November | 2013 | From Woody's Couch

Month: November 2013 (page 1 of 2)

From founding, OSU community celebrated Thanksgiving with a day’s respite

November 25, 2013 / drobik.5@osu.edu / Comments Off

The first faculty of the University, 1873

On Friday, November 21, 1873, just over two months after the University first opened its doors, the faculty were talking about taking a vacation.

In this particular case, it made sense: Not even a week later, Thanksgiving would be celebrated, so they needed to decide whether classes would be held that Friday. The faculty minutes for that date – the group’s 10^th meeting ever – say “that Thursday Nov. 29 (Thanksgiving day) and the Friday following be allowed as holiday by the college, and that all college exercises be disbanded.” It was the only item of business for that meeting.

During World War II, Thanksgiving Day was a holiday for only civilians on campus. All Army and Navy-related classes were still in session on Thanksgiving. At that time, the Commencement ceremony for Autumn Quarter fell in early December, so classes on the Friday after Thanksgiving were considered a must.

In 1945, after the war was over, it was decided that no classes would be held from the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving until the following Monday – a first since before the war – to allow students to travel home for the holiday. In 1946 University faculty and staff were given both Thanksgiving Day and the following Friday off again in recognition for all of the overtime hours they had put in throughout the quarter with the record number of students enrolled that year.

President Bevis, 1948

In 1947 President Bevis ordered classes to be held the Friday after Thanksgiving, with the tradeoff that employees would get Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day, as well as the following weekend off. He stated that the University’s payroll deadlines, as well as orientation and fee payment deadlines necessitated the working Friday.

Classes were again eliminated for the Friday off as early as 1957, according to the Lantern, although OSU employees still had to show up to work. In the mid-1970s, during the nationwide energy crisis, the academic calendar was changed so that finals were completed by Thanksgiving. University employees still had to work the day after the holiday. By the mid-1980s, however, University classes were cancelled and University offices were closed both days.

–Filed by C.N.

Avoiding a cold at OSU: Drink plenty of fluids, get fresh air and … don’t wear sweaters indoors?

November 22, 2013 / drobik.5@osu.edu / 1 Comment

A student being examined in the student health clinic, 1948

Nowadays, OSU students hoping to avoid catching colds might check out the web site for the Centers for Disease Control for advice. Back in the early 20^th century, before the Internet, they went instead to the Student Health Service to pick up a handy Form 453, called “To Avoid Colds,” which was part of the health service’s personal hygiene series.

Some of advice is still recommended today, such as: drink plenty of fluids, get fresh air, dress according to the weather, and avoid stress and anxiety. There were some strategies, however, that were just kind of odd:

· “Don’t wear too heavy clothing indoors. Wearing sweaters indoors is one of the most common causes of ‘colds’ among students.”

· High, tight collars and neck bands induce congestion and sore throat.

Student Health Service pamphlet

· Be regular in your habits; eat slowly; masticate thoroughly; avoid an excess of protein diet.

· See that you bathe judiciously; follow the directions given in the Chart on Bathing. (Unfortunately, the Archives does not have a copy of that likely helpful pamphlet.)

· “Practically every cold is preceded by constipated bowels or torpid liver.”

Those torpid livers, they are never up to any good.

In any case, as was mentioned, the list of advice on avoiding colds was just part of a series of health tips issued by the Student Health Service, which began in the Department of Physical Education during the 1912-13 academic year. Headed by Dr. H. Shindle Wingert, the service grew rapidly in popularity from its first year when 851 visits were recorded; by 1920, roughly 10,000 students a year were visiting the service, which had been made a separate stand-alone unit in 1915.

As it grew over the years, it changed locations: Hayes Hall, Baker Hall and the first Ohio Union (now Hale Hall) were some of its homes. In November 1969, the Wilce Student Health Center opened. It was named after Dr. John W. Wilce, who had been director of the Student Health Service for 24 years, head football coach for 16 years, and a member of the faculty for 45 years.

For some modern medical advice, see the CDC’s webpage: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/season/flu-season-2013-2014.htm

Filed by C. N.

Now in a new home, Cartoon Library owes much to Milton Caniff

November 15, 2013 / drobik.5@osu.edu / Comments Off

Milton Caniff, 1927

This week the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum re-opens in its new location at Sullivant Hall, after several weeks of moving its collections from its former location at the Wexner Center. Its first home, though, was in the Journalism Building, and might never have been created, if not for OSU alum Milton Caniff.

Caniff, as you may know, went to OSU in the late 1920s. During that time he also served as art director of the Makio and the Sundial, an OSU student humor magazine. He graduated in 1930 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He later went on to draw “Terry and the Pirates” and later “Steve Canyon,” probably his most famous comic strip. That strip ran for more than 40 years.

M. Caniff in the former Caniff research room, 1979

Caniff donated his papers and collected works to the University in 1977 to establish the Caniff Research Room in two converted classrooms of the Journalism Building. On May 19, 1979, the the official dedication ceremony was presided over by OSU President Harold Enarson, with many dignitaries attending, including New York Times columnist Jimmy Reston and retired CBS president Frank Stanton. The original collection also included props, such as model airplanes, guns, and army uniforms that Caniff used to draw from, and his personal correspondence. The rest of the collection was given to the University after Caniff’s death in 1988.

In the years that followed, a number of other artists bequeathed their work to the room as well, including L.D. Warren of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Ray Osrin and Pulitzer Prize-winner Edward D. Kuekes, both from the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Students using the collection, 1979

In 1990, the then-Cartoon, Graphic and Photographic Arts Research Library moved to the basement of the Wexner Center. Over the years, its collections of original art and manuscripts have been built primarily through gifts-in-kind, and the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum (re-named in 2009) is now the largest and most comprehensive academic research facility documenting printed cartoon art.

The Cartoon Library is celebrating its grand opening at Sullivant Hall during the 2013 Festival of Cartoon Art. For information, go to: http://cartoons.osu.edu/.

– Filed by C.N.

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Month: November 2013 (page 1 of 2)

From founding, OSU community celebrated Thanksgiving with a day’s respite

Avoiding a cold at OSU: Drink plenty of fluids, get fresh air and … don’t wear sweaters indoors?

Now in a new home, Cartoon Library owes much to Milton Caniff

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