University Archives News

May 5, 2008

Of Bonfires and Cremations

It will surprise few to learn that Northwestern University students are no strangers to the wilder promptings of spring, and that they have found ways to express such impulses, in one guise or another, since the beginning of Purple time. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the roster of vernal outlets for colorful behavior included such extravaganzas as the Freshman Beach Party, the Sophomore Hop, May Pageant, and University Day. Among the more flamboyant of such displays was the campus tradition that came to be known as Trig Cremation, which flourished in one form or another from 1877 through 1914, or by different reckoning, 1922. As an artifact of another era, Trig Cremation is worth a brief backward, possibly wistful, glance from the high perch of the enlightened present.

Continue reading "Of Bonfires and Cremations"…

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May 1, 2008

New Exhibit: 1968 Student Protests

The Archives has added an online exhibit featuring the 1968 student protests and bursar's office sit-in in recognition of the 40th anniversary. Click to enter exhibit.

Forty years ago, while demonstrations, sit-ins, and student activism were sweeping the nation's campuses, Northwestern was home to a notable moment of its own.

From May 3-4, 1968, a group of African-American students, organized by For Members Only and the Afro-American Student Union, occupied the school's business office at 619 Clark Street, to protest what they characterized as the school's lack of response to an April 22 set of demands to the administration.

This was the first time the administration was faced with this type of student action and it would go on to have lasting impact, particularly in the push for an African-American studies department and increased African-American enrollment.

Take a look at some photos, listen to audio recordings, and sample a few gems from the archives.

Additionally, the archives is inviting viewers to contribute futher information on the collected photographs at their Flickr page: James Sweet Photos and University Relations Photos. Anyone who has further materials and would like to share them, please email the archives: archives@northwestern.edu.

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April 15, 2008

50th Anniversary: Martin Luther King, Jr. @ NU

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke at Northwestern on April 15 and 16th, 1958 when he delivered the 1958 Mars Lectures.

From an April 2, 1958 Press Release:

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Ala. and leader of the bus segregation protest there in 1956, will deliver Northwestern University's Mars lecture series April 15 and 16.
"The Crisis in Human Relations" and "The Christian Answer" will be discussed in two lectures by King. Both lectures, open to the public without charge, will begin at 8 p.m. in the Technological Institute auditorium, Sheridan rd. at Noyes st., Evanston.

King, 29, became a much admired religious leader when he used "only the weapons of love and non-violence" in directing the bus boycott. A native of Atlanta, Ga., he was graduated from Morehouse College and Crozier Theological Seminary. He received his doctorate in systematic theology from Boston University in 1955.

The lecture series was established by the will of Dr. Gerhardt C. Mars, a Northwestern alumnus and former Methodist minister. The will provided funds for a series of annual lectures on progressive Christianity.

Faculty chairman of this year's series is Franklin D. Scott, professor of history, who lives at 2657 Orrington ave., Evanston.

"Martin Luther King To Give 2 Talks Here", Daily Northwestern, 4 April 1958.
"Boycott Leader Gives Human Relations Talks", Daily Northwestern, 15 April 1958.
"King Outlines Basic Causes of Race Issues," Daily Northwestern, 16 April 1958.
"Integration Leader King Advocates International Non-Violence Policy," Daily Northwestern, 17 April 1958. (Part One , Part Two)
"King Preached to NU, But Crowds Came Out," Daily Northwestern, 18 April 1958.
1958 Mars Lecture Program (Part One, Part Two, Part Three)

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February 20, 2008

Northwestern's Lifesavers

Did you know that from 1877 to 1917, Northwestern students staffed a campus Lifesaving Station that saved more than 400 people from drowning in Lake Michigan? The story begins one morning in 1860, when a group of Northwestern students woke to discover passengers clinging to the wreckage of the Lady Elgin, which had collided with another ship during a storm the night before...

Download for computer and iPod:
Right-click to save

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February 16, 2008

The Rock

A beloved icon among Northwestern students, The Rock has weathered many changes in its multi-faceted, multi-colored existence, and still remains as solid as...well, as a Rock. Now, for the first time, an in-depth two-minute-and-nineteen-second rockumentary separates fact from fantasy in the legend of The Rock.

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February 15, 2008

Leigh Bienen on Homicide: Murder Clues in NU Archives

A Senior Lecturer at the Northwestern University School of Law, Leigh Bienen is also an expert on the subject of homicide. Her book Crimes of the Century (co-authored with Gilbert Geis) examines five famous 20th century murder cases including the Lindbergh kidnapping, the O.J. Simpson case, and the shocking murder of 14-year-old Bobby Franks by Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb. The book was partially researched in Northwestern’s University Archives, which houses the original ransom note the murderers sent Bobby Franks’s parents, as well as other primary sources. In an interview with the Library, Professor Bienen explained why this case is considered one of the “crimes of the century.”

Hear the full audio interview in mp3 format:
Listen (right click to save)

Leigh Bienen is also the creator of the Chicago Historical Homicide Website, a searchable database of murder cases in Chicago from 1870-1930.

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February 14, 2008

The Story of the Wildcats

Do you know how Northwestern’s Wildcats got the name—or how Willie came to be our mascot? For a quick and entertaining history lesson, take a look at this YouTube clip or the MP4 download file at the bottom of this page.

Besides this glimpse of Willie’s past, Northwestern University Library offers plenty of resources and services to help with your research.

Keep an eye on this Archives News blog for updates about the archives, news about collections, history, and interviews.

Or a version to download, playable on iPods:
The NU Wildcats (mp4) [right click to download]

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