Tag Archives: uc history

Two UC Students Explored Life in Nazi Women`s Labor Camps

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By Suzanne Maggard

Mary Louise Eich

Mary Louise Eich

College students are notoriously adventurous and University of Cincinnati students are not immune to the exploratory spirit.  In the Archives and Rare Books Library, we are in the unique situation to learn about and discover student adventures that may have otherwise been forgotten.  An example is the story of Mary Louise Eich and her friend and Delta Zeta sorority sister, Mary Nichols.   Last week, we received a donation of a book entitled, An Odyssey in the Life of Mary Louise Eichwritten by William Neal, the son of Mary Louise Eich.

Mary Nichols

Mary Nichols

The book tells the story of Mary Louise’s life and the trip she made with Nichols in the summer of 1936 to Nazi Germany.  Both Eich and Nichols spent a month working in Women’s Labor Service camps.  Upon their return they both wrote articles for the Cincinnati Post about their experiences.  Neal’s book provides transcriptions of the articles Eich and Nichols wrote for the Cincinnati Post and is a great addition to our library’s holdings on German-Americana and University of Cincinnati history. Continue reading →

New Department of Psychology Collection at ARB

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By Suzanne Maggard

The Archives and Rare Books Library recently received a new collection from UC’s psychology department containing records from 1967 until 2011.  The collection includes information on faculty and graduate students, annual reports, and accreditation documentation and supplements the very small number of items that the archives already held related to the history of the psychology department.  This new collection is now available for research by faculty, student, staff, and the public.

Wayland R. Benedict

Wayland R. Benedict

The psychology department has a long history at UC.  Wayland Richardson Benedict taught the first psychology courses at UC starting in 1876 as part of the philosophy department.  Courses like Empirical Psychology covering topics in sensation, content, strength and tone of sensation continued to be offered until a separate Department of Experimental Psychology and Pedagogy was created in the Spring of 1901.  The Psychology Department endured quite a bit of instability in its early years and the first three department heads stayed for only a short time. Continue reading →

Generous Gift Funds More News Record Digitization

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UC News RecordBy:  Kevin Grace

An additional four years of the University of Cincinnati News Record has now been digitized, thanks to the generosity of a Bearcat alumnus.  Jordan L. Bleznick, a 1976 A&S graduate, funded the project to digitize the student newspaper from 1973 through 1976, adding to the previous digitized issues from 1960 through 1970.  Researchers can access these years by visiting the University of Cincinnati Digital Collections site at: http://digitalprojects.libraries.uc.edu/newsrecord/index.php.  The newspapers are available as full-text and are keyword searchable. Continue reading →

Dr. Isay Balikin: Innovative UC Teacher and Researcher

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Isay Balinkin with an inventionOne night in October of 1938, in Cincinnati’s General Hospital (now University Hospital), there was an unusual hustle and bustle as nurses, doctors, and interns searched throughout the building for a tiny piece of uranium which had disappeared. The radium, no larger than a sugar cube, was worth $1400 and hospital staff was intent on locating it.  During the search, it was discovered that Dr. Isay Balinkin of UC’s College of Engineering had an electroscope that could be used to find uranium.  The problem was that it was late at night, and Dr. Balinkin did not have a telephone.  Instead, the hospital sent Postal and Western Union messengers to get Dr. Balinkin and his electroscope at his home on Auburn Avenue.  (Yes it does seem like an odd way to fetch someone only a few miles away.)  They did find Dr. Balinkin and Dr. Balinkin found the uranium in the trash.    Dr. Isay Balinkin spent 40 years at the University of Cincinnati and did even more important things than locating uranium in the middle of the night.  An enthusiastic teacher, he taught an estimated 8000 students demonstrating science with devices like bowling balls, rubber gloves, and mousetraps.  He was also a great researcher and held 7 patents for devices he had invented.  Some of his papers are held in UC’s Archives and Rare Books Library. Continue reading →

UC Commencement - A Time-Honored Tradition

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By: Dawn Fuller 

(Re-posted from UC News:  http://www.uc.edu/news/NR.aspx?id=15686)

Look through historic photos of UC Commencement Ceremonies and discover some of the university’s traditions that continue to thread through Commencement today.

Who remembers Commencement at Nippert Stadium?

As depicted in the video that features Commencement photos stored in UC Archives, Nippert Stadium – for decades – was the venue for June Commencement.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBPts6IHTrw?rel=0&w=350&h=267 align=”right”]

 

UC last held Commencement in Nippert Stadium in 1984. UC President Henry Winkler delivered the Commencement address at the 1984 cerermony in Nippert Stadium. In 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1988, June Commencement was held downtown, when the spring ceremony took place in Riverfront Coliseum, now called U.S. Bank Arena. Continue reading →

"Mr. UC": The Life and Service of Daniel Laurence

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Daniel Laurence as UC Vice President of Business Administration

By Janice Schulz

When Daniel Laurence was at the height of his career at the University of Cincinnati, he was honorably dubbed “Mr. UC.” This is not a title that was given out lightly, but a testament to Laurence’s career and his devotion to the University. He spent 62 years of his life at the University of Cincinnati from 1890 to 1961. Of those decades, four years were spent as an undergraduate student, football star, and student leader, 40 as clerk of the Board of Directors, Secretary and Business Manager, and Vice President, and 18 as Emeritus Vice President. Laurence was there as the University grew from a small city school to a strong institution. He saw 12 presidents come and go. He watched as 43 buildings and Nippert Stadium rose from the ground and oversaw many of those building projects as Vice President. During his time, enrollment grew from 133 to 17,538 students and the one Academic Department of 1890 became six separate colleges.  And largely under his supervision, the annual budget grew from $76,860.57 to over $18 million. If anyone deserves the title of “Mr. UC,” it is surely he. Continue reading →

Department of Philosophy Records in ARB

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By Janice Schulz

Philosophy Program

Announcement for the 35th Annual Philosophy Colloquium in 1998

The Archives and Rare Books Library has completed processing a three-box collection of records from the College of Arts and Science’s Department of Philosophy. The collection covers the years 1960-2010 and includes department handbooks, policies, and rules, degree program requirements and assessments, and records and reports on the annual colloquium, honors classes, and enrollment statistics.

Handbooks from 1970-1998 document the development of the department, including program requirements, classes offered, faculty, and activities. The annual colloquium, first held in 1964, is a gathering of speakers who present papers on topics within the field of philosophy. Each year the colloquium revolves around a theme, such as “Anti-Individualism in the Philosophy of Mind and Language” (1992), “Semantics” (1994), and “Perspectives on Rationality” (1998). The collection contains records for several events between 1992-2005 including programs, speakers, and papers presented. Continue reading →

New Collection Documents Fundraising During Trying Times

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Mont Reid Brochure

In 1943 the University created this brochure to solicit donations for the Mont R. Reid Memorial Fund to benefit the College of Medicine.

By Janice Schulz

A new collection in the Archives and Rare Books Library shows how the University was able to fund programs, research, and building projects as the country was in the midst of the Great Depression and later in World War II. Transferred to ARB from the Controller’s Office, the one-box collection contains records from the former Department of Business Administration of funds, grants, fellowships, scholarships, and gifts to the University from the 1930s and 1940s. The research of prominent persons, such as Mont Reid, Lucy Braun, George Sperti, and Otto Szász was funded during this time. Some of the biggest donors to UC were Procter and Gamble, Coca-Cola, Baldwin Piano, Julius Fleischmann, and the Streitman Biscuit Company.

In 1934, the Alumni Association started the Committee on University Bequests. Made up of alumni working as practicing attorneys, bankers, trust officers and insurance officials, the committee was designed to provide assistance to those wishing to include UC in their will as well as to encourage alumni to do so. The collection contains the records of the committee’s founding, including correspondence, meeting minutes, and reports. Continue reading →

Carl H. Lindner College of Business Papers Now Available

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By Kate Krueger

A new collection consisting of papers from the College of Business is now available. Established in 1906, The Carl H. Lindner College of Business has been a vital part of the University with approximately 2900 undergraduate and 600 graduate students. This collection contains documents from the mid 1970’s to early 2000’s ranging from revisions of various programs in the department such as the MBA and PhD program and materials from student groups. Also included in the collection are papers from the Alpha Rho Epsilon fraternity.

Ph.D Candidate Book

Ph.D Candidate Book, 1982-1983

MBA Case Competition

MBA Case Competition Finalists and Judges, 1994

 

Continue reading →

A Look into the World of Landscape Architecture: The Myrl E. Bottomley Collection

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By Janice Schulz

Myrl Bottomley

Professor Myrl E. Bottomley

In 1922, the College of Engineering and Commerce started a new degree program in Architecture that included a few classes in Landscape Design. The classes were well received, and when the Architecture Department moved to the newly created School of Applied Arts in 1925, a complete degree in Landscape Architecture was offered. With the growth of the Landscape program and the School of Applied Arts, a dedicated professor was needed to lead the Landscape Architecture program. Enter Professor Myrl Elijah Bottomley in 1926. A native of Michigan, Bottomley earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Michigan State College in 1916. He served in World War I as a lieutenant on the front lines in France, where, as a result of gas attacks, he developed health issues that would stay with him for the rest of his life. After returning from the war, he earned a Master of Landscape Design from Cornell University in 1922. Before coming to UC he served as Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture at Iowa State College from 1922-1925. Continue reading →