Monday, September 13, 2004

Today@Sam: Panoramic Photo Scheduled for Oct. 12

Sam Houston State University students, faculty and staff are invited to have their picture taken with thousands of their closest friends while celebrating the university's 125th birthday on Tuesday, Oct. 12 at noon on Intramural Field No. 2.

Events include the opportunity to be in a historic photo, and to have a piece of an eight foot wide birthday cake.

The last panoramic photo was taken on Oct. 10, 1978 where the Health and Kinesiology Center now stands to kick off events associated with Sam Houston State's 100th birthday. Paul Culp, special collections librarian, was one of those whose picture was taken. "I remember that it was hot," he said. "And I remember that some of the fraternity boys were trying to run from one side of the group to the other side so that they would be in the picture twice."

Group pictures have been a tradition at the university, almost from the beginning. Early pictures show students and faculty in a variety of locations on campus, mostly in front of Old Main or Austin Hall. The president's residence, now the site of the Lowman Student Center, is in the background of the group photo taken in 1920.

Some of the pictures include groups of children from the university's demonstration school. "They wanted to have everyone associated with the campus community in the pictures," said Barbara Kevit-Mason, the university archivist, who cares for the historic photos.

Copies of the university's early group photos, as well as the most recent one, may be viewed in the University Archives, located in Room 400 of the Newton Gresham Library. A copy of the centennial panoramic photo is also on display in the SHSU Public Relations Office in Room 115 of the Administration Building.

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