Category: Students

A Step Back in Time: Processing the University Archives Sound Recordings

Kristin Gustafson, Special Collections and University Archives Intern
Kristin Gustafson, Special Collections and University Archives Intern

Walking through the ironwork doors of the Knight Library to begin my internship at the Special Collections and University Archives department was like walking through a portal into the past. Part of this feeling was personal, I attended UO as an undergrad ten years ago, graduating with a BA in International Studies in 2008. While an undergrad I worked in the UO Libraries’ Access Services department and often spent several hours a day in Knight Library engaged in either work or study. While I stayed in Eugene after graduation, I had not been back to Knight Library more than a handful of times since tossing my cap in the air and hanging my diploma on the wall. However, my personal sense of nostalgia at being back on campus quickly deepened into a fuller appreciation of being a part the long, rich history of academic life on campus as I began working with the University Archives Sound Recordings Collection. Continue reading

The Sub 4 Reunion: Honoring UO Track and Field Athletes

The second hour included a Q & A session led by current OTC Elite runners Andrew Wheating and Tom Farrell.
The Sub 4 Mile Reunion included a Q & A session led by current OTC Elite runners Andrew Wheating and Tom Farrell. Photo by Lauren Goss.

On May 27th, a select group of University of Oregon runners were honored at the Sub Four Reunion, hosted by the Oregon Track Club.  The sold out event at the John E. Jaqua Academic Center for Student Athletes was filled with UO alumni, past and current UO coaches, and running enthusiasts.  The event honored the 10 surviving runners who ran a mile in less than 4 minutes under coach Bill Bowerman.  Coinciding with The Prefontaine Classic, the reunion duly recognized Steve Prefontaine as the 11th UO runner to break the 4-minute barrier in 1970.

As the Thomas Intern Film Archives Assistant for the University of Oregon Special Collection and University Archives, I’ve been working on the identification, preservation and digitization of the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics Films collection.  When I heard about this reunion a few months ago, I became curious about track and field films in this collection. With nearly 4,000 films, over 2.5 million feet of film, and 8 decades of University of Oregon athletic heritage, I hoped to locate some suitable material.  To my surprise and joy, I successfully discovered footage of two of the sub-four minute mile moments.  First, the unabridged film of Jim Bailey running the first sub-four minute mile in the United Stated in 1956, and second, clips of Dyrol Burleson breaking the four minute barrier at Hayward Field in 1960.

 

 

The clip reel captivated both attendees and honorees during the first hour of the event.
The clip reel captivated both attendees and honorees during the first hour of the event. Photo by Lauren Goss.

 

With the help of my colleagues, Elizabeth Peterson (Humanities Librarian and Curator of Moving Images) and Jennifer O’Neal (Corrigan Solari University Historian and Archivist), we were able to digitize the footage and offer a clip reel to the reunion organizer, Todd Bosworth.  In addition to the films, the clip reel includes photographs of the runners located by University of Oregon graduate research assistant, Zach Bigalke.  Many thanks to University of Oregon undergraduate student, Joe Hughes, for producing such a captivating clip reel.  As a third generation UO alumni, it was an honor to attend the event to celebrate fellow Ducks and their accomplishments.

 

 

List of reunion honorees and the time and date of their first sub-4 minute mile:

Jim Bailey 3:58:6 (May 5, 1956)
Dyrol Burleson 3:58:6 (April 23, 1960)
Jim Grelle 3:59:9 (April 28, 1962)
Keith Forman 3:58:3 (May 26, 1962)
Archie San Romani 3:57:6 (June 5, 1964)
Wade Bell 3:59:8 (June 2, 1966)
Roscoe Divine 3:59:1 (June 2, 1966)
Arne Kvalheim 3:59:4 (May 6, 1967)
Dave Wilborn 3:56:2 (June 23, 1967)
Steve Savage 3:59:2 (June 5, 1970)

Event media coverage:

Register Guard

KEZI

KMTR

Around the O

Run Blog Run

–Lauren Goss, Thomas Intern Film Archives Assistant

Student Spotlight: Tom Beech

Tom Beech in the Special Collections and University Archives Processing Room
Tom Beech in the Special Collections and University Archives Processing Room

The Special Collections and University Archives could not function without the amazing student workers who assist the staff on a daily basis on numerous projects. Our Student Spotlight series highlights these students to showcase their outstanding work, academic interests, and some of their favorite collections in our repository.

Tom Beech
Major: Architecture
Year in School: 5th Year / Senior
Job in SCUA: LSA III / Processing Student

Tell us a little bit about what brought you to Special Collections and University Archives? What made you want to work here, as opposed to other places on campus?

I (luckily) ended up working Special Collections and University Archives completely by chance. Originally I had applied to work in the main library, as several of my friends were working there and really enjoyed it. What interested me the most about working at the library was being able to learn while I was working by reading a book’s synopsis when it was checked back in, or helping a student find research materials. However, when I submitted my application I was recommended to Special Collections and University Archives. I hadn’t really known what Special Collections and University Archives was, but after receiving a job offer I was extremely happy that things worked out the way they did. Working as a processing student has been one of my favorite jobs, and the best part is that it hardly seems like work at all. Where else can you read about spiritual communes, hold artifacts from the Hindenburg, and look at drawings by Le Corbusier all while working?

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Clifford F. Johnson: Groundbreaking Master’s Thesis on Racial Bias in Newspaper Reporting

clifford f johnson cropped oregana 1947 pg 155
Clifford F. Johnson 1946 UO Track Oregana 1947

Clifford F. Johnson is our third feature in our series honoring Black History Month that highlights the work of historian Herman L. Brame. Johnson was raised in Illinois and decided to join the US army after graduating from high school. While in the army, Johnson served at Fort Lewis, Washington during World War II. During his time there, he faced racial segregation. Recreational facilities and the chapel were segregated and he, along with a large number of other African Americans, felt restricted while at Fort Lewis. However, in 1945, a basketball team comprised of Johnson and other African Americans beat the visiting Harlem Globetrotters in two out of their three games. In 1946, Johnson was honorably discharged as a chief warrant officer and became an undergraduate student at the University of Oregon in the same year. There he would have a successful academic career that would land him national attention. Continue reading

Life of Resilience: Maxine Maxwell and the First Protest Against UO Discriminatory Housing Regulations

maxine maxwell beaver 1929 pg350
Maxine Maxwell’s freshman photo The Beaver 1929

“My family has always had to fight, and we have maintained a creditable position in Salem, where I have lived all of my life. I do not feel that I am a “foreigner” and that I should be segregated from other students, although I do not want to make trouble for anyone.” – Maxine Maxwell, Eugene Register, October 2, 1929

Continuing our series highlighting the work of historian Herman L. Brame in honor of Black History Month, we bring you the story of Maxine Maxwell. She was raised in Salem, Oregon and was a member of a resilient family that was highly respected and well known. Her father, Charles Maxwell, was a successful businessman who operated the restaurant “Fat Boy Barbecue” and a shoeshine shop in the Hollywood district of the city. He also ran a small neighborhood publication that enabled him to have significant political influence among the African American community. Despite his success, not everyone was enthused about his accomplishments. The 1920s were the heydays of the Ku Klux Klan in the state of Oregon, and Mr. Maxwell’s success drew their attention. In 1922, Mr. Maxwell received a letter from Klansmen that stated, “We have stood you as long as we intend to stand you, and you must unload, if you don’t we will come to see you.” However, Mr. Maxwell had no intention on leaving his home and responded by allowing his letter to be published in the Capitol Journal. He bravely called out the Klansmen and declared himself unafraid of their threats. His daughter, Maxine Maxwell would show similar courage and resilience when she attended the University of Oregon. Continue reading