War Whoopla

 NU Publications, Student life  No Responses »
Feb 282013
 

Norwich University’s yearbooks, known as ‘War Whoops’, have been put out yearly, with few exceptions, since 1895.  Originally drafted and published by the Junior class, the War Whoops have proven to be reliable snapshots into cadet life and University events as well as a great source of memories to the students.

Cavalry troop in Northfield, ca. 1920s

As the years have gone on and more classes have celebrated their 50th reunions and joined the Old Guard, many classmates got together to compile and record anecdotes, stories, class statistics, and contact information and published them in class ‘War Whooplas.’

War Whoopla cover, 1957

War Whooplas were published for by and for the classes of 1940,  ‘44, ‘57, ’59, ’60, ’62, and ’66 on or around their 50th Reunion and Homecoming  Weekend.

 

 

 

For more information and stories about the War Whoops and War Whooplas through the years, be sure to stop by the Norwich University Archives and Special Collections located on the 5th Floor of the Kreitzberg Library between the hours of 1PM and 6PM Monday through Friday.

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Winter Carnival

 Student life  No Responses »
Feb 072013
 

A Norwich Winter tradition since 1916, the Winter Carnival has proven to lift cadet and civilian student’s spirits alike during the long doldrums months.  Originally conceived in the mind of the great K.R.B. Flint, Norwich’s Winter Carnival was first proposed as a day out doors for Norwich cadets and local school students to come and enjoy a “steak roast” and participate in bonfires, skiing, ski jumps, snow shoe races, and ”ski-joring”.

Skijoring, ca. 1918-1922

This Carnival went through several iterations throughout the years and eventually included a Formal Ball, college level sports competitions, concerts, bonfire parties and snow sculpting.

Winter Carnival Snow sculpture, 1963

K.R.B. Flint’s creation continues to live on the Hill and every February a Winter Ball is thrown in the Wise Campus Center’s Abare Rook Dining Hall.

Winter Carnival program, 1948 Winter Carnival program, 1948

 

 

 

 

For more information and pictures regarding the Winter Carnival through the years, be sure to stop by the Norwich University Archives and Special Collections located on the 5th Floor of the Kreitzberg Library between the hours of 1PM and 6PM Monday through Friday.

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Season’s Greetings

 Uncategorized  No Responses »
Dec 212012
 

Route 12 view

 

This photo was taken last winter, from a southeast window at the Archives and Special Collections on the fifth floor of the Kreitzberg Library, Norwich University.

We will be closed from Friday, December 21 until Wednesday, January 2.

The Reading and Reference Room will re-open from 1-4 pm until we resume our regular Reference hours, 1-6 pm, January 14.

Outside those hours, you can always email your questions. When we are here, you can call or chat with us online at our website. For chat button, scroll down and look on left under “Contact Us.”

We wish you a happy and healthy holiday season. We look forward to serving you.

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“Traite des armes…” a “Rook Book” for the 17th century soldier

 Rare Books  No Responses »
Nov 302012
 

This small French volume looks like it was designed to just slip into the pocket of the soldier-on-the-go in the late 1600s.

soldier-en-gard (click images for larger view)

With 172 pages (including 19 pages of woodcut illustrations) stuffed into a leather-bound book under 6 inches tall, about 3 inches across and an inch thick, it’s a tiny trove of European soldiers’ cheat sheets. It’s also one of the earliest books to describe their armor.

armor

Written by Louis de Gaya and published in 1678 in Paris, this French book contains 3 volumes of information on arms and other tools of warfare. Gaya published previous works on strategy, and dedicated “Traite…” to practical instruments and how-to info.

The translation of the title is: “Treaty of weapons, the machinery of war, the fires of artifice, of signs and the old military instruments and modern:…” with a subtitle about use,  language and pictures.

The small volume contains three books: Book I covers swords, bayonets, muskets, pistols, pikes, crossbows, armor, and shields. Flares, fireworks and mines are the topic of Book II.

pike instruments bombs

Book III is about explosive devices and ballistics.

Traite des armes…  is in the Norwich University Archives & Special Collections. It was a gift of Frank E. Southard, Jr. in memory of the 955th Field Artillery Battalion.

Little is known about La Gaya other than he was a captain of a regiment in Champagne. An English translation of this book was published in London later that same year and another version was published as part of the anonymous “English Military Discipline” in 1680.

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Banquetting Old NU Style

 Events, Student life  No Responses »
Nov 192012
 

During time spent filing new acquisitions into our Event Ephemera Collection, I’m often struck by the number of menus collected from NU banquets, balls, and other events in the 19th and early 20th century.  With food on the mind recently, I thought I’d share a few of these, from the humorous to the serious:

Class of 1892 Banquet Menu Class of 1892 Banquet Menu

 

 

A little bit of tongue and cheek from the class of 1892:

 

 

 

 

 

A more typical menu from a banquet of non-fraternity men in 1902:

  First Annual Banquet of the Non-Fraternity Men of Norwich University, June 25 1902 First Annual Banquet of the Non-Fraternity Men of Norwich University, June 25 1902

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 Posted by at 11:39 am

Four Books that Changed the World

 Uncategorized  No Responses »
Nov 022012
 

The Venetian Andrea Palladio (1508-1580) may have only built a handful of buildings in Venice, but his four carefully illustrated books of calm, balanced structures influenced buildings during, and especially after, his life–for centuries.

palladio4

Palladio designed large structures yet made them look simple, elegant, and powerful at the same time through his use of proportion and detail.

palladio2

His churches, businesses, and villas were popular during his life and led to commissions of palaces. He used common building materials but decorated them elegantly to establish their status. His columns with acanthus leaved capitals are familiar on buildings, monuments and mausoleums.

palladio3

The Archives and Special Collections at Norwich University has many books on architecture, from ancient fortifications to current design. We are open every weekday from 1-6, during school, and from 1-4 during other times.

palladio10 palladio7

These books were a gift of Caleb Hornbostel.

Continue reading »

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Men, Skirts and the Class of 1913

 Drama, Memory Books  No Responses »
Oct 182012
 

Because Norwich was an all-male school, female roles in plays fell to  cadets to play in the early 1900s.

There was no stigma for men playing female roles, as it had been done since Roman times up through Shakespeare until the 17th century when a few women sang in opera. Typically, school plays were fundraisers for  student clubs. In 1913, “The Magistrate,” an English farce was put on for the benefit of the Athletic Association and, specifically, the baseball club.

the-magistrate-1913

As the production was humorous, it must have been a welcome change of pace for cadets to see their manly comrades, normally training for deadly combat, in dresses. Women didn’t take female roles regularly until later in the century, when local women would play female roles.

The men did well. The review of “The Magistrate” in the NU alumni publication, the Record, was glowing.

From the rising of the curtain to the encores of the last act it was one round of merriment.

These pictures were preserved through the scrapbook of Harry C. Fisher, and are part of the Archives’ scrapbook collection. He listed the actors in the photos and their class year. His scrapbook also includes images of modestly clad high-diving girls at the state fair that year.

The Archives have other images of theater productions, student groups, and cadet life, for the curious. Just ask or visit.

the-magistrate-with-names

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