From Woody's Couch

How did the university get to such a milestone? Well, the university’s origins lie in two pieces of legislation. The first is the Morrill Act, passed in 1862, which allowed states to sell federal lands creating endowment funds for university instruction in agriculture, mechanical arts (now known as engineering), and military science. The second milestone came eight years later when the Cannon Act was passed into law in Ohio. This law, proposed by General Assembly member, Reuben P. Cannon, established a brand-new university: the Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College. This college became the university that we all know and love, The Ohio State University.

Today we are looking back on the proud history of Ohio State but we are also looking to our future. In fact, our near future holds a very special celebration of the university’s sesquicentennial, or, 150^th anniversary. The sesquicentennial celebration will span the academic year of 2019-2020 and will honor all that Buckeyes are, all we have accomplished and all that is yet to come.

The sesquicentennial celebration will include signature programming, marquee programs and department events. The signature programming will include projects such as: “The Carmen Collection,” a look into the untold stories throughout Ohio State’s history; Time and Change: The Ohio State University at 150, a photographic retrospective book; and “Buckeye Biography: Celebrating 150 Years of Ohio State,” an online course, open to all Buckeyes, taking students through the history of the university.

In addition to these exciting programs, join fellow Buckeyes for the Sesquicentennial Weekend March 19-22, 2020, for a series of celebratory activities, including a kickoff event in Thompson Library.

The sesquicentennial presents a great opportunity to honor the past, celebrate the present and prepare for the future. We hope next year you’ll join the university’s global celebration of 150 years!

To learn more about the sesquicentennial, visit 150.osu.edu.

 

It’s not easy being the official memory bank for Ohio State.

The University Archives is charged with the honor – and challenge – of preserving Ohio State’s memories. Our team handles every aspect from collection and distribution of donated materials to reference requests and special projects. Increasingly our work includes online and digital archives. The act of digitizing materials

has significantly increased both the number of donations and the number of questions we receive. The University Archives team is up for the challenge, but we need more funds to meet the demands of the digital age.

How to help

When you give to University Archives, you help Ohio State collect, store and distribute materials from our alumni, friends, colleges and departments. Your support of the Paul and Sandy Watkins Endowment will allow us to provide essential development and training to staff, fund new special projects and hire additional student employees. Your gift today is even more important as we prepare for Ohio State’s 150^th birthday – our sesquicentennial – and commemorate this exciting milestone in the university’s history.

What else should I know?

• The Archives helps individuals with a variety of personal and professional projects – everything from researching family histories to writing books, term papers and scholarly research articles.
• Our work touches the university community, and people around the world. In 2017, University Archives answered nearly 2,000 questions from individuals ages 8 to 80.
• In the same year, we received more than 200 items or collections, ranging from a photo album of the 1938 Marching Band to 51 GB of digital football images.
• As part of University Libraries, the University Archives partners with units across campus including the Ohio State Alumni Association, the Lantern, and Athletics to make our archived materials widely available to the university and public.

Ready to help us preserve Ohio State’s memories? Please give to the Paul and Sandy Watkins Endowment for University Archives.

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the death of John Glenn. To honor his life, we have selected several clips from his oral histories that capture important moments in his life and in history. To read and listen to all oral histories visit the oral history page on our website. For more information on John Glenn, view his finding aid.

 

John Glenn on his time in the military:

Full transcript and audio

 

John Glenn on why he volunteered to be a test pilot in the space program:

Full transcript and audio

 

John Glenn on the Space Race:

Full transcript and audio

 

John Glenn on the naming of the Friendship 7:

Full transcript and audio

 

John Glenn on his first view of Earth from space:

Full transcript and audio

 

John Glenn on why he ran for President:

Full transcript and audio