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Purdue Libraries and School of Information Studies News

From the Archives: Club Activities

From the Archives: Club Activities

October 23rd, 2017

Clubs have always been an important part of student life at Purdue.  This photo provides a glimpse into the activities of one club and includes its most famous member.  Can you identify the club and one of the men in this image?

Share your theories in the comments and check back on Friday for the reveal!

UPDATE:

Neil Armstrong, Purdue class of 1955, was an active member of the Purdue Avionics Club, also known as the Aero Club or Aeromodelers.  In the mystery image, Armstrong (right) and fellow club member Frank Claire wear Purdue Aeromodelers t-shirts as they stand among partially assembled model airplanes and parts at Purdue.

Armstrong put his aviation skills to good use as a test pilot before entering the astronaut program and becoming the first man to walk on the moon.

Test Pilot Neil Armstrong poses here with the X-15 rocket plane after a research flight in 1960.

Original X-15 photo courtesy of NASA. Aeromodelers photograph courtesy of Andrew Claire.


From the Archives: Student Recreation

October 8th, 2017

Throughout Purdue’s history, students, faculty, and staff have enjoyed recreational activities on all parts of campus.  This photograph shows one of the more popular activities that was enjoyed throughout the year.  Can you tell what is happening here, when, and where this picture was taken?  Share your theories in the comments and we’ll reveal the whole story on Friday.

UPDATE:

This mystery photo shows students enjoying the old horseshoe pitch that stood outside Memorial Gymnasium.  According to a 1927 booklet on “Purdue in Athletics” published by the Department of Physical Education for Men, horseshoe pitching was a popular activity between class sessions and in the evenings, enjoyed by both students and faculty.

Following its dedication in 1909, the Memorial Gymnasium served as a space for various athletic and recreational events, commencement ceremonies, and later as a gymnasium for women.  In 1985, the facility was renovated into the Computer Science Building.  Since 2006, it has been known as Felix Haas Hall in honor of Felix Haas, a former faculty member and administrator who helped develop Purdue’s computer science program.

The location of this photograph is now the site of­ Honor Tracks, the newest monument on campus, which spells out the words of the student honor pledge within a railroad track.  Honor Tracks is visible in this photograph with Haas Hall in the background.

Please join us again on Monday, October 23, for our next From the Archives mystery challenge.


From the Archives: Standard Oil

September 24th, 2017

As the State Street Project continues to update the appearance of Purdue and West Lafayette, we look back on another construction project that changed the area. Can you guess what is being built in this photo, where it is located, and when this photo was taken?  Share your ideas in the comments and check back on Friday for the reveal!

UPDATE:

The construction site in the center of this photograph soon became the Krannert School of Management, completed in 1963.  This construction site photo is looking southeast at the intersection of State and Grant Streets.  Since 2001, the corner that once held the Standard Oil Gas Station has been the site of Jerry S. Rawls Hall, which was dedicated on October 2, 2003.

The gas station is visible in this aerial photo of Krannert taken in the final stages of its construction, along with Young Hall in the background.

Please join us again on Monday, October 9, for our next From the Archives mystery!


From the Archives: The Tuba Player

September 10th, 2017

It’s football season, which means it’s band season. The “All-American” Marching Band has been a Purdue tradition since the 1880s and has seen thousands of proud Boilermakers join its ranks. This young member of the band went on to become one of Purdue’s most recognizable graduates, but can you identify him before he was famous? Share your theories in the comments and check back on Friday for the full story!

UPDATE:

Our mystery tuba player is Purdue class of 1928 graduate Orville Redenbacher, best known for revolutionizing the popcorn industry.  Redenbacher was a very active student, part of Alpha Gamma Rho, Agricultural Society, Agricultural Editor Society, Press Club, Band, Union Work, Class Track, Class Cross Country, Debris Yearbook Editor, and Exponent Editor.

Redenbacher didn’t slow down after graduation.  He worked in various agriculture-related positions across the state of Indiana until 1951, when he turned his full focus to the perfect popping corn.  Orville Redenbacher Popcorn launched in 1970 with its namesake front and center in all advertising.  The Purdue grad has been a recognizable face ever since!

Purdue Archives and Special Collections houses Redenbacher’s papers, including a selection of his personalized bow ties, donated by his grandson Kevin Fish.

Please join us again on September 25 for our next From the Archives post.


From the Archives: A Beginning

August 27th, 2017

 

The From the Archives photo series returns with the start of the new school year. On alternating Mondays throughout the academic year, we will feature a photo from Purdue Libraries Archives and Special Collections in conjunction with Purdue Today and give readers a chance to answer what’s taking place in the image. The full story behind the photo will be revealed on the following Friday.

To kick off a new year, we look at a beginning.  Can you identify this Purdue location and tell us what – aside from crowds of students – is missing from the finished space?  Share your theories in the comments and we’ll reveal the full story on Friday!

UPDATE:

In 1954, construction began on Purdue’s Memorial Center, a new campus building that would incorporate the existing University Library, a newly reconstructed Fowler Hall, and new classroom and activity space.  Construction finished in 1958 and crowds filled the new space for its dedication ceremony.

When Memorial Center first opened it was missing its most striking feature, “The Spirit of the Land Grant College” mural above what is now the entrance to the Humanities, Social Science, and Education Library.  The mural was completed and dedicated on October 4, 1961.

In 1972, the building was renamed in honor of University Treasurer R.B. Stewart, becoming the Stewart Center we know today.

Congratulations to everyone who commented and recognized this building!  Please join us again on Monday, September 11, and on alternating Mondays throughout the semester as we present mystery photos From the Archives.


From the Archives Photo Challenge Part 5

May 21st, 2017

The academic year has ended and summer is upon us.  For our final From the Archives post until fall, we present a campus photo that fully embodies summer.  Do you remember where on campus you could find this scene?  What’s there now?

UPDATE:

This outdoor swimming pool was part of the Recreational Gymnasium, which was completed in 1957 and later renamed the Recreational Sports Center. The pool’s site west of the center now is occupied by the Morgan J. Burke Boilermaker Aquatic Center, which was completed in 2001 and adjoins the Co-Rec. The Co-Rec underwent a major renovation and expansion approved in 2008, and it was rededicated in 2012 as the France A. Córdova Recreational Sports Center.

Recreational Sports Center, circa 1960s

The pool photograph was taken on August 27, 1980, just as these students had arrived on campus for the academic year. Beyond the pool at right is the Purdue fire station, and across Third Street are Meredith and Shreve Residence Halls. Both are visible in the background of the full photo.

When the anniversary of this photo rolls around in three months, we’ll be back with more From the Archives.


From the Archives Photo Challenge Part 4

May 7th, 2017

Graduation is almost upon us, so what better time to look back at other graduations in Purdue’s past?  Here you can see Purdue students proceeding to their graduation ceremony, but can you tell where and when this photo was taken?  What clues led you to your answers?  Share your ideas in the comments and check back on Thursday for the reveal!

UPDATE:

On Tuesday, June 11, 1929, Purdue’s graduating class lined up on Memorial Mall and marched as a group to Memorial Gymnasium for a 9:00 AM ceremony.  This photo, taken from the second story of Memorial Gym, shows their approach across the railroad tracks that led to the Power Plant in the center of campus.  The former Purdue Hall is visible in the background.  Family and friends gathered along the path to cheer on the soon-to-be graduates and the Purdue Military Band provided musical accompaniment for the ceremony.  More than 600 students received their degrees that day.

The inside of Memorial Gym, set up for the 1929 graduation ceremony.

This was a tough one!  Congratulations to all who participated!


From the Archives Photo Challenge Part 3

April 23rd, 2017

Throughout the history of Purdue, its students have created and participated in many long-running traditions. What tradition is shown in this photo, and where did this activity occur?

UPDATE:

On May 1, 1913, Purdue held its first May Day festivities as part of Gala Week, a celebration of spring and the end of the academic year.  Young female students and children from the community wore sandals and white dresses as they danced for crowds on the Oval, the open area of campus now known as Memorial Mall.  The May Day performances emphasized the arrival of springtime, so most included elaborate floral arrangements and may poles.  Here are a few more views of the 1913 festivities:

May Day celebrations occurred annually at Purdue until the 1920s, but Gala Week lived on until the 21st century.

Congratulations to all who figured out what was happening in the picture!  Check back for our next From the Archives photo on May 8!


From the Archives Photo Challenge Part 2

April 9th, 2017

Today we share the second photograph in our From the Archives series. This photo shows a moment that changed the face of Purdue’s campus.

What exactly is happening in this image and what was its result?

UPDATE:

On Jan. 19, 1894, Purdue dedicated a new mechanical engineering laboratory building on campus named after benefactor Amos Heavilon. The new structure was the pride of campus with state-of-the-art equipment and an eye-catching tower. Only four days after its dedication, however, a gas explosion in the boiler room sparked a fire that quickly spread throughout the building. Helpless crowds gathered to watch Purdue’s newest building burn to the ground. Aside from a few salvaged pieces of machinery, the building was a total loss.

Heavilon Hall after the fire (William Chester Halstead photographs, MSA 262)

The day after the fire, Purdue President James H. Smart drew upon the imagery of the Heavilon tower and vowed that it would be rebuilt “one brick higher.” Thanks to generous donations and fundraising efforts, the second Heavilon Hall was dedicated on December 4, 1895, less than two years after the fire. Ever since Smart’s speech in 1894, “one brick higher” has been a rallying cry spurring the Purdue community to ever greater heights.

Congratulations to the many respondents who knew the answer!


From the Archives Photo Challenge

March 27th, 2017

In association with Purdue Today, we introduce our new From the Archives series, sharing glimpses of Purdue’s past through photographs from the Purdue Libraries Archives and Special Collections.  On alternating Mondays during the academic year, this feature will allow readers a chance to view a historical photograph and guess what is taking place in the image.  On Fridays, we will reveal the story behind the photograph, allowing readers to learn more about Purdue history and see if their guesses were correct.

To start the series, here is a moment in Purdue history related to another beginning.  What is happening, and, for an extra challenge, who is this person?

UPDATE:

On Nov. 25, 1922, David Ross, Purdue trustee and co-namesake of Ross-Ade Stadium, laid the cornerstone for Purdue Memorial Union, a structure dedicated to the memory of those who fought and died in World War I.

The official groundbreaking for the Memorial Union building was held earlier that year on June 13, 1922, during Gala Week. Ross broke ground with a shovel, then the task was continued with a horse and plow in front of an excited crowd. Three months later came the cornerstone ceremony, with speakers including Indiana Gov. Warren T. McCray; Charles W. Morey, president of the Purdue Alumni Association; and Purdue President Edward Elliott.

Purdue Memorial Union officially opened two years later on Sept. 9, 1924.

Purdue Memorial Union shortly after construction

Congratulations to those of you who correctly identified the Purdue Memorial Union and David Ross! Our “From the Archives” photo series will continue to share views of Purdue history on alternating weeks throughout the spring. Our next photo will be online on April 10.