History: The Delaware State Ceremonial Mace

Written by: Emily Cottle 

 Introduced during the tenure of Delaware State’s seventh president, Dr. Luna I. Mishoe, the ceremonial mace was designed to be a “permanent emblem of the authority of the Office of the President and will be used at commencement exercises and at other College affairs of special significance.”

Pages from a pamphlet housed in the Archives giving
information on the history of DSU's ceremonial mace.

The preceding quote was taken from a publication on the ceremonial mace, the cover of which is pictured here. It described how the mace was designed and constructed by Mr. John McCollough, an assistant professor of Art Education at Delaware State College, in spring 1963. It is constructed with sterling silver alongside ebony from Africa, rosewood from Africa and India, lace wood from Australia, mahogany from the Philippines, pear wood from Switzerland, lignum vitae from South America, and walnut wood from North America. Its symbolism is derived from the incorporation of silver with the wood from different continents.

The mace is 48 inches long and weighs over 6 pounds.

Yearbooks Now Housed in the Archives

Written by: Cale McCammon

The yearbooks in their new home.

The DSU yearbooks have been moved from the Delaware Room to the Archives (Room 227) so that they can be kept in perpetuity along with all the other materials that are central to the university’s history. But don’t worry, this won’t impact their accessibility. Extra copies will be on reserve at the circulation desk, and the archival collection will be available from 8am to 5pm. 

The collection runs from 1960 to 2007, so feel free to check out faculty and student fashion trends or what Mom and Dad looked like in their glory days.

Special Collections: Children’s Museum News

Written by: Emily Cottle

Just a few sample issues of Children’s Museum News.

Though the focus of this blog and our IMLS project is on the university archives and documenting the history of Delaware State University, our special collections do contain some unique items outside of this scope.

One of these items is a run of 55 newsletters dating from 1912-1940 called the Children’s Museum News published by the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences.

These newsletters include information about the museum itself, such as hours, admission, and schedules of events or lectures. There are also articles in each issue on a wide array of topics, but animals are a frequent subject.

A complete inventory of available issues can be found here.

Our complete run is available to use in the archives, so please come visit us if you’d like to see them. More information on our location and hours can be found here.

Collection Spotlight: Miss DSC/DSU Photographs

 Written by: Cale McCammon

Miss DSC attendant and her escort, 1979.

It’s that time of the year when DSU students gear up for the annual Miss DSU elections. While Miss DSU hopefuls set up promotional campaign signs around campus, we here at the archives take a look to the past at our collection of Miss Delaware State College/Delaware State University photographs. Our collection dates back to the late 1950s. The photographs demonstrate one of DSU’s many unique traditions honoring student leadership, but they also say quite a bit about the changing themes and fashion of the ceremony.

Contestants at the Miss DSC pageant, March 20, 1980.

From bellbottom pants to traditional formal wear, the Miss DSU tradition has not gone out of style. 

We send our congratulations to the newly elected Mr. and Ms. DSU, James Jones and Jamila Mustafa, and the rest of the Royal Court! Complete election results and a slideshow are available here. 

Honors Day

Written by: Emily Cottle

Last week on April 3, 2014 Delaware State University held its 41^st annual Honors Day program.

The archives have a collection of programs dating back to the third annual honors day program held April 27-28, 1976.

President Luna I. Mishoe speaking at Honors 

Day festivities on April 13, 1983.

The following note from the Honors Council, the sponsors of Honors Day, appears in the aforementioned program from the 1976 event:

Honors Day was established two years ago as an annual event in recognition of academic achievement. In a format which enables students to present original research papers and exhibits, academic excellence at Delaware State College is made visible to all students and faculty. Through lectures or panel discussions the meaning and value of the pursuit of excellence is stressed. In addition, departmental scholars, students in the Honors programs, and students achieving membership in national honor societies are recognized.

Some of the programs from the 1990s even include summaries of student papers and projects.

In addition to these event programs, we have a number of photos documenting honors day activities dating back to the 1980s.

Come visit the archives to view any of these materials and learn more about the history of the Honors Day program.

Middle States Accreditation Self-Study Reports: A History of Self-Reflection

Written by: Cale McCammon

Cover of the 1971-1972 report.

One of the collections that offer a dense look at DSU’s organizational and academic history is our collection of Middle States accreditation self-study reports, which date back to the 1971-1972 academic year. These reports contain information on the university’s organizational structure, philosophy, student body, employment of alumni and finances. For anyone looking for statistical information regarding specific departments or for information on how the university has changed overtime, the reports serve as a convenient aggregation of the information found in some of our other collections. They also demonstrate changes in how the university has seen itself, as in the self-study report for the 1971-1972 academic years:

Delaware State College is a group of scholars actively seeking the truth, creatively teaching the truth, and carefully preserving the truth. The College claims the right, without restraint, to investigate the whole province of knowledge. With this freedom, the College accepts the responsibility of communicating knowledge to all who can make good use of it. (p. 2)

How might this connect to the university’s current mission and vision statement?

New Acquisition: President Jason’s book

Written by: Emily Cottle

Back on December 19^th of last year, the William C. Jason Library held a ceremony to formally accept a generous endowment to the library from Bertha Carol Jason and William C. Jason, III., descendants of the library’s namesake, William C. Jason, Sr.

During the ceremony, Carol Jason, shown below in the screen capture of a press release on the event from the university’s website, told wonderful stories about William C. Jason, the longest serving president in DSU’s history from a family volume containing old course catalogs for the State College for Colored Students dating back to 1893.

Screen capture from DSU's News and Events webpage.

In January, the archives was fortunate enough to have Mrs. Jason officially donate this book to us. It is currently being digitized, but we hope to have it available for patrons to view in the archives soon.

The archives is very grateful to the Jason family for this donation, which is just the latest of their generous contributions to our department. Previous donations have included wonderful rare books and programs for early campus events at the State College for Colored Students. 

New Acquisition from the Office of Alumni Affairs

Written by: Cale McCammon

The Delaware State University Archives' collection is expanding. The folks at the Office of Alumni Relations (previously known as the Office of Alumni Affairs) recently sent over thirty linear feet of materials our way. These included minutes and financial records of the Alumni Association, newsletters, photo albums, as well as copies of The Echo that have helped us fill holes in our existing collection. We’re having quite a time going through the photographs, which we hope to finish processing soon.

Class of 1913. Among one of the oldest photographs 

we’ve found sleeved in the albums.

We’d like to thank the folks at the Office of Alumni Relations for sending us their materials and look forward to more transfers. We also encourage any other departments on campus to get in touch with us if you have materials that need a safe home.

Miss DSC, Homecoming, Presidential Scholarship Ball—

just a few of the events we’ve encountered in the photos.

Caring for your family photographs

Written by: Emily Cottle

Here in the archives we’ve been doing a lot of work on photograph collections lately and thought that our readers might benefit from a few tips for dealing with your own family photograph collections.

The following are just a few of the great resources available online to help you get started with preserving your family’s materials.

• Caring for your family archives from the National Archives and Records Administration, http://www.archives.gov/preservation/family-archives/
• Care, Handling, and Storage of Photographs from the Library of Congress, http://www.loc.gov/preservation/care/photo.html
• CCAHA Preservation Bulletins, http://www.ccaha.org/publications/technical-bulletins
• Caring for Private and Family Collections from Northeast Document Conservation Center, http://www.nedcc.org/free-resources/preserving-private-and-family-collections/caring-for-private-and-family-collections
• Guide to caring for your treasures from American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works, http://www.conservation-us.org/about-conservation/caring-for-your-treasures

Below are a summary of just a few of the tips you’ll find in the sources listed above:

• Photographs last longest in areas that are a stable (preferably cool) temperature that is not damp.
• Avoid using rubber bands to group photos as they dry out and stick to the photos, causing damage.
• Use photo corners to mount items in scrapbooks or albums – that way you can easily remove the photos and you avoid putting glue or adhesive directly on the photos.
• Store photos in boxes with lids and without handholds if possible to prevent dust and pests from damaging photos.
• Avoid framing and leaving valuable family photographs on display for long periods of time. Instead, make a copy and display that. Fading caused by light damage is irreversible.

Visit the sites listed above to learn more or post specific questions in the comments below.

Founders Day 2014

Carlos Holmes as President William C. Jason 

striking a thoughtful pose.

Written by: Cale McCammon

February 25th’s snowy weather didn’t dampen DSU’s spirits as we celebrated the university’s 183rd birthday, complete with birthday cake and tours of Loockerman Hall, the oldest building on campus and the former center of the university. As part of the celebration, students donned period-style costumes as Carlos Holmes, Director of News Services at the Office of Public Relations, dressed as President William C. Jason and provided insights into the history of the university.

Loockerman Hall, February 25, 2014.

Founders Day is an annual celebration of the university’s heritage from its beginnings in 1891 as the State College for Colored Students after the passage of the second Morrill Land Grant Act. The archives have a collection of past Founders Day programs, the oldest going back to 1942. We also have photographs starting in the 1970s. By all accounts, DSU has made a history of celebrating history.

You can see more photos from the day on the university's website here.