Eastern Students had Fun, Fun, Fun til the Beach Boys Drove Away

Today, we often see event and concert postings all over campus from various organizations including Student Life and the Student Government Association's Student Activities Council. But where and when did this tradition begin? Sure, we have had awesome concerts like Hinder and Bowling for Soup, but who else has graced EKU's stage? Better yet, who started the tradition with some "good vibrations?" That's right. The answer is none other than than the famous surfing sound of the Beach Boys.
In 1966-67, Eastern formed a fund and special committee known as the All-Campus Entertainment Committee to research and bring entertainment to students on campus. Their first act of business was hosting the Beach Boys at Alumni Colliseum on April 20, 1967 at 8pm. Compared to today's average ticket cost of $150, students only paid $2 for the performance!

However, before the Beach Boys took the stage, they took to the dirt on the baseball diamond, warming up with some softball. Bass guitarist Bruce Johnston commented to the Eastern Progress that, "This is what we miss most; the chance to lead normal lives and enjoy the things other people are able to take part in."

Student Projects Unveiled at Archives Month Event

Special Collections and Archives and the Crabbe Library hosted Eastern's first ever Archives Month event last night. The event unveiled two new websites created with archival materials and resources using Omeka software. Both websites are fully functional, but are still works in progress, so have more features yet to come.

Madison's Heritage Online was developed by Kathryn Engle. Kathryn wanted to make the column "Madison's Heritage", written by Dr. Robert Grise and Dr. Fred Engle, more accessible to researchers. To do this she tracked down, organized and digitized over 2000 vignettes of local history that had appeared in the Richmond Register since 1969. These articles are now searchable and are more accessible than ever before.

Historic Madison was developed by Daniel Weddington to provide online accessibility to Madison County Rediscovered, by Lavinia Kubiak. This out-of-print title is full of information about the historic architecture of Madison County. Daniel retyped the information in the book, organized and digitized the photographs and added additional functionality, such as virtual tours of various locations built with Google maps. These tours can also be opened on a smart phone allowing users to access the information during a walking or driving tour.

Dr. Rob Weise also talked about the importance of archives in his research and the importance of preserving the records for future scholars. Dr. Weise received the 2011 Collins Award for a recent article in the Register of the Kentucky Historical Society.

Special Collections and Archives staff would like to give a big thanks to all who worked so hard to make this event a success.

Martha Layne Collins Oral History Project

A few weeks ago, I received the opportunity to do a project on Martha Layne Collins who was the first female governor for the state of Kentucky. While working on this project, I had the responsibility of writing abstracts and creating keywords for a set of tapes that contained Libby Fraas's interviews with some of the people involved in the Collins's administration, which included Harrison Hickman, Joe Prather, Bob Stewart, Ted Sauer, Crit Luallen, Mary Helen Miller, and Duke Gordon. During these interviews, she questioned the individuals about how each of them became involved in politics, how Mrs. Collins ran her administration, how the governor was able to convince a Japanese company to move its Toyota plant to Kentucky, and how they were able to establish an education reform package for the state.

Although all of the topics listed above were interesting, I have to say that I found the story of Martha Layne Collins's emerging political career the most fascinating because she did not start out as a politician or a politician's wife. Instead of having a background in politics, she was just a hardworking home economics school teacher who sought to make a difference for the people of her beloved state through her teaching. It was just by chance that Mrs. Collins became a politician. According to the interviews done with the former governor, she just happened to stumble onto a career in politics when she began participating in local school and community organizations. Her involvement with various organizations fueled her interest in politics and made her want to learn more about the world of politics. In order to learn more about the field, she volunteered her services to local senatorial campaigns where she stuffed envelopes, answered phones, created fliers, etc. Eventually, her hard work in politics was noticed and she was talked into running for clerk of the Kentucky Court of Appeals in 1975, which she won. This victory set Martha Layne Collins on a long and successful political career that would last until 1987.

The Battle of Civil Rights: An Eastern Perspective

As students of the 21st century, it is easy to take the circumstances of daily living for granted (especially in the summer). Some sign up for classes and many may apply for financial aid to get through such classes. Then we zoom through a 6-8 week course and are ready to move on, easily forgetting the little effort that it took to achieve such tasks. But there are some students who we'll never forget in the fight of equality, especially those with such diligence as Andrew Miller, EKU's first African-American student.

Andrew Miller, who had already attended the University of Cincinnati, had been teaching at Richmond High School prior to 1950 with the help of Eastern's President Dr. William Francis O'Donnell (president from 1941 to 1960). Thanks to the amendment of the Day Law(named after Carl Day of Breathitt County who was adamantly opposed to desegregation) in 1948, colleges no longer had to abide by segregation laws and could decide admittance for themselves. In March 1950, Miller appealed to President O'Donnell once again, but this time to take classes to further his education and obtain a master's degree. O'Donnell was reluctant and suggested the University of Kentucky (who had admitted their first black student the previous year). Miller attended UK until 1954, when financial burden and his mother's illness kept him in Richmond. In the meantime, Miller persistently contacted O'Donnell, explaining the situation and asking admittance, since most every other college had already actively desegregated.

From 1954 to 1955, O'Donnell and the Board of Regents remained in favor of segregation and held out African-American admittance until the Board of Regents meeting in March 1956. O'Donnell and the Board then concluded that they had no other choice due to the Board on Higher Education's upholding desegregation and the Supreme Court's ruling of Brown vs. the Board of Education (1954).

In the summer of 1956, O'Donnell allowed Miller to be admitted into the graduate school and he graduated with his master's degree in teaching in the 1958-1959 school year. In 1961, Anne Peyton Spann became the first black student to complete all four underclassmen years at Eastern and graduate. Despite this breakthrough, the students at Eastern still waived Confederate flags at occasional ball games due to other schools having many black athletes.

However, even as soon as 1958, some students were beginning to show a different stance on segregation and expressed their disdain for Eastern's actions and reluctance in the Progress. In 1959, the Progress quoted, "Our government does not ask too much of us to at least give this issue on integration a chance."

In the following years, Eastern grew in leaps and bounds, undergoing a complete 180 degree change of attitude. Not only did Eastern open its doors to black students, but in 1967, the university hired the first black professor, James Way. Way taught in the industrial technology department until 1983 and quoted to the Progress in a February 1989 issue, "As far as teaching was concerned, there were no social differences. As far as the department was concerned, I worked with fine people."

You Never Know What You'll Find in the Archives

Hi, it’s Cherrelle Harris again. My latest project that I’ve been working on is organizing a collection of photos taken by a man named Jimmy Taylor. I scanned the images and entered them into the EKU Archives image database. The collection dates from 1940 to 1972. Jimmy was born August 6, 1913. According to Kentucky death records, Jimmy Taylor died at age 61 on April 9, 1975 in Madison County. According to the Lexington Herald, he was a professional photographer. He owned a restaurant called Jimmy’s Restaurant. Jimmy was survived by his wife Beulah Day Taylor. His funeral was at First United Methodist Church and he was buried in Richmond Cemetery. Jimmy’s photo collection was donated to our library archives by his wife, Beulah, in 1976.

I found something very cool when organizing the Jimmy Taylor photo collection here in the archives. One day during my project I discovered that a few images were missing. The missing photos were of a wedding here in Madison county. When we found the hard copies I recognized the people in the photo. The first person I could identify was my dad’s brother, Paul Harris. In the photo he’s maybe 8 years-old. The next person I recognized was my Uncle Bobby. I was staring at the picture and was immediately shocked at what I found. A picture with some of my family members in it at my job was the last thing I expected to find.

Jackie suggested I write a blog about it, but I couldn’t remember the other people in the photo. The name I found on the back of the photo was Anne Harris. I called my dad to ask him about the picture. My Uncle Paul told my dad that he was the ring bearer at their Uncle Leon and Aunt Anne’s wedding when he was 8. I didn’t recognize Uncle Leon at first, but when my dad told me who he was I immediately remembered him. I met him during one of our several family reunions. I can’t recall if I’ve ever met Anne. This experience has taught me that a lot more than we think can be discovered in the archives, we just have to look for it. You never know what you’ll find.

No Fresh Hell

For today's college freshmen, freshman hazing by the upperclassmen is simply part of an entertaining story line in teenage flicks. Freshman Hell Week doesn't actually happen in real life. There is no week of orders, no courts or punishment. There is only orientation, making it to classes and making new friends. But freshmen from the mid 1920s to the '70s had much more on their minds.


Freshman Hell Week would usually begin on a Monday and wrap up on the Saturday of Homecoming. Prior to the week, various upperclassmen would get together and set-up rules, as well as consequences for the incoming freshmen. Originally, these enforcers were referred to as the Mystic Six. These six veiled figures would disguise themselves in robes and meet to establish the events for the week. Following their meeting, they would release the weeks events and consequences so that all knew what they were to do and what was expected of them during Hell Week. Some of these events included:
1) wear a red lipstick "F" on your forehand every day
2) carry shoe polish and shine rag at all times
3) wear 8X10 inch sign stating full name and hometown
4) no shaving during Hell Week
5) obey all reasonable orders from upperclassmen
6) wear trousers backwards
7) ride a stick horse, these should be parked outside of buildings.
From what to wear to where and when to eat to what to know, the list goes on and on. Of course if any breach of the rules occurred, the Mystic Six were to handle the fresh culprit as they deemed fit.



In later years, the Mystic Six turned into the Rat Court for guys and the Cat Court for girls (as seen in the cartoon from the October 20th, 1944 edition of the Eastern Progress). During the week, the Court resided at the front steps of the Keen Johnson Building, which used to be the hot-spot of the Student Union Building which housed the cafeteria, the Grille, and the bookstore. If deemed guilty, a tried freshman would pay the consequences in front of a majority of the student body and even faculty. But such acts were tradition and considered completely normal and acceptable.

However, as years passed and WWII came to an end, war veterans began entering the college scene and did not condone such behavior. These veteran freshmen were, on average, 25-29 years old and had already been through Hell in the military. With their mature outlook and previous experiences, 118 men signed a petition to no longer support nor participate in Hell Week. Petition in hand, a portion of the men marched right up to then president, President William O'Donnell's house and demanded a change. O'Donnell then formed a committee on the matter and from there out, the precedence was set. Participation in Hell Week was not necessarily required.

Though Hell Week continued into the '70s (when the Vietnam War ended and Vets once again made a stand for good), the 'tradition' was no longer set in stone and hazing practices began to diminish. Still, many viewed the 'initiation' as a vital milestone and happily made fun of those who were unwilling to participate (as seen in the Hell Week newspaper article ).

Though there will always be different classes of people, I am relieved that Freshman Hell Week is a long-gone tradition of Eastern's past. Hazing or prejudice does not breed people of character. Hell Week is not a right of passage or a tasteful display of respect. It's quite the opposite in my opinion. Hazing and prejudice breeds hostility, ignorance, and intolerance. There is no respect in demeaning another human being. Respect comes in knowing and standing up for your own rights and the rights of others.

Ireland in the Archives

In light of the St. Patrick's Day holiday, we decided to search for Ireland here in the land of the archives. With a little luck, we discovered a piece of Irish history tucked away conveniently in the Green-Fife-White Papers, a collection of letters from 1830 to the mid 1900s. In these letters, a loved one is writing back to the family during the Irish potato famine and reveals some information that we can all read into and learn a bit more from. Before understanding the letters, one has to know the history behind the letters.

Prior to the Potato Famine, Ireland had had serious political issues largely due to the fact that Ireland was mostly Catholic living under the thumb of a Protestant Britain. As a result, Ireland began to revolt against Britain. Thus, Britain had tried to make Ireland less of a threat by taking away their education, food, and forcing them into poverty. Some Irishmen still tried to revolt (efforts led by liberator Daniel O'Connell, who's also mentioned in the letter below), but Britain continued to place troops in Ireland and force them further into poverty. Thus, potatoes were Ireland's main crop due to their inexpensive, yet nutrient nature.

However, Ireland's cash crop went bankrupt in 1845 when American vessels exposed an airborne fungus that swept over the fields of Ireland. Literally tons of potatoes turned to black rot. The loved one talks about the black potatoes in the letter listed below, as well as the Catholics and Britain to another family member who had fled to America.

No one really knows when the famine came to an end for sure. However, the fungus began to dissipate in 1851. Nevertheless, Britain could certainly have intervened more to help the situation. Pieces of history, such as these letters, allow us to glimpse into those years long ago and learn not to make those same mistakes as Britain did. Hopefully we have learned to come together instead of ripping each other and consequently, ourselves, apart. Maybe today, we will help those in need instead of contributing to their struggle.

Reflections on Homer Ledford

At times there is nothing like traditional music and nothing like honoring craftsmanship at its finest, particularly when the two are combined. This past Friday, Saturday, and Sunday EKU hosted the annual Appalachian Studies Association conference, and, as part of the event, the EKU Libraries held a reception honoring the late Homer Ledford at noon on Friday. Among those in attendance were Colista Ledford, Homer's wife, and Bill Johnson, member of the Backroom Bluegrass Band and a good friend of Homer's. Loyal Jones of Berea, who has known Homer since the mid-1940s, remembered his dear friend in his remarks to the audience, and then three fine Kentucky musicians, Donna Lamb, Lewis Lamb, and J.R. Parrett, performed for those at the reception. For this event the EKU Archives created a display about Homer Ledford as a musician and as a luthier; in the display case were two of Homer's instruments -- a dulcibro and a dulcimer with a beautifully carved duck on the scroll of the instrument. Both of these instruments, plus at least a dozen more, have been loaned to the EKU Archives by Mrs. Ledford; she has also given the Archives her husband's papers, which are currently being processed.

What made this event especially meaningful were the instruments that were played. Lewis performed on the hog lot fiddle made by Homer as a teen-ager, but J.R. -- well, he had the opportunity to play three different banjos by Homer. A fretless banjo from 1963 and a bluegrass banjo are part of the collection housed by the University Archives. But Bill Johnson, to my delight, brought his own banjo -- number 13 and the last made by Homer -- and so J.R. got to play all three. Bill also brought one of Homer's earliest dulcimers, created when he was still living at his family home in Ivyton, Tennessee, before he attended Berea and EKU. I played "Simple Gifts" on the dulcimer before the event, and Bill later let a conference attendee who loves the dulcimer to play it as well. Bill's presence and his generosity in bringing the instruments, added immeasurably to the reception. Thanks, Bill.

As for the banjos -- well, J.R. enjoyed all three. Afterwards, he told several of us that he could not pick out one that he liked the best; he had enjoyed all three, and thought that all three felt good and sounded good. At least two people in attendance said the same about their Ledford dulcimers. These comments echo a passage in Dulcimer Maker: The Craft of Homer Ledford, a book about Homer by R. Gerald Alvey, first published in 1984 and then reprinted in 2003 by the University Press of Kentucky. Alvey writes, "It perhaps seems uncanny, but I have never met anyone who did not like Homer's dulcimers. Each of the numerous customers I questioned expressed more than satisfaction with his instrument; most were proud of their dulcimers, insisted that I see them, and wanted to know whether I owned one." (p. 37). I believe Bill Johnson knows why this is so. He feels the same about his Ledford-created instruments, and told me,thoughtfully, that Homer had put a little bit of himself in each instrument he made. That makes the privilege of having Homer's papers and taking care of some of his prized instruments all the more meaningful for the EKU Archives.

Milkin' the Winning Streak in the East

1966 had proven to be a tasty year for Eastern, especially against Western. Eastern had drained the competition and claimed their fifth consecutive KISC Crown in swimming, their ninth OVC Baseball Crown, second place in the OVC in track and EKU's cross country team had captured their second straight OVC title. But best of all, Eastern had creamed Western in football with a score of 24-12.

With this winning-overload, it's not hard to believe that EKU could add yet another beefy win to their plate; however, no one expected the win would be delivered as actual beef.

Earlier in the year, Western had proclaimed that their cow's performance of 104,049 pounds of milk in 2, 838 days could not be equaled. However, Eastern's team at the Stateland Agriculture Center milked a win once again with miss Burke Ruth (who you see gracing this page) with 112, 197 pounds of milk in 2,808 days!!

Oh how sweet victory tastes!!