Category: Students

Nellie Louise Franklin: The First African American Woman to Graduate from the UO

Nellie Louise Franklin's 1932 Senior Photo Oregana
Nellie Louise Franklin’s senior photo
Oregana 1932

In honor of Black Heritage Month, the UO Special Collections and University Archives is highlighting the work of historian Herman L. Brame and his research examining individuals who are considered the “firsts” or are honorable figures in the context of African American history at the University of Oregon. Our first feature in our series is Nellie Louise Franklin. Similar to the first African American student at the University of Oregon, Mabel Byrd, Franklin lived in Portland, attended Washington High School, and would eventually attend the University of Oregon. However, what sets these two historic women apart is that Franklin would eventually become the first documented African American woman to graduate from the UO.

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Paths of Life: How Modern UO Graduation Compares to 19th Century Commencement Ceremonies

Class of 2014 (Tristan Fortsch/KVAL.com)
Class of 2014 (Tristan Fortsch/KVAL.com)

This week we are presenting a three-part series highlighting the history of graduation at the University of Oregon. Part one (Tuesday) takes a look back at commencement ceremonies from the the 19th century, part two (Wednesday) features a recent donation of graduation memorabilia, and part three (Thursday) highlights commencement speeches over the years. Congratulations to the Class of 2015!!

 

On Monday, June 15, the University of Oregon will host the Duck Walk from Johnson Hall to Matthew Knight Arena in the lead-up to the 138th annual university graduation ceremony. From 9:30 to 11:00 am, the ceremony will honor the commencement of studies and the conferment of degrees for over 4000 students. In addition, 41 schools of the university will hold departmental ceremonies across campus throughout Sunday and Monday, affording a more intimate setting to recognize students within their major.

The Class of 2015 continues a tradition of grandiose commencements held at the University of Oregon. Today we will take a look back at the graduation ceremonies of the 19th century, putting in perspective the modern festivities with the earliest classes who celebrated the culmination of their time in Eugene.

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Student Job Positions: Research Assistant and Intern

We are pleased to announce that we have two exciting new student job positions available for the 2014-2015 school year.

The first position is for an Archives Research Assistant that will focus on the “Documenting UO History Project” that aims to research, document, and disseminate major portions of university history. This position will be responsible for conducting in-depth historical research of significant university history, writing detailed historical overviews, and providing basic descriptions of collection contents. The full job description and instructions for applying can be found here.

We are also doing a search for an Archive Intern for the 2014-2015 school year. This position will focus on providing the student with a learning environment experience to assist in preparing them for a professional archive position. The Archive Intern will be responsible for performing a variety of tasks in arrangement and description, outreach and instruction, and communications. The full job description and instructions for applying can be found here.

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Behind the Scenes: Student work on the Wayne Morse film collection

“I am a delicate ribbon of film – misuse me and I disappoint thousands; cherish me, and I delight and instruct the world.”

~excerpt from The Film Prayer by Crawley Films Limited

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Do you ever wonder what it might be like to work on one of our amazing collections? The UO Special Collections and University Archives is very lucky to have amazing student workers who have the opportunity to process some very interesting collections.  Over the past year Kit Becker worked diligently on the processing and preservation of the Wayne Morse film collection. Continue reading →

New Exhibit and Opening Event April 22: “Recipe: The Kitchen and Laboratory in the West, 1400-2000”

invitation-ginger-1m7tfq5-1024x791We are pleased to announce a new exhibit recently opened entitled, “Recipe: The Kitchen and Laboratory in the West, 1400-2000.” The exhibit is co-curated by Vera Keller, Jennifer Burns Bright and the students of Clark Honors College History 431, “History of Experiment.”

There will be a special exhibit opening event and reception on Tuesday, April 22, 4:00-5:30 PM, Knight Library Browsing Room. Please join us for presentations by the curators and students, as well as a tour of the exhibition.

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