June 12 marks the sixty-fifth anniversary of the dedication of the 45,000 square foot, three-story Engineering Building (now Shiley Hall) in 1949. In what was perhaps the ultimate cost-saving measure in all of UP history, the new building’s basement was dug after its completion—by hand—by Brother Godfrey Vassallo, C.S.C., and a team of industrious faculty and students. The University archives and museum have a new post about the Engineering Building dedication on their WordPress blog at http://tinyurl.com/kyhadh4. Contact Carolyn Connolly, museum coordinator, at 8038 or piatz@up.edu for more information.
University Archives
From Our Past: University Archives
The University archives were officially established by Rev. Paul Waldschmidt, C.S.C., on June 1, 1966, under the direction of Bro. David Martin, C.S.C. (pictured), the newly retired director of the Clark Memorial Library and the University’s first archivist. In the ensuing 48 years, the archives have been maintained by only four archivists: Bro. Martin served from 1966 to 1983; Rev. Barry Hagan, C.S.C., served from 1983 to 1999; Rev. Bob Antonelli, C.S.C., was archivist from 1999 to 2012; and the affable and able Rev. Jeffrey Schneibel, C.S.C., took the helm in 2012. One would be remiss not to mention Martha Wachsmuth, who spent 29 of her 41 years as a University employee in the University archives, serving as assistant archivist under Fr. Hagan and Fr. Antonelli.
Bro. Martin and Fr. Hagan collected many thousands (millions, most likely) of documents and photographs from University offices, colleges, schools, departments, and individuals as well as copies of many different University publications over the years. The cavernous archives space in the basement of Shipstad filled steadily, and despite their best efforts it proved difficult to keep up with the steady flow of new materials. Finding Fr. Hagan or Martha within the stacks of papers and boxes often involved negotiating a labyrinth of pathways without so much as a skein of thread to find one’s way out.
Until 1999, the University archivist reported directly to the academic vice president. Beginning with the tenure of Fr. Antonelli, the archives became a part of the University library. Mountains of documents were catalogued and neatly shelved; computers were added, compact shelving and climate control were installed, online database finding aids were compiled, and two digital collections were made available via the library web page.
For more University history visit the University Almanac at www.up.edu/almanac.
Recent Retirees Redux
The University archives and museum have prepared a new WordPress post featuring the 2014 retiring faculty members, according to museum coordinator Carolyn Connolly. Visit the WordPress site for a slide show of the eight retirees and see how they’ve changed over the years: https://wordpress.up.edu/museum/2014-retiring-university-faculty/.
All You Ever Wanted To Know About Wally Pilot
As another academic year draws to a close, it seems as though a lighter post about the University’s longtime mascot would be in order. See a brief history of SPU (“Spirit of Portland U.”) and/or Wally Pilot, and a slideshow showing Wally’s development over the years on the Museum WordPress site at https://wordpress.up.edu/museum/851/. For more information contact Carolyn Connolly, museum coordinator, at 8038 or piatz@up.edu.
From Our Past: Hours & Bases, Great Fire of 1969
Two new posts have been added to the University Museum WordPress site, according to Carolyn Connolly, museum coordinator. One is not associated with a specific date but is applicable for Holy Week, titled “Hours and Bases,” at http://tinyurl.com/mscqbk5. The other post is about the April 18, 1969 Great Fire which destroyed the University’s theater and auditorium as well as Music and Education halls. It also details the definition/boundaries of the quad on campus after 1969.See the post at http://tinyurl.com/mscqbk5.
For more information contact Connolly at piatz@up.edu.
From Our Past: Br. Raphael Wilson, C.S.C. Inauguration
March 11, 1979 was the date of the inauguration of Brother Raphael Wilson, C.S.C., as the sixteenth president of the University of Portland. He had served as professor of biology at University of Scranton and on the UP faculty prior to becoming president. In 1982 he left the University and in 1996 was ordained a priest for the diocese of Scranton, Pennsylvania. The University museum has posted an entry on Br. Wilson on its WordPress site at http://tinyurl.com/n42l9xy.