From Woody's Couch

Our Playbook on OSU History

Commencements past: A Who’s Who of Speakers

Posted on May 16, 2012

President Gerald Ford, 1974

What would a U.S. president, an actor, a journalist and an astronaut have in common with Woody Hayes? They are all OSU Commencement speakers.  In fact, there have been numerous presidents, actors, journalists and even astronauts speak at OSU’s commencement ceremony over the years.

The first U.S. President was William McKinley, who actually spoke to graduates about a year before filling that role. Gerald Ford spoke at the August 1974 commencement, less than a month after being sworn in as such because of Richard Nixon’s resignation. The University of Michigan graduate (he played football for the Wolverines, who lost 34-0 to OSU his senior year) spoke about the dismal job market for graduates, the nation’s lack of energy independence, and competition from China. Sound familiar? Other presidents were: George H.W. Bush (1983), George W. Bush (2002), and Bill Clinton (2007).

Erin Moriarity, 2004

Former astronauts who have spoken at an OSU Commencement include: the first person to walk on the moon – Neil Armstrong (1971). John Glenn, the first American to orbit the earth, was the other astronaut, and he’s spoken at two ceremonies: in 1984 while he was a U.S. Senator, and in 2009. Kathryn D. Sullivan – the first American woman to walk in space – spoke at the 1997 ceremony. The OSU Commencement ceremony also has hosted several well-known pilots: General Curtis E. LeMay, who was a General in the Air Force during WWII and an OSU alumnus (1962), and Eddie Rickenbacker, the WWI flying ace (August 1957).

Woody Hayes, 1986

Journalists have included Walter Cronkite (1968), Barbara Walters (1971) and OSU alumna Erin Moriarty (2004). Interestingly, Walters spoke about the hard choices women who work face when they have children, a dilemma that still resonates with many women. And actors have included Bill Cosby (2001) and Christopher Reeve (1996), who spoke just a year before he died from complications related to spinal cord injuries he suffered from a horse-riding accident.

Finally, OSU’s most-winning football coach, Woody Hayes, spoke at the March 1986 ceremony of his love of football, history and of course, the University.

You can find many of the transcripts of these speeches on our web site at http://library.osu.edu/find/collections/the-ohio-state-university-archives/buckeye-history/commencement-addresses/.

Posted in Activities, Archival resources, Commencement, Events, Traditions |

Spring is in the air: When Chadwick Arboretum comes alive

Posted on May 9, 2012

Chadwick Arboretum lake, 1994

What makes a college campus attractive? One of the key elements is its gardens, and OSU is no exception. The campus has had gardens dating back to the early 1880s, but they’ve never been just for show. The 1883 annual report to the Board of Trustees from the Department of Horticulture reported that:

“Owing to our long continued summer drouth (sic) the plants did not look as well as usual. [However,] By the completion of the Green-house … we will not only add to the attractiveness of the University, but also furnish a valuable means of illustration for the students of this department.”

For many years, the Horticultural Gardens were located behind Townshend Hall, just a stone’s throw from the Ohio Stadium. In April 1980, the Department proposed to establish the Chadwick Arboretum north of the Agriculture Administration building.  The Board of Trustees approved the proposal in July of that year, and a dedication ceremony was held in May 1981. At the time, the Arboretum included several acres of gardens along Lane Avenue, near the Agriculture Administration Building. In 1989 a lake was added, and in 1990, its first director was hired. The arboretum was then expanded to 36 acres, surrounding the OSU sports parks on the west side of the river. In 1995, The Richard and Annette Bloch Cancer Survivors Plaza was added to the Arboretum grounds on the northeast side of Olentangy River Road.

Lewis Chadwick, 1987

The Arboretum was named after Dr. Lewis C. Chadwick, an internationally acclaimed horticulturist, who worked extensively with OSU campus planners in selecting appropriate plants for various campus areas. He was employed for 38 years in Department of Horticulture, retiring in 1967. He kept up his University ties, continuing to work on projects—including the arboretum that now carries his name. Throughout his career at the University, Chadwick attempted to collect or produce landscape plants from around the world, as well as planting many trees across campus. He died in 1993 at the age of 91.

 

 

Filed by C.N.

Posted in Campus locations, People, Professors |

SEL built as one-stop-shop for science majors

Posted on May 4, 2012

Science and Engineering Library, 1992

The Science and Engineering Library, the place to be over the years for many students who have needed a spot to work into the wee hours, will soon have a new name, to reflect its evolution from serving only science majors to serving as a bridge between the sciences and humanities.

When it opened in 1993, however, its collections were made up strictly of the sciences: Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Astronomy, Materials Engineering, and Computer Science. Ten years earlier, a plan had been laid to consolidate these departments’ libraries into one building, in order to eliminate redundancies and improve the size and quality of study spaces.

Construction on the library began in August 1991, after the demolition of the Brown Hall Annex. The library was part of a three-building project, along with the Math Tower and a two-story classroom building, both behind the library on 19thAvenue. All three buildings were designed by Philip Johnson, an Ohio native and award-winning architect who also designed the AT&T Building in New York City and the Crystal Cathedral in California. Johnson received an honorary degree from OSU in 1988. SEL’s design employs the dominant motif of the late 19th and early 20th centuries—the Roman Arch. Art by Dale Chihuly, who specializes in hand-blown glass, was installed in the main lobby.

1992

The Science and Engineering Library opened on January 3, 1993, the campus’ only library to be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In autumn 2011, the Music and Dance Library collections were moved from Sullivant Hall to SEL, cementing the link between sciences and humanities.

If you’ve come up with a clever name to reflect this bond, go to the Libraries web page asking for suggestions: http://library.osu.edu/news/new-name-for-sel/.

 

 

Filed by C.N.

 

Posted in Buildings |