From the Archives: Benjamin L. Askue Collection

By: Laura Meece

Born in Ashtabula County, Ohio in 1833, Benjamin Askue was a nurse during the American Civil War. He did not, however, go the traditional educational path. Instead, he studied under the hand of a local doctor and eventually became a practitioner of homeopathic medicine.

Ambrotype of Benjamin Askue ca. 1860

Ambrotype of Benjamin Askue ca. 1860

Askue joined the Union Army in 1861, serving for the 23rd Ohio Volunteers Infantry (O.V.I.). Under the leadership of future President Rutherford B. Hayes and William S. Rosencrans, Askue eventually became a field nurse for the O.V.I., putting his medical training to use. While in the army, Askue was captured several times by the Confederacy and even hid in the forest of West Virginia to avoid capture on one occasion, but he always managed to escape. His brother, Oscar Askue, had also been a soldier in the Union Army, and when Oscar was killed in battle, Benjamin Askue escaped the Confederates and made his way to the battlefield where his brother’s body lay. Upon arrival, he had his brother shipped back to Ohio.

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“Bitter Bierce”?

By:  Michael Tipton, Archives & Rare Books Library intern

 Ambrose Bierce headshot     Shortly after the conclusion of World War II in 1945, a Mr. Myles Walsh of Oradell, New Jersey traveled to Cincinnati for the purpose of visiting his daughter, who at the time worked in the city.  While on an extended stay, Mr. Walsh decided to take some coursework in the Classics Department at the University of Cincinnati.  So impressed was Mr. Walsh with the courses and the campus of the university that he decided to donate to UC some very rare and unique letters personally written and addressed to him from noted American author and journalist Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914?).

Though they were consulted once or twice by scholars over the past half-century, the fifty-nine donated letters have never been generally accessible for research and teaching.  In 2011, the letters were digitized and now, with the development of a Bierce presence on ARB’s website, they have assumed their rightful place on the internet for all to study and enjoy. Continue reading

Summer Issue of Records Quarterly Now Available

By:  Eira Tansey

Records Quarterly cover Summer 2014The current UC Records Management newsletter shares information on reducing  that hoard of administrative records in your office, tips for how you can organize records through shared drives, information on upcoming workshops, and program news.

Click here for the latest issue and if you have any questions about UC records, just contact me in the Archives & Rare Books Library at 556-1958 or at eira.tansey@uc.edu.

And for more information on the Archives & Rare Books Library and its holdings, please contact us by phone at 513-556-1959, by email at archives@ucmail.uc.edu, or on the web at http://www.libraries.uc.edu/arb.html.

 

Business Library Rated 8th in Top 30 List

businesswebUC’s Internet Business and Economics Library was ranked 8th amongst “the 30 most impressive university business school libraries” according to Business Research Guide, a public website that provides expert reviews and insight into technologies, products and services, and career and education options.

The site selected the library for recognition because of its “top collections for business research comprised of traditional print resources, government publication materials, e-books, journals and databases. In addition to providing library patrons with research assistance and study space, the library also offers a number of resources for off-campus researchers and distance learners.”

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Sitting Smart in Langsam Library

annafurniture3New lounge furniture provides more varied study options.

Langsam Library is one of the busiest places on campus. Students take advantage of every corner of the building when looking for a place to study. With the goal of providing more comfortable yet practical places for students to work and study, we have added new lounge furniture to the 4th floor of Langsam Library. The modular furniture provides a variety of seating options — booths, benches and individual seats — as well as built-in outlets for plugging in laptops. Students are already making good use of the new furniture in the short time it has been available.

Come study in Langsam Library!

langsamfurniture

A Special Visit with Dr. Rich

On July 8th, the Henry R. Winkler Center received a visit from Dr. Charles Rich, Susanne Carney, and Frances Clare. Dr. Rich’s father, Major Murray L. Rich, MD, served with the 25th General Hospital in World War II.

From left to right: Susanne Carney, Dr. Charles Rich, Frances Clare, Veronica Buchanan, Doris Haag

From left to right:
Susanne Carney, Dr. Charles Rich, Frances Clare, Veronica Buchanan, Doris Haag
(Photo courtesy of Roger West)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Sidney Rossiter Benedict : Notes from the Oesper Collections, No. 27, July/August 2014

A circa 1928 Bock-Benedict colorimeter

A circa 1928 Bock-Benedict colorimeter

The 27th issue of Museum Notes tells the story of a UC graduate who, inspired by his undergraduate chemistry teacher, went on to become a nationally prominent physiological chemist and a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

Click here for all other issues of Notes from The Oesper Collections and to explore the Jensen-Thomas Apparatus Collection.

Exhibit in the Winkler Center – Dr. John Shaw Billings

jsbillings-usa-photoCurrently featured in the Stanley J. Lucas, MD Board Room is a display about Dr. John Shaw Billings, MD, which was completed in conjunction with the Henry R. Winkler Center’s 5th annual Cecil Striker Society lecture. Dr. Dale C. Smith was the guest speaker for the event and his lecture was entitled “John Shaw Billings and the Medical College of Ohio: Shaping Twentieth Century Medicine.”Dr. Billings was an 1860 graduate of the Medical College of Ohio, a precursor to the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.

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