The Special Collections Christmas Selections

                Tis the season, everyone!  Can’t you feel it in the air?  The crying students furiously searching for books and typing their papers here in the library, all with matching Java City cups…yes, finals season is truly the most magical time of the year.

                Jokes aside, here in Special Collections we want to get into the holiday spirit, and perhaps you too would like a breather from those five tests you have coming up.  So I went searching through our collections and found an eclectic array of Christmas-themed books and items that I think are definitely worth checking out.  So without further ado, I present to you “The Special Collections Christmas Selections”!

Interested in Erotic Art? Holy art? Classic Literature?

Check out:

The Anatomy of a Book: A Barry Moser Exhibit

Come to our Opening Reception: October 30, 2014, 4:30-5:30pm to hear from the curator of this exhibit, view the exhibit, and enjoy refreshments. Learn what Moser means when he refers to himself as a “booksmith”. Read insightful quotes from the artist. Enjoy incredible illustrations.

Most of all, come and learn what makes a book, a book, in the hands of a master book artist.

If you can’t make it to the opening reception, stop by Special Collections and Archives (Library, Room 208) during our open hours, typically Monday-Friday 1:15-5pm (check this calendar for up to date hours: http://libguides.trinity.edu/archives) between now and April.

This exhibit is a celebration of the author, essayist, teacher, and illustrator, Barry Moser, most known for his engraved illustrations.  However, as you will see in this exhibit, he does so much more. He has completed works ranging from classic literature like The Scarlet Letter: A Romance to beloved children’s books such as Jump! The Adventures of Brer Rabbit to religious works like the Bible.  Come and see these amazing works (among many others!) and learn the intricacies that go into designing a Barry Moser masterpiece.

This display was made possible by the generous donation of the limited-edition Pennyroyal Caxton Bible (No. 229 of 400 copies).  This was a wonderful gift of Bruce and Suzie Kovner.

--Brandi Russell, Trinity Student (Class of 2015)

Trinity During World War I

Announcing New Exhibit on Trinity and World War I

Curated by Meredith Elsik

Special Collections & Archives is marking the centennial of World War I with a two-part exhibit available on the 2nd and 3rd floors of the library.  Come learn about the general history of WWI and view numerous books about the “Great War” on the 3rd floor, part of a traveling exhibit that will be here until December. Then come down to Special Collections (on the 2nd floor) to learn about Trinity’s involvement in the First World War.  We hope it will give you an idea of what life was like for students on campus following the United States entry into the war in 1917.  Special Collections is open Monday through Friday, 1:15-5pm unless otherwise posted. 

See Special Collections current hours at http://libguides.trinity.edu/archives .

A Brief Overview of the War Years at Trinity  

Written by Meredith Elsik

Come to the exhibit to learn more!

Changes came quickly to the Trinity campus, then located in Waxahachie, Texas. Trinity students soon saw men in military uniform on campus with the War Department’s creation of the Students’ Army Training Corps. (S.A.T.C.)  Their activities outside of class also took on a patriotic flavor as they became involved in activities designed to support the war effort.

The S.A.T.C. program was designed to use colleges and universities as military training facilities, while at the same time it was hoped they would help slow down the declining enrollment of men which concerned college administrators.  Apparently the concern was such that “one visitors committee expressed the fear that Trinity might even become a school for girls”. (Everett, 83)

It also meant that money had to be spent on remodeling for housing the new S.A.T.C. unit on campus. Apparently a new shower and bath house was needed, which along with plumbing and other expenses cost almost $3000 according to the Trinity Bulletin. However, the Bulletin also reported that all claims to the government were paid and “Trinity University lost nothing in a financial way because of its service to the government.”

Just as we hear reports and concerns about the Ebola epidemic today, the 1918 influenza epidemic was also a concern on the Trinity campus during the war years.  The influenza epidemic supposedly killed an estimated 50 million people around the world, while World War I claimed an estimated 16 million lives (The National Archives).  Classes on campus were cancelled and the TU Bulletin reported as many as 35 men in a local Sanitarium suffering from influenza.  Luckily, the Bulletin reported that there were no fatalities among students cared for in Waxahachie.

The War came to an end with the Armistice signed on November 11, 1918. The S.A.T.C corps was disbanded and apparently the end of military discipline brought about problems with President Samuel Hornbeak reporting that the trainees “went wild” (Brackenridge, 87).

At the first Commencement following the war, there must have been relief that the war had ended, but sadness also, as seven current or former Trinity students, who had given their lives in service to their country during the war, were honored.

If you would like more information, you might take a look at the following sources used for the exhibit and blog post.

Both the school newspaper, The Trinitonian, and the school yearbook, The Mirage, have been digitized and are available online through the following link.

http://lib.trinity.edu/lib2/dig_coll.php

Books covering the history of Trinity University:

Brackenridge, Douglas R. Trinity University: A Tale of Three Cities. San Antonio: Trinity University Press. 2004. Print

Everett, Donald E. Trinity University: A Record of One Hundred Years. San Antonio: Trinity University Press. 1968. Print.

Trinity University Bulletins – Special Collections & Archives

Sources for 1918 Influenza Epidemic:

The Influenza Epidemic of 1918:

https: //virus.stanford.edu/uda/

The National Archives. The Deadly Virus – The Influenza Epidemic of 1918

http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/influenza-epidemic/

Trinity Then and Now

The following post is by guest blogger Anh-Viet Dinh '15 about his project Trinity: Then and Now. The project is located at http://digitalcommons.trinity.edu/dinh1/.

The “Then and Now” project (also titled Portals to the Past) was inspired by a series of photographs found online, where photographers would superimpose their own family pictures onto the current location in the photograph. When I began taking these photographs for my beginning digital photography class in March 2012, they were assigned as a “Visual Poetry” assignment, which required us to tell a story with a series of photographs. I originally wanted to take HDR landscape photos transitioning from day to night, but while thinking about other possible photographs, I ran into the website DearPhotograph.com. This blog features hundreds (probably thousands) of photographs taken by people from all around the world, showing their historical family photographs superimposed onto the present scene. Seeing these photos is what sparked my imagination and helped me develop the idea of taking Trinity University’s historical photographs and incorporating this type of photography.

I remembered seeing photos on one of the school’s servers and went searching for potential photos to use. The only criteria I used to select the photos was if there was a significant change in scenery. The number of photos I could use were limited since many of those I found were taken from the one of the older campuses, in an ambiguous location, or in a helicopter (I’m betting aerial views would be pretty hard to superimpose...). I did eventually find the ones I would use for my very first photos, including the historical photo of the reflection pond, and the photo of cardiac hill.

Not only was I limited in what photos I could use, but my camera was clearly not suited for this type of photography! At the time, I was using a Canon t1i with an 18-55mm. The idea was to be able to have a wide enough view to see how the present scene differs from the past photograph, but with the equipment I was using, I was only able to get a limited view of the scene in one shot. Therefore, with the exception of one photograph, the final pictures that were produced were composed of 3-9 photographs each. The photo of the cactus garden behind Calvert Hall, was composed of 9 vertical pictures stitched together oh Photoshop. This method was necessary in order achieve a wide angle view of the scene, but could be achieved by simply using a wide-angle lens. After critiquing the three initial photographs submitted to my fellow students in class, one of my friends, Jane, insisted that I showed my work to her art history professor, Kathryn O’Rourke, who mentioned that she was working with Amy Roberson from Special Collections on another project and that my project could potentially be incorporated into her first-year class the following fall semester. Dr. O’Rourke forwarded some photos to me from Special Collections and ultimately virtually introduced me to Amy, who guided me through selecting even more photos from Special Collections. When I met Amy in the summer for the first time, I was shown the enormous library of photographs that Amy had, and it blew my mind. I remember when she pulled out a long drawer of cards and told me to go through some of the cards to see if I liked the description of the photos. There must have been tens of thousands of cards for me to choose from! Amy had photos both in the form of reversal film, film negatives, prints, and digital collections. Before working on this project, I had no idea that Special Collections would have the amount of photos it did, let alone the different forms of photos it had. I eventually found a number of potential photographs and finished my project, launching the mini exhibit the following fall semester with the help of Dr. O’Rourke’s students. Overall, I am grateful to have been able to see a small assignment turn into a collaborative project involving so many different people that made this project a success.

We love the pieces that Anh-Viet created using our collections. Thank you!

New Beginnings

Well ladies and gentlemen, it’s that time of year again to whip out your tissues and get ready to send our lovely seniors into the real world to make us all very proud. As they walk the Laurie Auditorium stage on May 18, 2013, they will be ending one adventure and starting a new one (cheesy...I know). One of our very own down here in Special Collections, Faith Bradham, will be starting her new life in August at Indiana University, attending graduate school to become a librarian and spreading her love of books to everyone she can. Your Special Collections family is very proud of you, Faith-- now go do awesome things and never forget that we’ve always got your back!

Trinity University diploma from the Waxahachie campus

Although the beginning and ending ceremonies are held in Laurie Auditorium both freshmen and senior year, it was not always this way. Previous ceremonies on the Skyline campus were held in the Sunken Gardens, located directly across the 281 highway and walking distance from campus.

Trinity University Spring Commencement at the Sunken Gardens

Due to lack of space (and probably the unbearable Texas heat), the ceremonies were eventually moved inside. Because, lets be honest, who wants to sweat up a storm under one of those polyester graduation gowns in the 100 degree temps? Not me. However, that has never stopped friends and families from enjoying the outdoors as they take photographs outside by the Miller Fountain and the Trinity Tower to commemorate this important day.

Trinity students have been known to add a personal touch
their graduation day attire

In addition to walking the stage on graduation day, graduating seniors also have the opportunity to leave their mark on Trinity, specifically on the iconic Trinity Tower. As wide-eyed first years, students climb the Trinity tower, taking photographs at the top with the University’s president. When graduating, students climb the tower once more, this time signing a brick at the top (which will cost $20.13 this year--see what they did there?). Therefore, while graduating, seniors participate in similar ceremonies as they did four years ago, this time transitioning out of college life and into a new phase in their lives.

As we creep closer and closer to graduation, seniors are getting closer to holding that much deserved diploma. Just as those who walked across the stage at the Sunken Gardens in the 1950s before their friends and family, 2013 seniors will walk (or stumble) across the Laurie Auditorium stage with the support of all their friends and family. The seniors of 2013 will be dearly missed next year, and campus will definitely not be the same without them. Congratulations friends, and never forget that your Triniland family is here cheering you on!

Oh, and try not to trip...

--Angeline Bottera '15

Theatre

It’s no secret that I’m an enthusiastic thespian. I talk (read: complain) about rehearsal far more than I talk about anything else, and I complain (read: brag) about all the hours that I spend in the theatre building to most everyone. So it should come as a surprise to no one that when I’m at work in Archives, and I have completed all of my tasks, I flip through the card catalog, searching under all possible terms for information about the theatre department. Most recently I came across some very exciting photos of our building right after its construction in 1966. I marveled at how much the same certain things looked but even more at how different others looked. Most astonishing were the pictures of rooms and places that I could not identify, like a huge and mysterious tech booth, the location of which I could not fathom:

If actors were actually astronauts...

The theatre was remodeled in 2000, so the Stieren house and stage look strikingly different.

The space that we misleadingly refer to as “The Café Theatre” was clearly an actual café at one time:

We're all pretty upset we lost this classiness.

One change that has been enormously positive has been in how we use our lobby. I think any Trinity student knows that when you want to find a theatre student, the first place to look is in the lobby of the Ruth Taylor building, but this wasn’t always the case. Our lobby used to look like this:

Foyer 1966

Apparently, the department was very strictly against students lollygagging about in “The Foyer,” and instead students could use a green room off the Stieren (that no longer exists). Personally I could not imagine our building without at least three or four students diligently doing homework (read: gossiping unashamedly) in our space. Still, though almost fifty years have passed since these pictures were taken, I don’t feel so distant from them. It’s the faces that all seem the same. The spirit hasn’t changed at all.

TUPS Meeting

--Kate Cuellar '15, Special Collections and Archives Student Assitant

Cloud Nine

This is the last weekend of Trinity University's production of Cloud Nine. Ticket information is available on the theatre website. Make sure you check it out!

It turns out that Trinity University performed this play back in 1985, just a few years after it was written. After seeing the two posters created for the 2012 production I wondered how the Theatre Department advertised for the previous iteration of the production. So, from the archives, the program for Trinity University's production of Cloud Nine in 1985:

Also, here's the review of the play from the Trinitonian in 1985:

Stratton, Sean. Everything's different on "Cloud Nine." (1985, October 25). Trinitonian, pp.7-8.

 

--Amy Roberson, Special Collections and Archives Librarian, Assistant Professor

An Ode To Moody

This blog will also feature entries about the history of Trinity University as told by the items accessible through Special Collections and Archives. We will introduce the various types of materials we have as well at the tools you will need to locate (and even view!) some of those items.

As noted in a recent press release from University Communications, the William L. Moody, Jr. Engineering Science Building will be demolished in the near future. Special Collections and Archives recently received a new addition to our collection, a t-shirt celebrating Moody and engineering at Trinity University.

Trinity University Engineers T-Shirt

In fact, we have a number of t-shirts in our collection, from organizations such as Alpha Phi Omega, Phonathon, and more for your viewing pleasure. During the school year, we are open Monday-Friday, 1:15pm to 5pm. Check the Special Collections and Archives website for exceptions to those hours.

-Amy Roberson, Special Collections and Archives Librarian, Assistant Professor