s blog which had been tightly rolled and were incredibly stiff and brittle. They are now nice and flat and beautiful. So here’s a big “thank you” to the preservation department in Langsam Library!
I know that the panoramic photographs below seem small on a computer screen; in fact it’s difficult for me to even make out faces, but in real life they are pretty large. The three original photos we have range from 27” to 36” in length and are well big enough to see each individual clearly which is especially important with these photos. Continue reading
Researching Student Life at the Archives & Rare Books Library
From the 1955 Cincinnatian
By Janice Schulz
While students enter college with the goal of gaining a formal education, a good bit of learning also occurs outside of the classroom. A university campus is in many ways like a self-contained community, providing students a place to live, study, work and socialize. Much of this lifestyle is student-driven, allowing students to build leadership, organizational, social and even political skills for use in life after university. At the same time, students react to and are affected by the wider world outside of the university.
The Archives and Rare Books Library has compiled a guide to its holdings that can be used to research student life at the University of Cincinnati. Research ideas are endless, but can include topics such as: Continue reading
City of Cincinnati Annexation Records
By Janice Schulz
Cincinnati in 1819 from “Centennial History of Cincinnati,” 1904
The Archives & Rare Books Library holds a unique collection of local government records vital to the understanding of Cincinnati’s growth from a small walking city into the expansive metropolitan area that exists today. Acquired in 1996 from the Cincinnati Clerk of Council and through the Ohio Network of American History Research Centers program, the Cincinnati Annexation Collection includes annexation records generated by the City and the villages from 1869 to 1939 as well as former village records acquired by Cincinnati at the time of annexation, some dating back to 1829. These records are an excellent resource for researching the history of Cincinnati’s neighborhoods.
T. M. Berry Project: Oh my. . .
By Laura Laugle
Cast of “Womanless Wedding” at Mt. Zion Methodist Church, Cincinnati, Ohio
^ It made my day ^