During the fall semester of 2018 three Anthropology majors interested in museum studies worked as interns in WKU Archives to create an exhibit entitled Bowling Green. The students, Jennifer Roberts, Jordan Mansfield and Beth Sutherland were given seven exhibit cases. They each chose two topics to fill six cases and they collaborated on the topic of education for the seventh and largest of the cases. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Western Kentucky University
World War I Resources in WKU Archives
WKU Barracks, 1918
WKU Archives is located in the Kentucky Building and is open Monday-Friday 9 AM – 4 PM.
Canon, E.H. Oral History, 1977
Cherry, Henry. Lost Sheep in the Army, 1918
Cherry, Henry. Personal Papers
Cherry, Henry & Earl Sullenger. Correspondence, 1918
Diddle, E.A. Interview, nd
Grise, Mary. Oral History, 1977
Orendorf, Jo. Oral History, 1978
Poteet, James. Oral History, 1975 Continue reading
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Filed under University Archives
The Testimony of the Spirits
In 
their Junior year the Class of 1922 put on “The Second Annual Anti-Homesick Treatment,” the fourth portion of which was a “grand opera” that tells the story of a new student caught between the Spirit of Homesickness and the Spirit of the Institution. In order to defeat Homesickness the Institution calls forth the Spirits of Friendship, Hard Work, Loyalty, Knocking, Class and Beauty. For the incoming freshman we give you the Testimony of the Spirits:
Hard Worked Students:
We study hard both by night and day
And that’s the way we always play
But since no labor we ever shirk
We must just here get at our work
Spirit of Homesickness
Right here methinks I’ll take my stand
Some new student may happen by
I’ll grab the poor thing by the hand
And teach her how to say good bye
I’ll try to get her good and blue
And get her ready to skidoo
My mission is where’er I roam
To get ’em blue and send ’em home
New Student
My home I love so dearly
Is far away from me
I begin to feel so queerly
What can the matter be
What can the matter be
I feel so gloomilee
And I fear some frightful illness
Has seized a hold of me
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WKU Archives Video Digitization Project Update
Yesterday we received 9 more videos from our digitization vendor. Some of these are finished products of earlier digitized b-roll. The new titles are:
Student Recruit Master, ca. 1980, a small clip of an interview with WKU president Donald Zacharias is available on YouTube.
There are several segments from the WKU Magazine show:
Fashion Merchandising, nd includes interviews with Vickie Driver, Sallye Clark, Julia Kirk, Donna Lanehart, Virginia Atkins, Diana Youngblood and Karen Massel regarding their experiences at the Atlanta Fashion Market. Continue reading
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Cherry Statue Time Capsule
Cherry Statue Unveiling, 11/16/1937
As archivists we evaluate our collections and process them in order of importance. That importance can be calculated in terms of rarity, pressing preservation issues or research value. We also process collections as researchers use them. This past week we spent time processing the Cherry Statue Committee records for a student working on a capstone project. This is a small collection just 31 folders of documents and one oversize drawing of the statue base. In archives speak a mere .25 cu. ft. or a single box measuring 15 1/2″ x 7″ x 10″.
In using the collection the researcher found information regarding the time capsule placed beneath the statue on November 10, 1937. There were two lists of items that had been placed in a bronze box and sealed inside the base. There was also documentation that indicated a second box had been purchased for duplicates to be placed in the Kentucky Museum. The museum curator brought the box out for the student to see. 
Before the box went back to the Kentucky Museum, we digitized everything in it. We also were able to identify a few items that had not been duplicated and created the Cherry Statue Time Capsule online exhibit.
Here you will see most of the items that the Cherry Statue Committee felt important enough to store for posterity. Most of the items reflect Henry Cherry himself and include his two books, several speeches showing his interest in education, agriculture and politics; photographs and program of his memorial service. The Glasgow Normal and Southern Normal Schools are represented in commencement programs and publications. Also included are representations of what Cherry meant to the faculty, staff, students, alumni and community in the lists of donors to the statue fund
, resolutions of respect and other tributes. Lastly there are many representations of how WKU had grown and flourished in the 31 years since its founding in 1906 until November 16, 1937 when the statue was unveiled.
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WKU Archives Video Digitization Project Update
Yesterday we received 31 more videos from our digitization vendor. Many of these are short advertisements created by WKU Public Affairs in 1974 and 1975.
- Adele Gleaves, Miss Western & Accomplished Gymnast
- Verde White, 81 Year Old Graduate – interview with White Mills teacher upon the completion of her bachelor’s degree
- Verde White Graduates
- Homecoming 1975 – this video features a young Gary Ransdell when he was working in WKU Student Affairs, see if you can spot him.
- Legislative Interns – featuring students Suzanne Held and Lisa Cornwell
- Continuing Education – featuring students Ed Blair, Charles Covington, Roger Gant and Sue Meyers
- Jesse Stuart at Home – Jim Wayne Miller interviews the Kentucky author, short version and long version
- WKU Magazine: A Program of Music featuring the WKU Choir, Tuba Ensemble, Sylvia Kersenbaum, Percussion Ensemble, Opera and Guitar Ensemble
- WKU Dialogue program featuring discussion with Richard Leakey and Paul Rono
- La Boheme, Act IV in English, features introduction by James Heldman and players Michael Dunn, David Gibson, Conra Hester, Jim Jones, William Miller and Leslie White
- Western for the ’80’s – this video was previously unidentified
- Future Farmers of America Field Day
- Big Red Marching Band
- Bicentennial Exhibit at the Kentucky Museum
- 1975 Fine Arts Festival ad
- High School Band Day
- Recreation Majors – highlighting instruction at Opryland USA
- Tech Aqua
- Biology / Allied Health Majors
- Founders Day 1974 – tribute to Henry Cherry on the re-dedication of Cherry Hall
- Bowling Green Community College
- KET University Report: Kentucky Museum – featuring conservator Bruce MacLeish and cataloger Ann Johnston
We will be uploading these “new” videos to our WKU Library Special Collections YouTube Channel. Let us know if you can identify students and faculty included in the videos.
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Out of the Box – March
Bill 1985-5-F – SGA Grade Point
Carlton Jackson
College Heights Herald 3/19/1954
Donald Zacharias Installation File
Student Teacher Placement Cards
WKU Favorite Professor(s) – Carlton Jackson 1933-2014
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February Out of the Box
Beta Gamma Sigma – photo collection inventory
The Elevator
Elevator – read the latest WKU news ca. February 1914
Faculty Senate Newsletter, Vol. 1, No. 7, May 1979
Honors Program – collection inventory
Junior American Dental Hygienist’s Association – 1992 scrapbook
Letter Henry Cherry to George Cherry, 8/12/1927 re: WKU Talisman and the political climate in Kentucky
Libraries Update 2/1989 – newsletter created by WKU Libraries
Newman Center Dedication Program, 1968
Rodes-Harlin Hall – building history and sources
Teachers Side of the Case – poem by Miss Lincoln ca. 1920
Thomas Meredith Calendar File – collection inventory
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A Century of Spirit PSA’s
The WKU Archives holds records in a variety of formats. During the 2006 WKU Centennial celebration 26 public service announcements were created as MP4 files. These announcements include ten decade by decade histories of WKU and special topics such as Henry Cherry’s legacy, Coach E.A. Diddle, Big Red, integration and student organizations. The PSA’s and other documentation of A Century of Spirit are available online at: TopScholar, choose the year 2006.
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Filed under Uncategorized, University Archives
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words or at Least 272
The University Archives holds thousands of photographs of thousands of people, buildings and events. We scan on demand for researchers and we scan those images we cannot identify in hopes that someone will be able to help us. Just such an occasion happened this week. Below is an excerpt from an email regarding the photo above.
” . . . image f7592-1 — great shot . . . fooled me at first . . . magnifying bits and pieces of pic has corrected my first impression and, I think given us the answer on this one . . . first thought it was a FB game in 1930, just months before P.E. Building opened in 1931 . . . but not possible!!! — clothing styles much more like late 50s thru mid-60s era; work on P.E. is obviously remodel for transition into Margie Helm Library (see cutout in middle of building for new entranceway we now have for that building AND work on foundation for that addition to the building; work on roof is replacement, not new; obviously not new as well from condition of weathered stonework on side of building) . . . almost certainly fall, 1964 — work on P.E. Building (Diddle Arena already open; opened Dec. 7) conversion to library (which will open in the following fall — 1965 — as Margie Helm Library) . . . scoreboard reads Western 24, Opp O with 15:00 on clock for 4th quarter . . . cheerleaders at lower left wearing sweaters with “E” on them and photographer (guy near cheerleaders) most likely ???? . . . from Glasgow Daily Times — a student at WKU at the time — and camera he is carrying is 35mm that began to become common with media types in early-to-mid-60s . . . conclusion — pic made from top of old Western Stadium press box on Oct. 31, 1964 — Homecoming — a 24-0 win over Eastern Kentucky . . .” Our thanks to Paul Just for his infinite knowledge of all things WKU sports and his willingness to share with us!
To date nearly 6000 University Archives images have been scanned and posted in our online catalog KenCat which allows researchers to share information with us, share images with friends as well as order prints or digital copies. Please take a few minutes to check it out. And if anyone knows the name of the Glasgow Daily Times photographer – please let us know!!
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Filed under Events, University Archives