University Archives Videos Now on YouTube

University Archives has started posting some video clips to the University Libraries' YouTube account. The clips are digitized from films held in University Archives. A "Films from UNCG University Archives" playlist collates all the University Archives clips in one place. You'll find scenes from past commencement activities, special campus events and visitors, and even a few past promotional videos for UNCG.

This quick tour of campus from 1950 has been particularly well received. Around the 1:50 mark you'll see some shots of Jackson Library in its final construction stages.

Keep an eye on the site for more video clips to come!

University Archives Scrapbooks Available Online

We're happy to pass along news that the University Libraries' Digital Projects unit has completed the digitization of 236 scrapbooks held in University Archives (see their blog post with additional details about the project). Highly acidic paper and glue along with delicate bindings make the physical scrapbooks challenging to handle and use as a researcher. By digitizing the scrapbooks, researchers will be able to search and use these valuable, yet fragile, records. 

Rat Day photo, Class of 1962 scrapbook

Many of these scrapbooks were created by students or student groups (clubs, dormitories, etc.). As such, these important records help document the history of student life at the school we now know as UNCG. The oldest of the digitized scrapbooks, however, contains newspaper clippings, programs, and other materials relating to the death of founding president Charles Duncan McIver in 1906. One of the most recently-created scrapbooks documents the activities, events, and productions associated with the UNCG School of Music, the UNCG Summer Repertory Theatre, and the UNCG Theatre from 2001-2002.

The scrapbooks join a host of other University Archives records that have been digitized and made available online in recent months. These include graduating class vertical files for classes from 1893 to 1950 (the remainder are currently being digitized), student handbooks from 1897 to 1926 (more to come), and course bulletins from 1893 to 2009. Combined with our other digitized resources such as the Carolinian (student newspaper) and Pine Needles (student yearbook), these materials form a solid foundation for any research on the history of UNCG.

Hodges Reading Room Hosts Public History Exhibit and Reception

On the afternoon of December 10th, the Hodges Reading Room played host to a reception celebrating the opening of an exhibit featuring the work of students in History 627, a course in the Department of History's museum studies graduate track. The exhibit, titled "Everyday Change: Stories of UNCG, 1963-1973" featured oral history interviews, photographs, textiles, newspaper clippings, and other materials documenting various forms of student activism on the UNCG campus during the 1960s and early 1970s.

Dr. Anne Parsons, the course instructor, and her students were on hand to speak with the audience about their research and interesting findings. In addition to the many UNCG faculty, staff, and student in attendance, a number of alumni from the time period came to view the exhibit and talk about their experiences on campus.

Student exhibits covered a number of issues relevant during the time period, from changing dress code regulations to the move to co-education to student views on the Vietnam War. Oral history interviews conducted during the development of the exhibit will be donated to University Archives and added to our large collection of interviews documenting the history of UNCG.

While the exhibit and reception serve to mark the end of the students' work this semester, it doesn't signify the end of their work documenting UNCG history during this time period. In Spring and Fall 2014, the collaboration between this cohort of students, Dr. Parsons, and SCUA will continue as the student conduct more oral history interviews and further develop their exhibits.

The "Everyday Change" exhibit will remain  in the Hodges Reading Room through January 6, and is available for viewing whenever SCUA is open (Monday-Friday from 9am to 5pm, excluding Winter Break - December 21-January 1).

Spartan Stories: A New University History Blog

Learn more about UNCG campus history at Spartan Stories, a new blog from the staff of University Archives. The blog officially launched on October 1, with a post about classes during the first year of the school's existence -- 120 years ago. Stay tuned in the weeks to come for posts focused on the 1967 Black Power Forum, the founding of the campus Athletic Association, the 1899 Typhoid Epidemic, and (everyone's favorite) the ghosts that haunt the campus.

Edwin Alderman, Charles Duncan McIver and the Class of 1893

New stories will be posted every Monday morning. From its founding in 1891 as a publicly-funded school for women's higher education to its current standing as a learner-centered public research university, UNCG has a rich and unique history filled with interesting stories. Through Spartan Stories, we look forward to sharing these tales with students, faculty, staff, alumni, and others who wish to learn more about how our university became - and, in many ways, has always been - a source of innovation and leadership within North Carolina and beyond.

McIver Statue Centennial: 1912-2012

 

Charles Duncan McIver, ca. 1895

Charles Duncan McIver was born on September 27, 1860, to Henry McIver and Sarah “Sallie” Harrington McIver in Moore County, North Carolina.
   
McIver entered the University of North Carolina (UNC) in Chapel Hill in 1877 and graduated in 1881.  After graduating from UNC, he accepted the assistant headmaster position at the Presbyterian Male Academy in Durham, North Carolina.  McIver was elected principal of the newly established graded high school in Durham in 1882.  After two years, he resigned his position in Durham for a teaching position at the Winston Graded School in Winston, North Carolina, where he met his future wife, Lula Martin.  They were married on July 29, 1885 and had four children.
   
McIver accepted the position of head of the literary department at Peace Institute, a girl’s school in Raleigh, North Carolina, in 1886.   While in Raleigh, he lobbied for a normal or teacher training school for women.
   
In 1889, he and Edwin A. Alderman were chosen by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to conduct a series of teacher institutes to instruct teachers and enlighten the public about the need for a normal school in North Carolina.
   
With an annual salary of $2,500.00, McIver was appointed the first president of the newly established State Normal and Industrial School in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1891.
   
Unfortunately, he died on September 17, 1906, at the age of 45; however, he did see his dream of founding a college to educate women in North Carolina realized – that institution is now known as The University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
   
Shortly after McIver’s death, a committee was appointed by Governor Robert Glenn to raise funds to erect a statue in McIver’s memory.

 

The eight-foot statue of Dr. Charles Duncan McIver was sculpted by French-born American artist Frederick W. Ruckstuhl in Paris, France, and cast by the Fonderie Nationale des Bronzes in Brussels, Belgium.  Ruckstuhl created two statues.  

The original statue cost $7,000 and was erected on the State Capitol grounds in Raleigh, North Carolina, and dedicated on May 15, 1912.  A duplicated statue cost $1,100 and was erected on the campus of the State Normal and Industrial College now The University of North Carolina at Greensboro.  

The statue was dedicated on Founders Day, October 5, 1912, and stood in front of the McIver Memorial Building until it was moved to the front lawn of Jackson Library in 1960.

 

The original location of the McIver Statue was on the lawn in front of the McIver Memorial Building, site of the current McIver Building.

 

After the McIver Memorial Building was razed in 1958 and the current McIver Building was erected in 1960, the statue was relocated to the area in front of Jackson Library, a more central location on campus.  Note the Stone Building in the background.

Over the years, students painted and decorated the McIver Statue on numerous occasions such as Easter of 1971, when the statue was painted pink and topped with rabbit ears.  

Photograph courtesy of the Greensboro News-Record Library.

 

Starting in the late 1950s, students began to paint and decorate the statue.  By the 1980s, the statue was in disrepair due to the weather and being periodically cleaned with cleaning solutions.

 

In November 1990, the eight-foot statue was prepared to be shipped to Karkadoulias Bronze Art, Inc. in Cincinnati, Ohio, to be cleaned and restored.

 

In May of 1991, the statue was returned to the campus in time for the university’s centennial celebration. Eleftherios Karkadoulias directed the statue back on its pedestal after being restored by Karkadoulias Bronze Art, Inc.

 

After the restoration, which totaled $7,500, the statue was returned to the university on May 10, 1991— two days before graduation.

Alumni Reunion 2012

On Friday, April 13, 2012, the Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives (SCUA) mounted an exhibit of historical items related to the university for the Spartan Expo at the Alumni Reunion.  The exhibit was displayed in the Cone Ballroom of the Elliott University Center.

The exhibit consisted of historic artifacts, photographs, and textiles with particular emphasis on the 1960s as 2012 was the 50th anniversary of the Class of 1962 and the 45th anniversary of the Class of 1967.

The display of vintage textiles was a particular hit with the alumni.  Many had their photographs taken with the 1962 Class Jacket & Skirt and the 1950s Gym Suit on display.

 Display of historic artifacts and photographs.

Class of 1962 alumni chatting with University Archivist Erin Lawrimore.

Class of 1962 viewing the display of historic photographs.

Front row: Edith M. Wiggins '62 and Sheila C. Sims '62.

Back row: Alumni Relations staff member Linda Dunston-Stacy and Mtume Imani '62.

Reunion attendees with vintage textiles in the background.

Happy Birthday Charlie: Celebrating the 150th Birthday of President Charles Duncan McIver

Charles Duncan McIver

Charles "Charlie" Duncan McIver was born on September 27, 1860, to Henry McIver and Sarah "Sallie" Harrington McIver in Moore County, North Carolina.

He began his formal education following his 8th birthday at a local one-room schoolhouse in Moore County. McIver enjoyed hunting rabbits, fox, squirrels, opossums, and raccoons and did regular chores on his father's farm during the summer and after school until he entered the University of North Carolina (UNC) in Chapel Hill in 1877. While at UNC, he made good grades and won a medal for Greek studies the spring of his sophomore year.

In 1881, McIver graduated from UNC and accepted the assistant headmaster position at the Presbyterian Male Academy in Durham, North Carolina, making $45.00 a month. McIver was elected principal of the newly established graded high school in Durham in 1882. After two years, he resigned his position in Durham for a teaching position at the Winston Graded School in Winston, North Carolina, where he met his future wife, Lula Martin. They were married on July 29, 1885 and had four children.

McIver at Peace Institute, 1886

McIver accepted the position of head of the literary department at Peace Institute, a girl's school in Raleigh, North Carolina, in 1886. While in Raleigh, he lobbied for a normal or teacher training school for women.

In 1889, he and Edwin A. Alderman were chosen by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to conduct a series of teacher institutes to instruct teachers and enlighten the public about the need for a normal school in North Carolina.

McIver in his office located in the Main (now Foust) Building

With an annual salary of $2,500.00, McIver was appointed the first president of the newly established State Normal and Industrial School in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1891.

Unfortunately, he died on September 17, 1906, at the age of 45; however, he did see his dream of founding a college to educate women in North Carolina realized - that institution is now known as The University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

An exhibit celebrating McIver's birthday will be on display in Jackson Library next to the Reference Desk until October 11, 2010. From October 11th until the end of the year, the exhibit will be on display in the Jackson Library/Elliott University Center Connector.