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Category: Archival resources (page 7 of 14)

Twelve Days: Bradford had picture-perfect dedication to University photographs

December 10, 2014 / drobik.5@osu.edu / Comments Off

(In celebration of the University Archives’ upcoming 50th Anniversary in 2015, we bring you “The Twelve Days of Buckeyes”. This is day three in a series of 12 blog posts highlighting the people who were instrumental in the creation and growth of the Archives.)

Joseph Bradford, c1883

When University officials first asked Joseph Bradford to join the faculty, he turned them down. Thank goodness they named him an instructor anyway, or the Archives might not now have photos of the University from its early days.

Bradford was actually a graduate of OSU, earning a degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1883. He was a draftsman with the Pennsylvania Railroad when he was asked by the College of Engineering to organize a course in engineering drawing. Having no interest in being an instructor, he declined the offer. Nevertheless, the Board of Trustees named him an instructor in mechanical and freehand drawing in 1885, with a salary of $1,000 a year.

As a member of the faculty, he taught engineering drawing and architecture, and pioneered instruction in photography, with the first course in “picture-making” offered in the United States in 1890. By 1903 he had published “Photographic Notes for Students in the Ohio State University,” which explained the technical aspects of photography and gave helpful hints on how to be a better photographer.

Bradford is shown here teaching a History of Architecture Class using the first electrical lantern slide projector at OSU. This class was held in Hayes Hall in 1895.

In 1911, Bradford was named University Architect, and he built an impressive portfolio in that area, designing 40 buildings on campus. His work includes such landmarks as Derby Hall, Jennings Hall (then the Botany and Zoology Building), the Kuhn Honors and Scholars building (then the president’s residence), Starling-Loving Hospital, and Sullivant Hall.

But his love of photography is what makes him special to the Archives.

F.W. Davis, Chair of the Department of Photography, and Joseph Bradford in the Photo History Vault in Brown Hall, 1940

F.W. Davis and Joseph Bradford in the Photo History Vault, 1940

In 1931, Bradford received approval from the Board of Trustees to start a Photographic History Unit in the Department of Photography. The unit’s purpose was to “make a complete photographic pictorial record of the progress of the University, its departments, and changes in its personnel,” according to a February 1931 Alumni Monthly article.

Bradford, who had been associated with the University since 1877 when he matriculated as a freshman, was made Emeritus Professor in 1932 and at that point took full charge of the Photo History Division. Bradford worked tirelessly organizing, filing and cataloging historical University photographs. He collected the earliest images from local photographers while also soliciting photographs from University staff and former students. By 1935, Bradford had accumulating about 16,000 prints and negatives. This collection was to eventually become the beginning of the University Archives’ photographs collection.

A hand-colored glass slide from Bradford’s collection.

Bradford also used his own campus photographs, even coloring some of them by hand. He was well known for giving his “Campus Memories” presentation, a Lantern slide show, which highlighted the early history of the University and included photos of buildings, geography, athletics, events, faculty and classrooms. You can see a sampling of the images from his Campus Memories slide show on the Archives’ Flickr gallery.

Bradford died in 1944. However, the Department of Photography continued to add to the collection he had worked so hard to build, photographing the buildings, faculty and grounds of the University.

In 1972 the photographic archives became part of the University Archives and now contains more than two million photographs depicting the history of the University from 1870 to the present time. Because of Bradford’s love of photography and his obvious dedication to the University, we can witness the enormous growth of a campus through his extensive collection of photos that are housed here at the Archives.

Twelve Days: Pollard’s passion for the past helped keep OSU’s history intact

December 9, 2014 / drobik.5@osu.edu / Comments Off

(In celebration of the University Archives’ upcoming 50th Anniversary in 2015, we bring you “The Twelve Days of Buckeyes”. This is day two in a series of 12 blog posts highlighting the people who were instrumental in the creation and growth of the Archives.)

James Pollard, 1959

Though James Pollard’s main expertise was in journalism, his most important impact on OSU was because of his interest in history. Particularly OSU history, which would make sense since he was a three-time graduate of the University (B.A. 1916, M.A. 1917 and Ph.D. 1939).

Pollard first served as a Political Science teaching assistant from 1920-21, then Director of Ohio State’s News Bureau from 1923-33. He was an Associate Professor of Journalism from 1932-38, and Director and Professor of Journalism from 1938-58. Finally, he served as University Historian from 1958 until his retirement in 1965. After his retirement, however, he continued to work part-time as a consultant for the Office of Educational Services.

Along the way, Pollard wrote many articles and books, but he was especially interested in the history of OSU. In 1952, his book, History of the Ohio State University, 1873-1948 was published. It chronicled the formation of the Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College, and its growth and development up to 1948. Soon after, Pollard also wrote biographies on former University Presidents Howard Bevis and William Oxley Thompson. By 1959, Pollard published yet another book about the University, this time about the history of athletics. Ohio State Athletics, 1879-1959 discussed how athletics were established at the university as well as how individual sports were developed.

Pollard (right), goes through filing cabinets in the Administration Building's basement, 1960

Pollard (right), goes through files in the Administration Building, 1960

Pollard was not only interested in writing about OSU history, but – and the Archives staff is eternally thankful for this – he was interested in preserving its history. To write his books on OSU history, he had gone through correspondence and other historical documents that were spread all over the University at the time in vaults, basements and attics. Pollard knew that in such places, these unique materials would deteriorate with age. In one basement, in fact, he found records whose boxes had collapsed, and the contents were spilled in a heap on a damp floor. In another, he found a collection of records that had become shredded by the gnawing teeth of rats setting up house in them, according to a September 1960 Alumni Monthly article.

Pollard and Frederic Heimberger, Vice President for Instruction and Research, go through University Records stored at the Main Library, 1960

It took Pollard two years, but he finally convinced the administration to establish an archives where he could store and organize University materials, to be located on the top floor of the Thompson Library. His first task was to go through old file cabinets in the basement of Bricker Hall (then known as the Administration Building). There, he retrieved 24 file drawers of what would become the William Oxley Thompson Papers, now one of the most frequently used collections here at the Archives.

Block “O” manager was ‘letter’-winner in many ways

November 14, 2014 / drobik.5@osu.edu / Comments Off

Recently, the Archives received a scrapbook, a Varsity sweater, a Block “O” banner and several other items from the family of Charles Riegle, a student who earned a bachelor of science degree in Agriculture in 1941. Not only are we excited about this very kind donation because of the cool artifacts we received, but because we learned about this extraordinary student who truly was a man of many talents.

First, there was the letter-writing business he started with a friend in order to make money for school. Today, letters written home or to a significant other or even a family member are a rarity since communication mostly relies on texts, sometimes emails, and if you’re lucky, a phone call. Back in the 1930s, though, letter-writing was a prime means of communication. Some students, though, apparently were too busy to write home, so Riegle and a friend started a business writing letters for them. While clients had to supply their own stamps, Riegle and fellow freshman Julian A. Yokom charged 10 cents per 50 words. Riegle and Yokom’s motto was, “Give Us a Chance and the Girl Back Home a Break.” While some customers wanted letters written home to “doting parents,” most preferred a letter home to a sweetheart. And in that department, Riegle and Yokom might even use their word expertise to “break off relations with a girlfriend tactfully but don’t know how to do it,” according to a 1938 Lantern article on the pair.

In addition to his letter-writing business, Riegle also was a member of the OSU Cheerleading Squad, The Buckeye Club, the Men’s Dormitory Association and Gamma Sigma Delta, an honorary society for agriculture students. Being a member the Buckeye Club actually meant that Riegle lived in the Stadium Scholarship Dorms, which at that time were for male students who couldn’t otherwise afford to go to college (hence, the letter-writing business).

Charles Riegle in his OSU Cheerleading uniform, c1939

And of course, he was a very dedicated member of Block “O.” During the 1938-39 academic year, Riegle became Junior Manager of the Cheering Section and by the following year became Manager. Riegle managed three juniors, six sophomores, and six freshmen, while the cheering section had a total of roughly 1,200 men and women wearing scarlet capes against a grey background to create the impression of a block “O.” Each person would participate in different cheers while holding up different colored cards and singing along to certain songs and yells. There were 30 designs and 10 were used in a single game. By the end of the season, 3,000 cards were used. For his role as manager, Riegle received a Varsity “O” sweater in 1940.

Riegle’s energy and management skills served him well after his time at OSU: He joined the military and served in three wars: World War II, the Korean War, where he worked after the war on the establishment of the De-Militarized Zone between North and South Koreas; and the Vietnam War. He retired in 1968 as a U.S. Army Colonel and died several years later.

We very much appreciate the kind donation made by Dwight and Mary Helen Tuuri of the materials once owned by Riegle. It is because of people like the Tuuris that we have such wonderful stories to tell about OSU history, so we thank them very much!

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Category: Archival resources (page 7 of 14)

Twelve Days: Bradford had picture-perfect dedication to University photographs

Twelve Days: Pollard’s passion for the past helped keep OSU’s history intact

Block “O” manager was ‘letter’-winner in many ways

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