Tuesday, April 29, 2014

140th Commencement Display!


Please visit the display on the library's first floor which commemorates commencements at ONU and Prof. Charles Johnson, formerly of the Communication Arts Department.
 
One of the Ohio Northern University’s longest-standing traditions will be observed for the 140th time when the class of 2014, several hundred-strong,  graduates.  The first Commencement, held on Friday, June 12, 1874, involved just eleven students.
 
 

The ceremony was held in the Normal School Building, the only structure on campus at that time. The event was preceded by the Anthem Gloria from Mozart’s 12th Mass. A reporter from the Lima Allen County Democrat noted that the “…intelligent and delighted” audience was also treated to numbers by the Ada Silver Coronet Band.   The day’s events began at 9AM when President  Lehr called for silence.

 


Commencements in the nineteenth century featured rather more student participation than is the case today. Indeed, all of the eleven either read an essay or gave an oration.
 
 
These presentations were interspaced with musical offerings and consisted of:

 

·       Salutory ……What Shall We Live For …………………………… C.W. Butler

·       Oration …….Will Our Structure Stand? …………………..……R.C. Eastman

·       Essay …….….As the Day Go Shall Thy Strength Be ………..Sue Fogel

·       Essay ……….. Mental Beauty ……………………………………..…Metta Ferral

·       Oration ….… Visions of the Mysterious ………………………..S.P. Gray

·       Essay ……….. Act Well Your Part, There All Honor Lies ….Sallie Lindsey

·       Oration ……...Make Use of The Keys …………………………….A.D. Snively

·       Oration ........ Intellect and Genius ……………………………….E.L. Sinclair

·       Essay ……….…The Roughest Stone May Be a Diamond…. Anna Stayner

·       Essay …………..Social Growth………………………………………… Mollie Schoonover

·       Valedictory … Nature and Power of Science ……………….. J.W. Zeller

 

The day’s festivities concluded with a class farewell, an element included in many commencements prior to 1900.

                         FAREWELL CLASS SONG

By Heaven's rich blessings we are brought

To see the present day,

And reap rewards, by labor sought

In years now passed away.

Our star of future hope is bright;

With joy our fond hearts swell;

Yet sorrow's tears may dim our sight

When we pronounce farewell.

 
'Tis here we've toiled to knowledge gain,

And thus spent happy hours,

That in our mem'ry we'll retain.

And cherish there as flowers.

We've had our petty trials too

That were thought sad to tell;

But if our future knows as few

We will in truth FARE WELL.

 
'Tis hard to tear ourselves away

From scenes we love so well,

For in this live we ne'er can say

What future days may tell.

We know not where our boats may land

In sailing o'er life's sea,

So as we take the parting hand

We'll say, farewell to thee.

 

Our life work scarcely is begun

This but the first degree

We hope another to gain soon

That truly earned will be.

With thanks to teachers, good and kind

Whose work hath been done well,

We join our hearts and join our hands

In this, farewell-FAREWELL.

 

Afterwards, the graduates, with the exception of Mr. Zeller, were treated to dinner at the president’s home prepared by Mrs. Lehr. In helping to establish a Northern tradition of employable graduates, Mr. Zeller had to make do with a lunch in order to catch an early train. His destination – a successful  job interview.

Friday, April 25, 2014

Library Hours - Dead and Finals Weeks

Heterick Memorial Library will be open for extended hours for dead and finals week starting on Monday, April 28th.  

Hours for Dead Week:

Monday, April 28            7:30AM - 2AM
Tuesday, April 29           7:30AM - 2AM
Wednesday, April 30      7:30AM - 2AM
Thursday, May 1            7:30AM - 2AM 
Friday, May 2                7:30AM - 10PM
Saturday, May 3            10AM - 10PM

Hours for Finals Week: 

Sunday, May 4          10AM - 2AM
Monday, May 5          7:30AM - 2AM
Tuesday, May 6         7:30AM - 2AM
Wednesday, May 7    7:30AM - 2AM
Thursday, May 8        7:30AM - 2AM
Friday, May 9            7:30AM - 4:30PM

Thursday, April 24, 2014

THIS MONTH @ ONU

 

May 1915 – Lehr Memorial Dedicated

May 16, 1959 – Alpha Xi Delta chapter established at ONU

May 19, 1885 – State of Ohio issued a charter incorporating Lehr’s school under the 
                          name  Ohio Normal University – previously Northwestern Ohio Normal
                          School
 


 
May 19, 1990 – Ground breaking for ONU Sports Center; dedicated on Oct,. 13, 1991

May 19, 2002 – Weber Hall named for Ronald G. Weber,
                          former president of Mount Union College and development consultant
                           at Ohio Northern University



May 19, 2006 – Dicke Hall dedicated
 


 
May 21, 1977 – Wilson Art Bldg. dedicated
 
                      - Elzay Gallery dedicated 

                      - Dedication of Chapel Organ – English Chapel 

May 25, 1929 – Dedication of Taft Gym
 

May 26, 1929 – Dedication of Presser Hall

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Faculty Copyright Workshop


April Display: Archaeology of the Book

April's display features several beautiful handmade books created during Prof. Melissa Eddings' EXDS class, Archaeology of the Book. 



Prof. Eddings describes how the students create the books during her class:

"We began the semester with a brief survey of book history and how it evolved over time to the structure we are all familiar with today. Students were asked to think about what makes a book a book? What is the function of a book? Does the structure/binding define the book or vice versa? Students then made their own paper which which they folded into signatures for their text block. The historic model we were focusing on is a 14th century gothic-style Medieval book. After the paper was made, they began work on the wood (oak) covers. Sewing holes were drilled and the boards were shaped in the same manner as gothic-style Medieval books were shaped: rounded edges along the head, tail, and spine, and chamfered toward the fore edge of the book. Students then had the option of painting and distressing their covers to artificially "age" the books. Several layers of milk paint were applied and then burnished with steel wool. Once the desired effects were achieved, the covers were coated with wax (shoe polish) and buffed.

The sewing is a Coptic variation which involves attaching the boards to the text block as the spine is sewn. A link chain stitch was used which creates a beautiful braided chain across the spine. Historically, the spine would have been covered with leather, hiding the intricate sewing. I chose to leave the spine exposed to showcase the sewing pattern. Once both covers were attached, the end bands were sewn. Endbands are found at the head and tail of the spine of books. Many contemporary hardcover books have end bands, but these are applied as decoration and don't act as a structural component the way hand sewn endbands did centuries earlier."


The books and the materials used to make them will be on display in Heterick Library on the first floor through April 24, 2014. In addition, library books related to book art and bookbinding are also on display next to the exhibit and are available for checkout. 

All photographs by Ken Colwell


Wednesday, April 16, 2014

New Books and Media: March

Books:
Anders Zorn : Sweden's master painter / Johan Cederlund, Hans Henrik Brummer, Per Hedström, James A. Ganz
The arsenic century : how Victorian Britain was poisoned at home, work, and play / James C. Whorton
The art of Bone / in association with Jeff Smith ; and featuring an introduction by Lucy Shelton Caswell

More after the break...

New Book and Acquisitions: February

Books:
African Americans in sports / edited by David K. Wiggins, editor
Aircraft design : a systems engineering approach / Mohammad H. Sadraey, Daniel Webster College, New Hampshire, USA
Art critiques : a guide / James Elkins
Autism spectrum disorder : a clinical guide for general practitioners / V. Mark Durand

More after the break...

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

This Month @ ONU


April 1, 1976 – Groundbreaking for Wilson Art Bldg.

April 1, 1973 – Groundbreaking for King-Horn Center

April 1, 1995 – Freeman Annex to Dukes Memorial dedicated
 
 
(L to R) C.H. Freeman's daughter, Pres. Freed, Susan Insley (Trustee) A&S Dean Hawbecker
 
 
April 2, 2004 – Arbogast Building in downtown Ada burns, ONU students & staff lose housing

 


April 3, 1928 – Funeral of Sen. Willis ('93 and ONU faculty member)
 
 

April 5, 1997 – Ground broken for addition to Taggart Law Library

April 7, 1941 – Clappers are stolen from bell tower in Hill Bldg.

April 9, 1866 – Henry S. Lehr began leaching in the Ada Public School – conducted his “select
                           school,” the predecessor of ONU, after classes
 
 

April 10, 1949 – Pres. McClure resigns for health reasons. Died June 1, 1952 at his home in
                             Florida


April 11, 1941 – Northern opens a $12,000 dormitory in the former S.M. Johnson residence
                             behind Hill

April 12, 1973 – Cornerstone laid for King-Horn

April 17, 1971 – Wesley Center dedicated
 
 

April 17, 1991 – beginning of dedication ceremonies for Freed Center

April 20, 1903 – first classes held in Dukes Building
 
 

April 22, 1941 – Two 50 lb. bell clappers from Hill Bldg. turn up in the lobby of the Cleveland

                             Plain Dealer

April 21, 1968 – Five University Place (former Alpha Sigma Phi house) opened
 
 

April 22, 1907 – Former Pres. Leroy A. Belt dies in his home in Kenton
 
 

April 23, 1994 - The Zeta Sigma chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta was established at Northern
April 27, 2009 – First LGBT course added to ONU’s curriculum