6th Annual Poetry Reading in the RBR

Poetry Reading in the RBR

Poetry Reading in the RBR

Next Tuesday night, April 21st at 8:00 we are celebrating National Poetry Month with our 6th annual Poetry Reading in the Rare Book Room of the E.H. Little Library. Last year was great fun, and we’re looking forward to this year’s event. Davidson students, faculty members, and town poets —talented all—will read from their own works. There will also be time afterwards for refreshments and chatting with the poets.
Hope to see you there!
And, through April 30th, you still have a chance to come to the Rare Book Room, Monday – Friday 8:30 am – 5:00 pm, to see our exhibit on Charles Wright, Davidson class of 1957, and the current U.S. Poet Laureate.

Charles Wright presenting the Vereen Bell award at Davidson

Charles Wright presenting the Vereen Bell award at Davidson

Digital Mapping at the Davidson Archives

Inspired by the newly-established campus Digital Mapping Learning Community, we’ve been creating more digital map-related resources this semester. Regular Around the D readers have likely heard of Under Lake Norman, our mapping project that includes crowdsourced stories and images related to what lies beneath Lake Norman.

ulnscreenshot

A screenshot of the Under Lake Norman project’s map – you can see all of the sites under the lake here, and share stories or add sites here.

One of our faculty members, Dr. Anelise Hanson Shrout (who wrote a guest post for Around The D last year), has been creating mapping projects centered around Davidson, and taught DIG 360: Digital Maps, Space and Place last semester, which resulted in two student digital mapping of Davidson projects as well. Check out Dr. Shrout’s Davidson in Historic Maps, Touring Davidson’s Past, and Mapping Davidson’s Past.

A screenshot of a HistoryPin tour of Main Street that Dr. Shrout created.

A screenshot of a Historypin tour of Main Street that Dr. Shrout created.

Last week, in preparation for the Archives & Special Collections participation in Digital Charlotte, I created a map of the Charlotte locations featured in our collections postcards. The Charlotte Postcards maps is actually my first Neatline (an Omeka plug-in) project, and was a fun way to learn more about early 20th century Charlotte history.

Charlotte postcard locations, 1900 - 1920 - Davidson has roughly 20 postcards featuring Charlotte locations in our collections.

Charlotte postcard locations, 1900 – 1920 – Davidson has roughly 20 postcards featuring Charlotte locations in our collections.

As we all learn new methods for digital mapping, we’ll be creating even more maps of Davidson (and the surrounding area)! Currently, College Archivist and Records Management Coordinator Jan Blodgett and Kyle Goodfellow from the Center for Civic Engagement are working on translating the freshman orientation community walk to an interactive map,  making the stops along the walk and information about getting involved in the Davidson community available year-round. Current student Sarah Roberts (Class of 2015) is working on physically mapping the environment of Davidson, and I am partway through mapping Davidson’s National Register of Historic Places sites – look out for all of these projects to be linked on the Archives & Special Collections website when they’re completed!

Say It Isn’t So

This week Around the D is featuring news stories that may have reader’s wishing that it wasn’t so.

Spring 1949 was not a happy for Davidson seniors.

1949 story on an extended semester for seniors.

1949 story on an extended semester for seniors.

 

According to the story, a loss of all first semester grade records resulted in the decision to have the class of 1949 retake their exams from that semester.  The college did offer to cover fees for the GRE for any students opting to take those as well.

A few years later, controversy struck campus in two events: one involving journalism and the other athletics.

Davidsonian editor in trouble in 1953.

Davidsonian editor in trouble in 1953.

The good news is that the libel suit didn’t involve any Davidson publications, just Mike Myers, good friend of Bill Edwards. While there were no follow up stories, it appears that the suit was dismissed.  The same proved true for the athletes, with the Davidsonian exaggerating their involvement in the “top money fix of all time.”

 

Even before Bob McKillop, the basketball team had ties to New York.

Even before Bob McKillop, the basketball team had ties to New York.

In 1955, athletics were trouble-free but the Student Government faced unprecedented power shifts.

1955 SGA upset

1955 SGA upset

The article reports on confrontations beginning in Georgia dorm and moving into Chapel resulting in a minor injury to organist Herb Russell.

Less controversial but in the end less successful was a proposed memorial to Davidson’s presidential alumnus, Woodrow Wilson.

Student editorial cartoonist Don Mahy's rendition of the memorial.

Student editorial cartoonist Don Mahy’s rendition of the memorial.

As noted in a previous Around the D, Davidson has hosted some big name concerts. Over the decades campus shows include performers Louis Armstrong, Tommy Dorsey, Dave Matthews Band, Maroon 5, and Ludacris.  Here’s one from  1958 we missed.

You might say the 1958-59 Artist Series took a new twist with this daring selection.

You might say the 1958-59 Artist Series took a new twist with this daring selection.

In the same issue announcing the concert, campus planners received attention for proposing a new style of dormitory.  Intended to be named for Woodrow Wilson, perhaps because of the failure of the proposed 1955 memorial, the dorm would have given the Charlotte skyline a challenge.

1958 proposal for a high-rise for Davidson.

1958 proposal for a high-rise for Davidson.

We can now say “It isn’t quite so.”  If you haven’t guessed it already, all these stories have one important feature in common– being published on April 1.

Happy April Fools Day

 

 

“A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words”

My Book of Hours

My Book of Hours

“A Picture is worth a thousand words.” We’ve all heard that phrase, and a book in the Rare Book Room collection proves that many pictures are worth more than that.
My Book of Hours: 167 designs engraved on wood by Frans Masereel. Foreward by Romain Rolland. Se trouve chez l’Auteur, 1922, is a book totally “written” in pictures…wood engravings designed and executed by Frans Masereel, a Belgian printmaker, illustrator, draughtsman, and painter. It was self-published in an edition strictly limited to 600 copies for America, each signed by Masereel.

Limited edition note

Limited edition note

Rolland Romain, in his forward to the book writes:

“[Masereel] has produced a sort of philosophic and fantastic travesty poems in pictures, of which My Book of Hours is one of the most beautiful examples. This is the story of a man who has drunk steadily of all the springs of life. He has known all its joys; all its illusions, all its disappointments. Exhausted by disillusionment, he whips with his contemptuous laughter this humankind which he had loved so well, and fleeing from it, he goes to search in the wilderness, to become lost there, for the peace of Nature and of Death who inevitably crushes in her fangs the vanity of life….
May this Book of Hours carry to America the name and fame of Frans Masereel!”

My Book of Hours: 167 designs engraved on wood by Frans Masereel. 1922. Our copy is number 34 of a limited edition of 600.

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Bob McKillop Throughout the Years

This Friday, Davidson’s men’s basketball team will play University of Iowa, kicking off their eighth NCAA tournament under head coach Bob McKillop. McKillop’s 26th year as head coach is also Davidson’s first in the Atlantic 10 Conference, so to honor both a successful first year in a new conference and his long tenure at Davidson, the Archives & Special Collections presents pictures of Bob McKillop throughout the years:

Many forget that Bob McKillop originally came to Davidson as an assistant coach for the 1978 - 1979 season.

Many forget that Bob McKillop originally came to Davidson as an assistant coach for the 1978 – 1979 season.

The team photo from the 1978 - 1979 Wildcats - McKillop is on the far left.

The team photo from the 1978 – 1979 Wildcats – McKillop is on the far left.

McKillop returned to Davidson as the head coach for the 1989 - 1990 season (from that year's basketball media guide).

McKillop returned to Davidson as the head coach for the 1989 – 1990 season (from that year’s basketball media guide).

Part of the head coach gig in small town Davidson includes posing for photos with team sponsors - as McKillop does here with Robert Cashion of Cashion's deli, for the 1991 - 1992 media guide.

Part of the head coach gig at Davidson includes posing for photos with team sponsors – as McKillop does here with Robert Cashion of Cashion’s deli, for the 1991 – 1992 media guide.

... and also here, with Jeff Shoe of Mooresville Ford-Mercury, for the 1992 - 1993 media guide.

… and also here, with Jeff Shoe of Mooresville Ford-Mercury, for the 1992 – 1993 media guide.

1992 - 1993 men's basketball team photo - McKillop is standing on the far right.

1992 – 1993 men’s basketball team photo – McKillop is standing on the far right.

McKillop on the cover of the 1998 - 1999 men's basketball game day program.

McKillop on the cover of the 1998 – 1999 men’s basketball game day program.

McKillop courtside, during the 1999 - 2000 season.

McKillop courtside, during the 1999 – 2000 season.

... and again, on the cover of the 2000 - 2001 men's basketball media guide.

McKillop on the cover of the 2000 – 2001 men’s basketball media guide.

The men's basketball team photo for 2006 - 2007 - McKillop is in the center of the back row.

The men’s basketball team photo for 2006 – 2007 – McKillop is in the center of the back row. Current NBA player Steph Curry is seated second from the left, front row.

A more casual McKillop on the court with the USA U18 team, whom he coached to a silver medal in the 2008 FIBA Americas Championship.

A more casual McKillop on the court with the USA U18 team, whom he coached to a silver medal in the 2008 FIBA Americas Championship.

The cover of the 2008 - 2009 basketball media guide, taken in E.H. Little's own Smith Rare Book Room. McKillop is pictured with a few of his SoCon tournament trophies and with then-seniors Andrew Lovedale, Can Civi, and Max Paulhus Gosselin.

The cover of the 2008 – 2009 basketball media guide, taken in E.H. Little’s own Smith Rare Book Room. McKillop is pictured with a few of his SoCon tournament trophies and with then-seniors Andrew Lovedale, Can Civi, and Max Paulhus Gosselin.

McKillop on the court with players, from the 2009 - 2010 media guide.

McKillop on the court with players, from the 2009 – 2010 media guide.

In honor of McKillop's 25th year at Davidson, the basketball court became McKillop Court (from the February 5th, 2014 issue of The Davidsonian).

In honor of McKillop’s 25th year at Davidson, the basketball court became McKillop Court (from the February 5th, 2014 issue of The Davidsonian).

We hope you enjoyed this small sample of archival holdings on Bob McKillop’s years at Davidson – go Wildcats!
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