Lawrence Archives

There are a couple of events going on this week to celebrate Appleton’s 150th birthday. On Wednesday evening, July 11, from 7-8 pm, a presentation at the Appleton Public Library will be held to discuss the early days of Appleton. I will be giving a talk on the early days of Lawrence University. For more information, see the following link.

http://www.apl.org/programs/lecture.html

An exhibit at the Appleton Art Center will open Friday, July 13 titled, 1857/2007: Then/Now. The exhibit features works of art from the time of Appleton’s founding and from the present day. Works of art from the Lawrence University Archives will also be part of the exhibit. The exhibit runs through September 8. For more information, see the following link.

http://www.appletonartcenter.org/appletonart/calendar+of+events/gallery+exhibitions/1857+2007.asp

Ever have a question about the history of Lawrence or Milwaukee-Downer College but was too busy during the school year to ask? The University Archives will be open throughout the summer. Stop by anytime the library is open, 8-4 Monday through Friday. Reference questions welcome, tours of the Archives provided spontaneously, and random thoughts greatly appreciated.

Check out the Archives digital collection that includes materials from the Trivia Contest and Henry Wriston collections, as well as the founding of Lawrence. Items can be searched by keywords and select fields. Different formats of materials are included. Check back often to see what new digital collections have been added.

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

Questions about the digital collections of the Archives? Come to the Mudd Coffeehouse Wednesday, July 11, to learn more about that and the oral history program being done by the Archives. Any questions, comments, or random thoughts about the digital collection can also be sent to archives@lawrence.edu. In person visits to the Archives with your comments are also welcome.

In honor of the 150th anniversary of the incorporation of Appleton, Wisconsin, this online collection contains correspondence and photographs documenting the creation of Lawrence University. With the founding of Lawrence University in 1847, the area around the college grew into the community of Appleton. In other words, Lawrence was here first! The city of Appleton is named in honor of Sarah Appleton Lawrence, the wife of Amos Lawrence, the founder of Lawrence University.

The physical formats of these items are available in the University Archives, located on Level B of the library.

Click here to view the collection

Wondering what types of events are taking place to celebrate Appleton’s Sesquicentennial? Go here for a list of events and other useful information about Appleton.

http://www.postcrescent.com/includes/newspaper/marketing/celebrate/index.shtml

The Traditions of May Day at Lawrence and the Hat Hunt at Milwaukee-Downer College

Photographs, newspaper articles, programs, and dance cards document the two spring traditions in this exhibit. May Day began at Lawrence in 1905. The festivities of the celebration of May 1 included the election of a Queen of the May and her six Maids of Honor chosen from senior class women. The identity of the Queen and her Court was kept a secret until they took their places around the traditional May Pole and performed the dance for students and campus visitors. The event was sponsored by campus organizations including the Lawrence Women’s Association. The tradition continued until 1966.

The annual Hat Hunt began at Milwaukee-Downer College as a prank in 1894. When Parson Ames visited the college as a speaker, freshmen girls hid his hat. This began the tradition of sophomore students hiding the hat and freshmen women searching for it. The woman who found the hat was carried through the campus on a wooden serving tray by her classmates who declared, “We’ve found it!” The Hat Girl hid the hat the following year. The Hat Hunt was a rite of passage for the freshmen class; they proved they were ready to be sophomores by successfully finding the hat.

This exhibit is in Riverview Lounge in Memorial Union. Questions about the exhibit may be e-mailed to archives@lawrence.edu. Anyone interested in viewing more materials that document the events covered in the exhibit are welcome to visit the University Archives located on Level B in the library.

Interested in learning how to resurrect the May Day or Hat Hunt festivities at Lawrence? Visit the Archives and the University Archivist will be happy to assist you in reviving the traditions and documenting them.

The first ever Mayfest Revival (in April) takes place this Sunday, April 29, from 7-10 pm. The event starts at 7 pm in the Wriston amphitheater. Learn how to dance around a May pole and participate in hula hoop, limbo, and water balloon toss contests. Sweets and drinks will be provided.

At 8 the event moves into the Riverview Lounge in the Union where there will be chair massages, art therapy, and music and test anxiety relief. Homemade bread, fruit, and snacks will be provided.

Curious to learn how May Day was celebrated in past years at Lawrence? View the displays in Riverview Lounge, and the University Archivist will be on hand to answer any questions you may have.

This event is brought to you courtesy of the Times and Traditions Committee and the Student Wellness Committee.

Influential Women at Lawrence and the Creation of Women’s Week

March is Women’s History Month, and in honor of that, this exhibit looks at the history of women who made a strong impact at Lawrence. Items include those documenting the career of Mary Ann Rossi, professor of Classics at Lawrence, who worked actively in the creation of Women’s Week and other campus events honoring equality of women. The tradition of an annual Women’s Week at Lawrence began in April 1974 and is also documenting in the exhibit. Programs, photographs, press releases, and newspaper articles are included.

To learn more about the history of women’s rights and events at Lawrence, visit the University Archives located on Level B of the library.

To learn more about Women’s History Month, visit

http://www.nwhp.org/

Materials are on display in the exhibit cases on the first floor of the library through the beginning of April.

Student Protests and Reactions to National Events of the 1960s and 1970s and Diversity at Lawrence

Photographs, newspaper articles, correspondence, and programs are featured in this exhibit. Student protests documented included demonstrations in protest of the Vietnam War, a peace march in protest of the brutality surrounding the Civil Rights movement in Selma, Alabama, in 1965, and a demonstration to protest the student slayings that occurred at the Kent State University demonstration in 1970.

National events that received student action at Lawrence included a campaign visit by John F. Kennedy in 1960 which took place in Riverview Lounge in Memorial Union. A memorial service in honor of President Kennedy was held on campus in 1963. An impeachment simulation of President Richard Nixon’s presidency was held in 1974.

Diversity at Lawrence is also documented in the exhibit, including a look at the international students who have attended Lawrence, the International Dinner that has been held since the 1970s, and the International Cabaret.

This exhibit is in Riverview Lounge in Memorial Union. Questions about the exhibit may be e-mailed to archives@lawrence.edu. Anyone interested in viewing more materials that document the events covered in the exhibit are welcome to visit the University Archives.

Materials depicting the presidency of Henry Merritt Wriston, Lawrence University President from 1925-1937, are on display in the exhibit cases of the first floor of the library. Items include photographs, correspondence, and inauguration materials. The exhibit will be up through the rest of February.

The collection of files of Lawrence University president Henry Merritt Wriston, president from 1925-1937, is now processed and a finding aid is available online!

Selected materials from the collection have been digitized and can be viewed at the site

http://digitalmedia.lawrence.edu

Check the site as items will continue to be added.

Henry Wriston is known for being a revolutionary both in the world of education and in his tenure at Lawrence. Some notable highlights of his presidency include:

— He was a supporter of the Conservatory of Music and worked to keep it open despite the Board of Trustees wanting to close it.

— He was very pro-active in building the art collection at Lawrence and bringing traveling exhibits to campus. His goal was to build a center for the arts, but due to the Great Depressions occurring at the time, this goal was not realized during his presidency.

— Wriston was the first Lawrence president who was not a Methodist minister, and severed the ties the Methodist church had with Lawrence by removing the Board of Visitors, a group of Methodists, from the Board of Trustees. He allowed social activities on campus that had been frowned upon by the Methodists and even attended the first dances held on campus.

— Wriston founded and became the first director of the Institute of Paper Chemistry, an institution of research and graduate study supported by the paper industry.

Wriston quotes

News consists chiefly of bad news from a newspaper man’s point of view. From the college point of view that is the kind we do not want to have circulated.

Wriston on college publicity in a letter to Lucia Briggs, president of Milwaukee-Downer College, November 21, 1933.

The goal of Lawrence for the future must be growth intellectually. For the students the growth must be self-discovery, learning to do what you really want to do, not what you came to do because obviously you come with rather unformed ambitions.

Wriston in a speech given at Lawrence University’s 125th anniversary celebration on January 15, 1972.

Interested in learning more about Henry Wriston and viewing his collection? Contact the Archives or stop by.