Recently in Treasures Category
This year the University Libraries are celebrating 150 years of service to the Penn State community. If you would like to make your own contribution, you may donate here.
Spring 2009 graduates, don't forget to join the Alumni Association and to check out the Alumni Library.
Class of...
1994 - Extended Hours Room in Pattee Library
1989 - outdoor study lounge at Pattee Library
1985 - Library book fund
1984 - Library book fund
1979 - Library book fund and improvement to facility
1977 - Library book fund and improvement to facility
1976 - Library book fund and improvement to facility
1975 - Library book fund and improvement to facility
1974 - Library book fund and improvement to facility
1973 - Library support funds
1972 - Library support funds
1968 - Libraries Program Endowment; $100,000 to the Campaign for the Library at their 25th reunion
1966 - Library endowment in memory of Charles A. "Rip" Engle at their 25th reunion
1964 - American cultural heritage collection for Library
1962 - Library book fund
1960 - Library book fund
1959 - American contemporary literature collection for Library
1957 - Library book fund
1953 - record album collection for the library (earmarked for a proposed radio station)
1936 - contribution to Library scholarship
1935 - Library book fund
1932 - Library books
1912 - class ivy at Library (when it was in the Carnegie Bldg)
1911 - busts of Fred Lewis Pattee and A. Howry Espenshade in Pattee Library
1910 - clock in the library (Carnegie Bldg)
1907 - collection of books from the Atherton Library collection; nuclear engineering books donated in 1962 at class' 55th reunion
For more details, see the announcement on our website!
Tip: When searching for a name, say "Joe Paterno," you will likely get better results if you use the "Advanced Search" option and enter the name on either the "All of the words" or "The exact phrase" line. This is especially helpful if you are searching across all issues. There are currently 180 pages referencing Joe Paterno, including the Dedication of the 1969 issue to the "Coach of the Year."
Some print copies of La Vie are still available for purchase. For more information, see the La Vie student organization web site. Issues for 2001-2005 will become available in La Vie Online 2010.
In a related story from Penn State Live, "Penn State Alumni Find Themselves and Others on the New Digital La Vie."
Watch former PSU football player Wally Triplett, a key member of the 1947 Penn State team--he caught the game-tying touchdown pass against Southern Methodist at the Cotton Bowl in January 1948--give his take on the racially charged, yet defiant origins of the "We are... Penn State" cheer that continues to echo today.
Like any good rally cry, I suspect this one did come from humble origins, as Mr. Triplett's story tells, repeated enough times in enough places that no one's really sure exactly how it it started. The President's remarks are elusive, and so are the comments from the historians interviewed here.
The Historical Digital Collegian (1887- ) might yield more clues.
I originally wrote about Wally Triplett, Dennie Hoggard, and the issue of race and segregation in college football in February 2006. (I see those links are broken. Try these: 1946 team and 1947 team goes to the Cotton Bowl.)
In case you're wondering, Joe Paterno didn't join the PSU coaching staff until 1950. In 1948 he was still a player, at Brown University.
The Library of Congress' American Memory Project has a collection of essays, letters, stories, photographs, and audio recordings of traditional canal songs in their "Captain Pearl R. Nye: Life on the Ohio and Erie Canal" collection. Nye grew up on the canal and when it closed in 1913, he dedicated his life to preserving its history. Before being replaced by railroads, America's canals revolutionized travel and the transport of goods.
Included among the numerous song recordings is "Mr. Frog," a variation of a traditional English folk song dating as far back as 16th century Scotland. Another option would be to research this folk song, recently recorded as "Froggie Went A-Courtin'" by Bruce Springsteen on the Seeger Sessions album. Search for books on traditional folk music in the library's catalog (The CAT), or in the International Index to Music Periodicals (PSU only) for articles. (Try searching "frog AND courting".)
For additional information, search America: History and Life (PSU only) with Ohio & Erie Canal in the Subject Terms line. Or, simply search for canals in general. The Dictionary of American History has a good article on the history of canals in the U.S. and their impact. (select Gale Virtual Reference Library, search for "canals"; PSU only) See the article "Canals" by Harry N. Scheiber (University of California, Berkeley).
A book, Along the Towpath: A Journalist Rediscovers the Ohio & Erie Canal by Al Simpson has been recently published on the subject. If PSU does not own, PSU students, faculty, and staff may request it through Interlibrary Loan.
The Museum of the Moving Image has made Presidential campaign commercials from 1952-2004 available on their website the Living Room Candidate.
Browse by election year, issue, or type of commercial (children, real people, fear, etc.). Also, lesson plans for teachers.
For more on elections and campaigns, see the CQ Voting and Elections Collection (in the CQ Electronic Library). Find articles about messages conveyed by election commercials and the impact of television on political campaigns in Communications Abstracts or Worldwide Political Science Abstracts. (All PSU only.)
Need help? Ask a librarian: all PSU or Altoona campus.
Penn State Homecoming 2007 is October 7-13. Learn more about upcoming student and alumni activities.
The PSU Alumni Association recently published this History of Homecoming in their Alumni Insider magazine.
According to the article, the first PSU Homecoming was in 1920--one of the most memorable seasons in Penn State football history. The Homecoming Game was a rematch with Dartmouth, who beat the Lions 19-13 in their previous match-up--"the only blemish on an otherwise perfect season."
For a blast from the past, browse the October 8th and 12th editions of the Penn State Collegian to learn more about the game and homecoming activities.
Football fans visiting Happy Valley this fall should visit the Paterno Retrospective in Pattee Library.
Going to the Homecoming Parade with my friends is my tradition. What's yours?!
A wealth of old photographs digitized to preserve community history, http://www.phillyhistory.org allows you to search for photographs by keyword (place name) or address. See what your neighborhood looked like at the turn of the century, or explore city life. This is a work in progress, so new photographs are being added continuously.
From the website:
The Philadelphia City Archive is one of the country's largest municipal archives, with an estimated 2 million photographs that date from the late 1800's. These gorgeous pictures paint a stunning portrait of Philadelphia and its industry, architecture, culture and people.
Keywords: Philadelphia, history, industry, architecture, culture
Watch how the 1946 and 1947 PSU football teams contributed to the civil rights movement in these Penn State Live videos.
In 1945 Wally Triplett and Dennie Hoggard became the first African-American football players to take the field in varsity football games at Penn State. Their race became an issue when the team was scheduled to play Miami in the segregated Orange Bowl in 1946.
Wally Triplett and Dennie Hoggard made history again in 1947 as the first African Americans to play in the Cotton Bowl. In 1947 an unbeaten Penn State football team faced an also undefeated Southern Methodist University team in Dallas.
Update: Links broken? See this post.
Keywords: college sports, discrimination in sports, history, football
Are you a young African-American student? How does your education compare to Calvin Waller's? Calvin H. Waller (BS Ag, 1905) was Penn State's first African-American graduate. Learn more about his experience at Penn State by watching this short video from Penn State Live. It would be more than 25 years before the first woman of African-American heritage would graduate from Penn State. Mildred Seller Bunton received a BS in Health and Human Development from Penn State in 1932. Both went on to have wonderful careers in their discipline.
Keywords: higher education, history, African Americans
