New Oral Histories on ExploreUK
We’re pleased to announce the following Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History interviews are now available on ExploreUK.
Alben W. Barkley Oral History Project | 14 interviews from 1953
A native of Graves County, Alben William Barkley (1877—1956) was a prosecuting attorney and judge in McCracken County, served in the United States House of Representatives (1913—1927) and the United States Senate (1927—1949, 1954—1956), and was Senate majority leader (1936—1947) and vice-president of the United States (1949—1953). These interviews focus on Barkley’s career.
Moonshiners and Revenuers Oral History Project | 7 interviews dating from 1969, 1986-1988
Part of the Appalachia Oral History Collection
These interviews with moonshiners and revenuers in Wayne County document their lives, the making of moonshine, its economic benefits, the tactics used by officers in pursuing the distillers, and the tactics used by the distillers to escape them.
Earle C. Clements Oral History Project | 14 interviews dating from 1974-1976
Earle C. Clements (1896—1985), born in Morganfield, was a United States congressman (1944—1947), governor of Kentucky (1947—1950), and a United States senator (1950—1956). He served as the Senate Democratic whip in 1953 and as acting majority leader in 1955. Clements was a close personal friend of Lyndon B. Johnson in the Senate. In This project, his associates and staff members discuss his life and career.
Rare 17th century manuscript now on ExploreUK
El Yucatan relacion : de esta provincia Mexicana is now available on ExploreUK. The catalog record notes the book “appears to be a copy of a manuscript written in 1601 which seems to have escaped the notice of all bibliographers. The book dealers could not locate it anywhere.”
Labels: ExploreUK, highlights, in the campus news, rare books, Yucatan
Sesquicentennial Stories: The Promise of UK #83
On November 11, 1960 construction began on the Chemistry-Physics building. The current site of the building once was occupied the by President’s garden and tennis courts. Physics once occupied 33,600 square feet of Pence Hall and Chemistry 41,500 in Kastle Hall and an addition 3,600 square feet in an old wooden barracks. The new Chemistry-Physics building provided three times the space for the two departments.
Clearing the way for science, 1960
The building was also outfitted for numerous special research facilities. The silo at the northeast corner of the building was designed to house a 5.5 million volt Van de Graff electrostatic nuclear accelerator. It has an internal diameter of 30 feet, it rises 58 feet above the ground and extends below ground for 13 feet. The concrete walls are two feet thick and two underground laboratories are connected to the silo.
Construction of the physics "silo" that holds the Van de Graff nuclear accelerator, 1961
The Chemistry-Physics building was completed in April 1963 at a total cost of $6,084,076. It has four floors and a basement for a total of 244,000 square feet. The facilities were built for Physics to have: two lecture halls with 200 seats each; eight classrooms with 40 seats each; 20 faculty offices; 7 faculty office/laboratories; and labs for graduate and professional research. For Chemistry to have: a 270 seat lecture room; 200 seat seminar room; 3 smaller lecture rooms with 150 seats each; 9 classrooms with 49 seats each; 15 instructional labs accommodating 48 students each; 12 faculty offices; and 15 faculty office/laboratories. The total space accommodated 4,800 students. The central library was built to house 50,000 volumes with 90 seats.
Housing physics and chemistry together was meant to assure greater capabilities for both departments at a time when it was becoming clear that the basic sciences were interdependent. When the building was opened the Chemistry department employed a full-time glassblower while the Physics department had an instrument shop under supervision of a machinist and each was able to draw upon the resources of the other.
John French, Glassblower, 1963
Labels: Chemistry-Physics building, Sesquicentennial Stories, Van de Graff
"Reel to Real: Special Collections at the Movies"
The Special Collections Library is pleased to announce its new movie series, Reel to Real: Special Collections at the Movies, beginning Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013, at Worsham Theater in the University of Kentucky’s Student Center.
The five-movie series will explore popular movies through a historically accurate perspective based on primary source materials found in Special Collections. Screenings are free and open to the public, and will be held in Worsham Theater. Refreshments will also be served.
The current schedule is:
Tuesday, October 29, 2013, 7:00 p.m. – “Daniel Boone, Trailblazer” (1956)
Tuesday, November 19, 2013, 7:00 p.m. – “In Country” (1989)
February 2014 (time and date, TBD) – “Beloved” (1998)
March 2014 (time and date, TBD) – “Coal Miner’s Daughter” (1980)
April 2014 (time and date, TBD) – “Our Day” (1938)
Topics will be relevant to the following departments in the College of Arts & Sciences: African American and Africana Studies, American Studies, Appalachian Center & Appalachian Studies Program, Army ROTC (Military Science), Earth & Environmental Sciences, Economics, English, Folklore & Mythology, Gender & Women’s Studies, History, and those in the Center for Applied Energy Research.
Interested faculty and staff are welcome and encouraged to assign viewing of the movies for extra credit. Every movie will include a guide to materials that can help students and faculty better utilize Special Collections and archival documents in their research and teaching.
Even though women were admitted to the University in 1880 it took 8 years until the first woman earned a degree, Belle Clement Gunn in 1888. It took even longer for women to have a place to live on the campus. In 1904, Patterson Hall was opened as the first women’s dormitory and the only one built entirely at the state’s expense. It was built specifically as a women’s dormitory and it became the first building constructed off of the main campus. It was originally built for around 125 women which each room to be used by two girls. At the time, the cost of the ground, building and equipment was approximately $60,000.
It was named for first President James K. Patterson and in honor of his brother Walter Patterson who sought funding for the building and took one year off of teaching to oversee its construction. At one time, then President Henry Stites Barker and his wife; the dean of women; and the house director all lived in Patterson Hall – imagine living in a dorm with the President! At that time, James K. Patterson was still occupying the presidential residence (this was before Maxwell Place). The dorm became co-ed in the 1990s and is one of the oldest building’s on UK’s campus.
There is a bit of legend surrounding Patterson Hall. According to an article in the Kentucky Kernel, the Hall is located on an historic site where the first couple in Kentucky was married. John Maxwell and his bride were married in an old block house near the property and then lived in a cabin on the grounds of Patterson Hall.
On either side of the entrance to Patterson Hall was a ginkgo tree. In China, the ginkgo tree is planted in front of temple gates to keep out evil spirits. The two trees were known as “mama” and “papa” on campus. According to another Kentucky Kernel article, in the beginning of the 19th century, six Ginkgo trees were given to Henry Clay by an unknown Asian man. Clay reportedly kept one tree for himself and gave the rest away, including the two in front of Patterson Hall. Over time, it became apparent that the only female tree among the original six, was “mama.” The demand for baby ginkgos was tremendous because of the style set by Henry Clay, so all of the early Kentucky ginkgos were descendants of Patterson Hall’s “mama” tree. Additionally, “papa” had a sloped trunk which angled toward the ground and this made him the perfect spot for a goodnight kiss. Different legends concerned the development of “papa's” angle. One was that the weight of so many years of goodnight kisses caused “papa” to gradually bend.
The back pages contain signatures and messages written by the soldiers in Davis’ unit. The messages reflect the camaraderie and the pathos inherent in military service during WWII.
"This island was a sad place to live as a soldier"
"...for when your friends become your foe into the world your secrets go..."
Sesquiecentennial Stories: The Promise of UK #85
A Student’s Perspective from 1887
Picnic at High Bridge; James A., Tom Davenport, Jesse Mills, J. Tandy Ellis, Florance Dudley Dillard, Sallie Allen Hornbrook, and Jennie Hill Bissicks, 1887
A&M College, Lexington