Ask the Archivist

Nov 20, 2021
The Cutler Lecture Centennial
By Melissa Mead
The first Cutler Lecture was delivered in 1921 by former US President (and future US Supreme Court justice) William Howard Taft. Who followed in his impressive footsteps?
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Aug 23, 2021
Accessing the hive mind
By Melissa Mead
The wooden sculpture of our Yellowjacket mascot sits quietly in a corner of Wilson Commons--it took a swarm of people to tell its story.
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May 1, 2021
You Can Hear It Now
By Melissa Mead
What do Winston Churchill, Edward R. Murrow, Muhammad Ali, and Barbara Jordan have in common? They all spoke to audiences at the University. Were you there?
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Dec 29, 2020
US Presidents at the UR
By Melissa Mead
With the inauguration of president-elect Joseph Biden on January 20, 2021, the University of Rochester can count eight former or future presidents, and many more candidates for that highest office, among VIP visitors to campus.
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Feb 14, 2020
"Who were my deaf predecessors?"
By Melissa Mead
Corinna Hill, PhD student in our department of history, sent in a newspaper clipping from 1921 that described six deaf students who attended the University at the same time.
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Nov 12, 2019
Azariah Boody: Our Dandelion Fellow
By Melissa Mead
Azariah Boody (1815-1885) is remembered (when we remember him) for donating the land for the University’s first campus. But without him, there would be no dandelions, no Yellowjackets, no Dandelion Yellow, no Dandelion Day, no D’Lions...
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Aug 19, 2019
Shedding Light on the University Mace, in Review
By Melissa Mead
No Inauguration or Commencement would be complete without the presence of this symbol of the President's authority. But the company that created the Mace did significant other work for the University that we see every day on the River Campus.
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May 22, 2019
Taking the Prize for Student Life Contributions
By Melissa Mead
A question from Dean of Students Matthew Burns in the Spring 2019 issue of Rochester Review asked for the history of the Seth H. and Harriet Sprague Terry Prize, our earliest prize established to honor contributions to student life.
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Feb 1, 2019
The University Portfolio, in Review
By Melissa Mead
The recent transfer to the University Archives of a group of 19th and early 20th century stocks and bonds sheds light on the University's early investment decisions and the generosity of its donors.
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Aug 6, 2018
The Eastman Theatre Library, in Review
By Melissa Mead
How does a library just vanish? Supplemental information for the Ask the Archivist column in the July-August issue of Rochester Review
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