The 1965 Tower Yearbook begins with an aerial view of the campus. Spending a few minutes on the two images offered here, allows visitors an amazing perspective on how much of the campus has changed over the past 50 years. It’s equally amazing, however, to notice in these images the things that haven’t seemed to change during this time....
Graduation is arguably the best time in any student’s educational experience. It’s not so much a “finish” line as it is a “starting point”; not so much a door that’s closing but one that’s standing wide open. The beginning of any student’s college career may be exciting and challenging, but that moment when the hard won diploma is handed to him or her has got to be the most meaningful. Even sitting in that mass of gowned graduates waiting for a turn to walk across that stage is worth the necessary patience expressed on that amazing day....
Have you ever wondered about the history of UDM’s yearly Convocation? Each year university faculty and employees gather together to kick off the new academic year. Did you know that the Digital Archives offers a way to trace the history of this annual event through our Convocation Collection? And not just the history of these important assemblies at UDM, but also those held when we were known as the University of Detroit and Mercy College....
When someone mentions the 1960s the first thing that often comes to mind for a lot of people these days is a vision of colorfully dressed hippies dancing in a park playing tambourines and singing songs of peace. Some people think of the Vietnam War and the protests that went along with it; some think of the assassination of John F. Kennedy and the dark hours of that dramatic event. The troubled and troubling decade of the 1960s, and the string of events that ended once and for all the innocent years following World War II, seems to have been started by one major occurrence that a lot of people tend to overlook when they consider this time....
I’m sure you’ve heard the old adage, “A picture is worth 1,000 words.” The truth in this saying is evidenced by the variety of photos without text in the later issues of the Tower Yearbook. The 1973 edition (titled, “The Urban 1973 Almanac and Yearbook, A Guide to the University of Detroit”) is a great example of this. The title page of this yearbook alone, offered as it is in the curly-ques and leafy design of an actual almanac, is a reflection of the times. In those days, a return to a simpler time was encouraged: back to the present moment, back to nature, back to the farm, back to the almanac. And in this urging to slow down the frantic rush to the future, we have the potential bridge between university life and the changing cultural....
Here’s a question: What value is there in looking through digitized versions of past Commencement booklets? Good question! Answers to this range from the obvious historical research benefit to the idea of satisfying curiosity. Suppose, for example, that you are curious about the history of Commencement at the university. When did this ceremony begin for the University of Detroit (or for Detroit College)? Did all schools participate? Were the various schools even established at U of D when Commencement first...
Take a look at the photo below. This is an image of a usual campus scene in 1964. In this photo, students rush to class or hurry to their parked cars or into the library at the right side of the picture. The day is warm, probably Spring, and students seem distracted by their studies, the change in the seasons, or each other. One student in the foreground seems to be checking his watch, others seem lost in their own thoughts. Here is a moment in time, fifty years ago, held forever in this frozen image....
The 1968 Tower Yearbook focuses on the student of this period, the way they looked, played, studied, and dreamed. The attention here is on those who worked to make sense of a senseless time, to gain knowledge that would allow them to make changes and help create the future we know now. They paved the way and redefined dedication, honor, and freedom. And while they may look and dress and communicate differently today, that drive and quest for knowledge still defines what being a UDM student really is....
The Dental School yearbooks offer a unique view of this specialized education. Included in each book are pages of images from current news and events which help the reader travel back to a particular time and place. The reader can say “Ah, yes, I remember when Ozzie Osbourn had his own reality show!” Although it doesn’t seem that long ago, looking back through the glossy pages of these Dental School yearbooks allows the viewer an intimate peek at how the fashion, the state of the world, and even the campus has changed in such a relatively short period of time. You might see some familiar faces here; and you might gain some insight into how the past creates the future. They may look different, but students were basically the same then as they are now: fun loving, intelligent, and eager for “great things.”...
This month UDM Libraries/Instructional Design Studio is pleased to announce the release of the 1988 and 1992 Tower Yearbooks into the digital archives. We are also making available the 1990 through 1992 digitized Dental School yearbooks. The release of the two digitized Tower Yearbooks marks the end of that collection. Additional Dental School yearbooks will be added every two months until that collection is also complete and up to date....
