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An ongoing project in the Archives is the processing of materials on all 70+ Lawrence buildings, creating finding aids for the processed collections, and creating a digital collection for each building. The Alexander Gymnasiums I and II collection has been processed, and its finding aid is here.

A digital collection has also been done of both gymnasiums, and the collection is located at the following page.

http://www.lawrence.edu/library/contentdm/archives/about.html

As other building collections are completed, updates will be added to the blog. The next building collection to be processed will be that of Hamar Union and Memorial Union.

The Midwest Trivia Contest

The exhibit contains materials from past Trivia Contests, including letters, newspaper articles, and photographs. The Trivia Contest, known by some as the “World’s Longest-Running Trivia Contest,” began in 1966. Sample questions from past contests are included in the exhibit, such as…

“What did Michel Lotito, Mr. Eat Everything, consume to gain his world record for the largest meal ever eaten?”

For the answer, visit the exhibit on the first floor of the library. The exhibit was created by Rebecca Hayes, Archives student worker.

The Artist Series at Lawrence, 1908-2008: A Look at 100 Years of History

This exhibit features programs, season announcements, and photographs documenting the past 100 years of the Artist Series program. The program was created by William Harper, Dean of the Conservatory of Music, to bring outside performers to Lawrence. The exhibit is located in the display cases on the first floor of the library and will be up through December.

A digital collection on the Artist Series is at the link below.

http://www.lawrence.edu/library/archives/artistseries.shtml

On Monday evening, November 2, 1908, the first performance of the Artist Series program at Lawrence took place. The performer was David Bispham, a baritone, and the concert took place in Appleton Theatre. According to the Lawrentian,

“Once did not listen to the voice or its production but rather to the vocal picture he was painting. Lawrence University students should be thankful that they have the opportunity of hearing these world renowned artists.”

The annual Haunted Lawrence tour is this Sunday, November 2 at 7:00 pm and starts at the Union Info Desk. Stories of Lawrence’s haunted and creepy past will be shared as we visit campus buildings, including the tunnels under the Union and library, the attic of Ormsby Hall, and the Main Hall cupola where everyone will have an opportunity to ring the bell. The tour will be given by Julia Stringfellow, university archivist, and security officer Dell Cook who has witnessed some creepy things in her time at Lawrence.

A History of Lawrence Student Publications and Homecoming at Lawrence: A Fall Tradition

Theses exhibits in Ruverview Lounge in the Union feature the first yearbook done at Lawrence in 1893 and one of the first Lawrentians done in 1867. Yearbooks and student newspapers from other years are also displayed. The tradition of Homecoming is shown through photographs and programs of Homecoming football games. The exhibit will be up through the end of October.

Welcome to the Milwaukee-Downer Reunion and to the Mudd library and University Archives! Feel free to visit the reference desk or University Archives with any questions you may have. And take a look at the Milwaukee-Downer College digital collection, the Elizabeth Richardson digital collection, and oral history transcripts from Milwaukee-Downer Reunion 2006.

Special guests this weekend include Charles Richardson, brother of the late Elizabeth Richardson, and James Madison, author of the biography on Elizabeth Richardson, Slinging Doughnuts for the Boys: An American Woman in World War II.

A Look at the Life of Elizabeth Ann ‘Liz’ Richardson, 1918-1945

This exhibit features photographs, letters, scrapbooks, and sketch books of Elizabeth Richardson, a 1940 graduate of Milwaukee-Downer College who served in the American Red Cross as a Clubmobile woman from 1944 until her death in July 1945 at the age of 27. Many of the materials in the exhibit were donated to the Lawrence University Archives by Elizabeth’s brother, Charles Richardson, in May 2008.

The exhibit is done in honor of the Milwaukee-Downer College Reunion that will take place October 3-5. Charles Richardson will be attending, as will James Madison, author of the 2007 biography on Elizabeth, Slinging Doughnuts for the Boys: Am American Woman in World War II.

The audio files and transcripts of oral histories done with alumni during Reunion Weekend 2008 are now online. Two interviews done before and after the weekend are also included. Take a look at them here.

Fall Traditions of Lawrence

This exhibit on the first floor of the library features photographs, programs, and newspaper articles on fall traditions at Lawrence. Traditions include All College Day and the Walk Around that were held from the late 1880s through the 1940s, the Lawrence/Ripon College football rivalry that started in the 1880s, and the many events of Homecoming at Lawrence. The exhibit will be up through the first of October.