For the Record – Page 29 – News and Perspectives from University Archives and Records Management Services

Selected Dialectic Society Records Digitized as Part of a Documenting the American South Project

As part of the digitization of the Joseph Lawrence Dusenbery’s journal for “Verses and Fragments: The James L. Dusenbery Journal (1841-1842)“, a few selected documents from the records of the Dialectic Society held in the University Archives have also been digitized.

These documents include an address to the Dialectic Society by his brother, Edwin Lafayette Dusenbery, in 1845, and the Dialectic Society Library Circulation Records of Joseph, and two other brothers, Henry Mcrorie and William Brevard.

Dusenbery’s journal is the “heart” of this online resource. Kept by him during his senior year, the journal is an amazing resource for those interested in student life at UNC in 1841 and 1842.

Electrifying the UNC Campus

Though electricity now seems to pump endlessly and uninterrupted through the university system and hospitals, the role that Energy Services at the University of North Carolina has played over the past forty years has changed significantly. From approximately 1895 to 1976, Energy Services at UNC was the sole provider of electricity to the towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro. In 1977 with the sale of their resources to Duke Power (now Duke Energy), the University’s Energy Services focused their attention on only the campus.

It seems strange to think of the University functioning without electricity, but it did for over one hundred years, until a Physics professor named Joshua Gore took steps to electrifying the town for what he claimed were safety reasons. Here in the University Archives, we just processed the records of the Department of Energy Services. The records primarily focus on 1977 to 2000, but one can also find maps and drawings dating from the 1930s and 1940s. The records detail some incredibly interesting pieces of information—how did the university modernize for the year 2000? How did energy services check for PCBs after the controversies of the 1980s? What really happens behind the scenes every time you turn on a light switch on campus?

Continue reading “Electrifying the UNC Campus”

Di-Phi Bicentennial Debate

To celebrate the rich history of their organizations, each year the Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies delve into the University Archives to find a topic that was debated 200 years ago. The topic may be something still very applicable to today, or it may be debated in an “old-style” fashion, as if reliving history.

Dialectic Society Pin (from the collections of the North Carolina Collection Gallery)

On Monday, November 21 at 7:30pm, in the Dialectic Society chambers of New West, the Di-Phi will hold its annual bicentennial debate. The topic is a debate from March 3, 1824, “Is an alliance between Great Britain and the United State to be desired by the latter.”

The University Archives holds the records of both the Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies from their founding in 1795, including minute books, addresses, debates, and photographs.

For more information about these Societies and their records, please see the following finding aids:

Records of the Dialectic Society
http://www.lib.unc.edu/mss/uars/ead/40152.html

Records of the Philanthropic Society
http://www.lib.unc.edu/mss/uars/ead/40166.html

Records of the Dialectic and Philanthropic Joint Senate
http://www.lib.unc.edu/mss/uars/ead/40153.html

University of North Carolina System celebrates its 40th anniversary

In 1971, the North Carolina General Assembly passed legislation that created the University of North Carolina System, encompassing all of the state-supported institutions of higher learning in North Carolina.

Today, the UNC System includes Appalachian State University, East Carolina University, Elizabeth City State University, Fayetteville State University, North Carolina A&T, North Carolina Central University, North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, North Carolina State University, UNC-Asheville, UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC-Charlotte, UNC-Greensboro, UNC-Pembroke, UNC School of the Arts, Western Carolina University, and Winston-Salem State University.

The UNC System can trace its origins to the Great Depression. Looking for cost savings, the North Carolina General Assembly created the Consolidated University of North Carolina in 1931, consisting of the campus in Chapel Hill, North Carolina State College of Agriculture and Engineering (now North Carolina State University), and the North Carolina College for Women (now the University of North Carolina at Greensboro), under the leadership of one board and one president. Frank Porter Graham served as the first president of the Consolidated University. In 1969, UNC-Asheville, UNC-Charlotte, and UNC-Wilmington were added.

In 1956, William C. Friday became the president of the Consolidated University, later the UNC System, serving until 1986. Subsequent presidents of the UNC System have been C. D. Spangler, Jr. (1986-1997), Molly C. Broad (1997-2006), Erskine Bowles (2006-2011), and, currently, Thomas W. Ross (2011- ).

On November 9, 2011, these five presidents participated on a panel, “Evening with Five Presidents” to discuss the history of the UNC System. The event was held to commemorate the 40^th anniversary of the UNC System. The Daily Tar Heel published an article on the event on November 10, 2011: http://www.dailytarheel.com/index.php/article/2011/11/unc_sr ystem_bday

The University Archives and Records Management Services serves as the official archival repository and provides records management support for the major administrative offices of the UNC System. The records from the tenures of Presidents Friday, Spangler, and Broad are available for research in Wilson Library as are the records of other administrators and units of the UNC system.

Here are links to the finding aids of the:

William C. Friday records: http://www.lib.unc.edu/mss/uars/ead/40009.html

C. D. Spangler, Jr., records: http://www.lib.unc.edu/mss/uars/ead/40010.html

For more information about the history of the UNC System over the last forty years, please see:

King, Arnold K., The Multicampus University of North Carolina Comes of Age, 1956-1986. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1987.

Link, William A. William Friday: Power, Purpose and Higher Education, Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1997.

Celebrating the Black Experience at UNC

Our friends at the North Carolina Digital Heritage Center (http://digitalnc.org/) have just completed digitizing Black Ink, the official publication of UNC’s Black Student Movement. Publication of Black Ink began in 1969, with the goal of transforming “Blackness … into pictures and words.” 212 issues from 1969 through 2001 are now available online.

Also, if you are in Chapel Hill this weekend celebrating Black Alumni Reunion, be sure to stop by Wilson Library’s lobby to see an exhibit on the history of the Black Student Movement with materials pulled from the North Carolina Collection and the University Archives. Wilson Library’s weekend hours can be found here.

Happy Birthday, UNC!

October 12, 2011, marks the 218th anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone at Old East–the oldest building at the nation’s oldest state-funded university. Since 1877, the UNC community has proudly gathered to commemorate this historic event. Wilson Library houses memories of many of these past celebrations. Here are a few of our favorite images from the collections:

University President Frank Porter Graham and Chancellor Robert House lead the University Day faculty procession into Memorial Hall. 1940s. (UNC Image Collection, North Carolina Collection Photographic Archives).

Dr. Wallace Caldwell dresses up for the occasion. 1943. (UNC Image Collection, North Carolina Collection Photographic Archives).

President John F. Kennedy — President Kennedy speaks at University Day 1961. The president was awarded an honorary UNC degree at the ceremony. (Hugh Morton Collection, North Carolina Collection Photographic Archives).

Andy_griffith_1978_Univ_day — A favorite son of UNC, actor Andy Griffith (center) spoke at the 1978 celebration, when he was also presented with the distinguished alumnus award. (UNC Image Collection, North Carolina Collection Photographic Archives).

This year’s University Day will celebrate the inauguration of a new UNC System president, Tom Ross; honor five alumni and one faculty member with service awards; and dedicate a plaque to the students who defied the 1963 Speaker Ban. Check out the official site for more information.

Speaking Bans and Speaking-Out

Students occupy — Image courtesy of the Daily Tar Heel

As a graduate student, I feel a bit removed from student organizations, but yesterday I talked with some students with a banner and a loud boombox right outside of Wilson Library entreating the University to “Occupy UNC.”

Continue reading “Speaking Bans and Speaking-Out”

Open for Business

UARMS_Office — Student employees are already hard at work in our new office.

In early August, we let you know that University Archives was getting a new office suite. Well, we are all moved and settled into our new space on the third floor of Wilson Library. We are pleased as can be with our spacious and freshly painted digs.

We have also “moved” onto Facebook. Be sure to “like” us! Search “UNC University Archives” or follow the link: https://www.facebook.com/UNC.University.Archives.

So it’s Rah, Rah, Car’lina-lina!

Students are back, the sky is a crisp Carolina blue, and the leaves are just starting to change. … Must be time for Carolina football! This weekend, before you head down to Kenan Stadium and the new Blue Zone, be sure to stop by Wilson Library to see scenes from UNC’s football past in Gridiron Glory.

Charlie “Choo Choo” Justice, Bob Lacey, “Famous Amos” Lawrence, and a host of other Tar Heel greats are highlighted in footage dating from 1934 through 1985. Woody Durham narrates the 20-minute collection of archival film. Also on display: football memorabilia and materials from the collection of Jack Hilliard (’63), including pennants, tickets, bubble-gum cards, and sheet music for the song “All The Way Choo Choo.”

Want a preview? Check out this clip:

Gridiron Glory Film Showings
Saturday, Sept. 17, 2011
Noon to 3 pm (continuous 20-minute loop)
Wilson Library, Pleasants Family Assembly Room
Free and open to the public
Information: (919) 962-3765 or wilsonlibrary@unc.edu

Collecting the Student Experience

What are your fondest memories of college? Were they formed outside the classroom, hanging out with your friends? Did you warmly remember hours spent singing with the chorus, helping your friend run in student elections, or building sets for an upcoming play?

For participants, these activities rounded out their student experiences. Sadly, the events and memories are too fleeting; little pieces are lost with each graduating class until they are all but forgotten. Last fall, The Daily Tar Heel highlighted this lack of student organizational history in an article focusing on Company Carolina. The article incurred the wrath of many Company Carolina alumni, who believed they had left the group with plenty of unforgettable history!

University Archives would like to help students and alumni better preserve their collective memories. Towards that goal, we are actively seeking to assemble records produced by student organizations. These records might include items such as meeting minutes, rules of governance, production records, ephemera, photographs, and website content. This summer, as we test the best methods for collecting these records, we are focusing on two student theatre groups: the already-inspired Company Carolina and the long-running Lab! Theatre. Eventually, we hope to make contact with many other student groups.

Here’s where you can help! We encourage all current student groups to contact us so we can discuss transferring their records to the University Archives. We are also happy to offer groups advice on how they can preserve their own records. If you are a UNC alumnus with records from your own time working with a student group, we would also like to hear from you! Help us make the student experience part of Carolina’s permanent archival record.