Campus news scrapbook

Campus news scrapbooks and photographs that depict important events that occurred during the middle of the twentieth century at Ohio University. The articles in the scrapbooks span from 1938 to 1966. The first two items in the collection are very broad scrapbooks comprised of newspaper clippings. The first is a set of three mounting books filled with articles from the Athens Messenger . The books date from January 1938 to May 1939. During these months, the compiler of the scrapbook gathered articles about athletic events, speakers, honors that students won, new construction projects, and social events on campus. The books provide information about the number of students who participated in commencement ceremonies, the amount of money spent on new construction and renovation, and important visitors to the school. We learn, for example, that Robert Frost visited Ohio University in September, 1939 and that the university planned to spend $100,000 to renovate the library. Despite their age, these books are in relatively good condition. The second item is a similar scrapbook compiled in 1948. This book contains a number of newspaper articles describing many of the same types of events. Included are descriptions of new faculty members and positions, social events such as dances, and speakers at the university. There are a new number of interesting articles that feature students and alumni, such as a group of Hawaiian students who made the Dean's List and a recent alumnus who was engaged to a woman from Norway. This book is missing its front cover, and the pages are very brittle and must be handled with care.

The remaining items deal with far more specific and far-reaching events that occurred at Ohio University during the 1960's. In May, 1964, President Lyndon Johnson visited Ohio University and Nelsonville as part of his "Poverty Tour." He brought with him his daughter, Lynda Bird Johnson, and his visit drew a crowd of more than 15,000 people. There is one scrapbook devoted entirely to the President's visit. Included are photographs of Johnson arriving, copies of the welcome addresses Chairman of the Board of Trustees John Galbreath and University President Vernon Alden gave, and articles about Johnson's tour, the speech itself, and the crowd's reaction to the President. There are also photographs of Zeta Tau Alpha sorority presenting Lynda Bird Johnson with twenty white roses. The scrapbook is in a green photo album with gold trim, and the front cover has come loose. In addition to the scrapbook there are a number of 8 1/2" x 11" photographs of the President and students who came to see him speak. The final item in the collection is a scrapbook from 1966 that contains information about the flooding of the Hocking River and General Maxwell Taylor's visit to Athens to discuss the Vietnam War. The book includes many photographs of the damage done by the floods, such as many campus buildings under water, and newspaper articles about the floods. Also provided are articles about damaged one in other areas of southern Ohio. The second half of the book contains an article written by Haskell Short for Post describing General Maxwell Taylor's visit. Numerous newspapers throughout Ohio then reproduced the article and used it in their publications, often times with a different headline. The compiler of the scrapbook has included the article and how it appeared in these newspapers. With each article is a label describing the newspaper it appeared in and the date on which it was published.

The scrapbooks in the flat box date from 1945 to 1951 and contain newspaper clippings.