Have you seen the two new display cases with UM memorabilia in the Ashe lobby? They were placed in early September to welcome guests to the University. It was a colleague in the Office of the President, who kindly gave us the opportunity. All she asked was to fill them with memorabilia that depict the history and tradition of the “U.”
See the two new display cases and the information kiosk in the Ashe Building Lobby.
Below please see the description I wrote for the exhibit on the left.
“Mrs. Wilna Koch, the author of the essay, and her husband, A. W. Koch, the Director of Housing and Bureau, were in charge of student housing at the university in the early years. In 1927, they took over an eight-unit apartment on Santander Avenue and turned it into the first women’s dormitory. In 1939, Mom Koch moved on to manage San Sebastian Women’s Dormitory.
The students adored them and affectionately called them “Mom and Pop Koch” because they treated the students as their own children. The 24-page essay is a fascinating testimony on the development of student housing at the University of Miami from the 1920s to 1950s under the leadership of the first two presidents, Bowman Foster Ashe and Jay F.W. Pearson.”
FYI, this essay is available in Richter’s general collection as well as in the University Archives’ permanent collection. Please contact me for a PDF copy of the publication.
The first case contains the essay “Early Dorm Daze,” written by Wilna Koch circa 1954. She and her husband A. W. Koch was in charge of student housing in the early years.
Also, here is the description I wrote for the second exhibit on the right.
“Wearing a dink was a popular campus tradition around the United States until the mid-20th century. A dink usually refers to a beanie cap, often in green, worn by freshmen to distinguish them from upperclassmen. The tradition was also embraced at the University of Miami from the beginning. The HandBook 1928-1929, published in the third academic year, clearly states that “Freshmen shall wear the green caps designated by the Sophomore Vigilance Committee at all times except in attendance at formal affairs.”
According to the images found in several historical publications, the design of the dink changed from the green cap to the white brim hat displayed in the case during five decades of growth and transformation of the University. Dr. William Butler, former Vice President for Student Affairs from the 1960s to 1990s, wrote in his epoch 2008 publication “Embracing the World: The University of Miami from Cardboard College to International Acclaim” that “freshman dinks were discontinued in 1970,” because it lost the original appeal to the students of the 1960s.”
The right case contains a “Dink” from the 1960s. See the picture in green and orange to see how the “frosh” wore them.
How long and how many library staff does it take to fill two small cases? I think there are 10 colleagues in three library departments involved and it took us three months to install the exhibits! Given the dimension of the cases, selection of the two items and writing the labels were not so difficult. But, it was my colleagues in Preservation and Conservation who took the time to ensure a safe environment for the exhibits and to provide the museum-quality display. The Creative Services colleagues worked even harder to have locks put on the cases, as well as designed and installed the attractive signage for the exhibits.
I am grateful for the exposure and the talented colleagues who make us possible to offer exhibitions in the library. Go ‘Canes!
Searching The Miami Hurricane by keywords is a time-taking process, but it was worth the effort to discover the newsletter “Pride Report.” [source: The Miami Hurricane, October 7, 1994]
If you contact us today for materials about the University of Miami’s LGBT history, there is nothing we can offer you. Even the critical 1976 publication “University of Miami: A Golden Anniversary History, 1926-1976,” which the archives staff read almost daily to answer reference questions, does not mention the words like “gay” or “LGBT” in the chapter “Desegregation, Integration, and Minority Issues.”
Why? That is because the first LGBT student group of the University, Gay Alliance, was not formed until April 1975, and I assume their existence must have been too small to be mentioned in the golden anniversary publication. How did I find the name “Gay Alliance” and how was I able to verify the date of the formation of the group? I searched the digitized UM publications with keywords, such as “gay,” “lesbian,” “homosexual,” and “gay and lesbian,” and checked all the articles that contain those words one by one.
Below is a timetable of the UM’s LGBT milestones I compiled and updated by the assistance of the colleague Meredith Camel, who is Executive Director of Communications, UM, and a member of the LGBTQ’ Canes. My goal is to collect images, memorabilia, and testimonies by collaborating with the UM’s LGBTQ Center, SpectrUM and other student groups, LGBTQ’ Canes, and the allies in the University community, so that we can create an archival collection for students and researchers.
Does someone still have the issues of the “Pride Report,” published by the Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Community in the 1990s? We would love to archive and digitize the publication. Also, we would like to work with the current and former LGBTQ ‘Canes to collect undocumented stories.
Timeline – University of Miami’s LGBTQ History Milestones
1975
· April: Gay Alliance was formed in early April 1975. Ana Roca and Buzz Stearns were the prime movers of the organization.
[The Miami Hurricane [TMH], April 22, 1975, p. 4 ]
· October: Gay Alliance organized the first social event attended by 125 guests. They were recognized as an official UM organization. Edward Graziani was listed as president. Professor Marian Grabowski, Rev. Tom Crowder (UM chaplain), and Open Door were listed as supporters. UM program “Open Door” was a gathering place for students staffed by student volunteers selected and trained by the Counselling Center psychologists.
1977
· February: Professor Marian Grabowski, who had a column titled “Across Mrs. G’s Desk” in TMH, wrote an essay titled “Gays Deserve Same Rights, Justice, and Liberty.”
· June: Anita Bryant’s anti-gay rights movement emerged and remained a hot topic among students for the next few years. Her name appeared in Ibis from 1978 to 1980.
1978
· April: On-campus celebration of the National Gay Blue Jeans Day raised an exchange of opinions by gay and heterosexual students.
· The last time The Miami Hurricane (TMH) listed a program by Gay Alliance was October 10, 1978.
1980
· February: Ad in THM shows that UM provided counseling on homosexuality for students.
1982
· April: One student criticized TMH’s supportive coverage of the gay lifestyle, and two students responded supporting the newspaper.
1985
· October: Sal O’Neil, UM Senior, wrote the article “Gay Student Seeks to Inform” about the gay community at UM and in Miami. He also wrote that Gay Alliance flamed out in 1977 after the graduation of the leader Dan Abraham.
· October: Report on homosexual activity in the Learning Center’s men’s room started a discussion about moral on campus, including sexual behavior and AIDS.
1987
· February: UM Institute for Family Living provided counseling for homosexual and bisexual men and women.
1990
· March: TMH’s Insight Magazine published a feature article “Sex, Lies, and Homophobia” reporting that there is no gay-support organization at UM.
· December: A group of students began to organize AIDS Awareness Task Force.
1992
· October: The first celebration of the “Coming Out Day” was held on October 8.
· October: Student columnist Jeff Lurie wrote his experience of coming out.
1993
· April: Over 20 UM faculty and students participated in the 1993 March on Washington for Lesbian Gay and Bisexual Equal Rights and Liberation.
· October: Supporters of the “Coming Out Day” wore blue jeans and white shirts.
1994
· October: The Faculty Senate approved an amended policy on non-discrimination, including sexual orientation.
· October: GLBC started publishing a monthly newsletter “Pride Report” earlier this year.
1995
· October: Rainbow ribbon tying was a tradition at the Coming Out Day.
1996
· October: The name “Coming Out Week” appeared for the first time this year.
· October: Student columnist wrote that “our school is very conservative.”
1998
· March: GLBC implemented a Gatekeeper Certificate Program.
· April: A member of GLBC was assaulted Off-Campus.
1999
· February: Students exhibited an AIDS quilt for the Student Government’s program “A Week of Life.” Greg Louganis, a former member of the UM’s diving team and two-time gold medalist in 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympics, was a guest speaker.
· April: GLBC hosted a discussion by five faculty members titled “Homophobia vs. Acceptance: Life at UM” as a Spring Awareness event.
· October: GLBC organized a memorial for the gay Wyoming student during the Coming Out Week.
· October: GLBC wins a Senate seat.
2002
· October: Student wrote in recommending that GLBC should include Transgender in its name.
2003
· January: the name “SpectrUM” appeared in TMH for the first time. Chris Vasquez, the president, stated that the name change is in response to the student opinion in 2002.
· October: Jarrod Stokes, SpectrUM president, told THM that UM is open and accepting.
2005
· April: During the Spring Awareness Week, more than 130 students and a couple of administrators participated in OUTspoken’s mock marriages to protest the proposed Federal Marriage Amendment.
2008
· April: The Tunnel of Oppression, a multimedia exhibit designed to challenge people’s ideas and perceptions of issues dealing with oppression, comes to the UM for the first time.
· November: a UM professor and students protested at the Miami Beach City Hall for gay marriage rights.
2009
· “Hurriqueen” wrote a column in TMH and answered gay-related questions from students in 2008 and 2009.
2010
· July: Gay-friendly fraternity, Delta Lambda Phi, was adopted.
· October: SpectrUM organized a candlelight vigil for anti-gay discrimination during the Coming Out Week.
2011
· November: Florida Republican Congresswoman Iliana Ros-Lehtinen, UM alumnae (Ph.D. in Education, 2004), was the first GOP member to back marriage equality. UM selected her as Distinguished Presidential Fellow in October 2018.
2012
· April: TMH celebrated the 20th anniversary of SpectrUM by reporting that “the secretly started group Gay Lesbian Bisexual Community was recognized by the Student Organization Committee in 1992, got an office in the University Center in 1998, and they changed their name to SpectrUM in 2003 to make them more inclusive.”
· September: Student Government Senate rejects Chick-fil-A bill that would have prohibited the chain from opening a restraint at the U.
2013
· June: LGBTQ Task Force was organized by Dr. Patricia A. Whitely, VP, Student Affairs, to assess the level of services and support for LGBTQ students.
· July: Women, Gender Studies program offers minor in LGBTQ studies.
·
· November: LGBTQ Faculty and Staff Network was formed.
· December: “Star Trek” icon George Takei visited UM and spoke to students about his life struggles and vision for a future with equality.
2014
· June: Jacob Rudolph was chosen to be the first UM recipient of the 2014 Rim-Freeman Point Scholar, which is the nation’s largest scholarship-granting organization for LGBT students of merit.
· February: SpectrUM hosted the first show, DragOut to raise awareness of and support for the LGBTQ community and diversity.
· August: SpectrUM changed its name to UPride with controversy. They returned to SpectrUM in the following year.
· October: Miami Herald reported that OUTLaw, the UM Law School’s LGBT Awareness Group, held a mentoring and networking event in Brickell.
2015
· March: Miami Herald reported that LGBT organizations of the UM, FIU, St. Thomas and Nova hosted a happy hour in Wynnewood.
· April: The first IBIS (I Believe In Solidarity) Ally Network training was offered to establish and sustain a support group at the University. Miller School of Medicine has a similar program called Safe Space.
· April: The first Lavender Celebration was held for LGBT graduating seniors.
· August: Alumnus Ryan Aquilina sent an open letter to President Frenk advocating gay rights on campus.
· September: UM launches a website that lists LGBT resources.
· September: TMH reported that gender-neutral housing to open in fall 2016 in Eaton Residential College and the University Village.
· October: UM Miller School of Medicine’s student group MedicOUT published the first monthly newsletter “LGBTQ+ Newsletter.”
· December: President Frenk announced the establishment of the University of Miami Standing Committee on Diversity and Inclusion and creation of LGBTQ resource center.
· Alumni Association’s LGBTQ ‘Canes was established (Month?).
2016
· January: 12 Gender-neutral bathrooms became available in multiple locations at CG campus.
· February: UM Division of Student Affairs brought Ronni Sanlo, a national authority on LGBTQ matters, to help the University to lead strategic sessions for the creation of the forthcoming LGBTQ Center.
· August: LGBTQ Student Center opened on August 31. Dr. Van Bailey was the inaugural director.
· October: LGBTQ+ Mentorship Program offered for the first time.
· November: Abby Stein, a transgender activist, visits campus to share her story with students.
2018
· March: LGBTQ Student Center kicks off its inaugural Pride Awareness Speaker Series with the interactive workshop “Beyond Binaries: Identity, Sexuality and Movement Building,” developed by educator, speaker, and grassroots activist Robyn Ochs.
· April: UM’s float wins the best entry in the 10th Annual Miami Beach Gay Pride Parade on Sunday, April 8. Approximately ninety students, faculty, staff, and alumni participated in the event.
· August: TMH reported that Tanner Wilfong is the first openly gay athlete at the University. (swimming and diving, represented Team USA in 2014 in Malaysia.)
· November: Law School hosted the first LGBTQ Alumni event honoring Law School Professor Marc Fajer.
The abdication of Emperor Akihito at the end of this month has been momentous news over there because it is nearly unprecedented – the last time it happened was two centuries ago. The following day, there is the ascension of Naruhito to succeed him. The country will have a historic 10-day Golden Week holiday (from April 27th to May 6th) for the celebrations.
As a native of Japan and University Archivist of the UM, this is a great time for me to inform the University community that Emperor Akihito visited the University of Miami twice in the past because of the long-lasting friendship of then Crown Prince Akihito and Dr. C. Richard Robins, who was a professor at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science.
At first, I found out that Crown Prince Akihito and Crown Princess Michiko visited the University in May 1967 while processing the UM Historical Photograph Collection during 2007-2008 academic year. Several years later, I was able to search the digitized Office of the President Records and Veritas to find out about the friendship between the two ichthyologists.
Below, I would like to share with the readers a few samples of the historical images and documents available on the subject.
[Crown Prince of Japan at Marine Lab, May 1967. Source: UM Historical Photograph Collection]
[Source: Annual Report 1966-67, Institute of Marine Science, University of Miami]
[Source: Veritas, October 9, 1978]
[Source: UM Office of the President Records]
Dr. Robins was hired in 1956 as a Research Assistant Professor and later promoted to Associate Professor (1960) and then to Professor (1964). Administratively, Dr. Robins chaired the Department of Marine Science in 1961–1963 and the Division of Biology and Living Resources in 1978–1983. He served as Acting Dean of the school in 1981 (Courtenay and Robins, 1997). The University of Miami Marine Laboratory became the Institute of Marine Science in 1961 and later the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science in 1969.
[Dr. Richard Robins, Professor of Biology and Living Resources and ichthyology, seated at his desk. Source: RSMAS Alumni Association Scrapbook]
Have you seen President Ashe (UM’s first president) and President Pearson (second president) on film before? I have not because the two history videos the University of Miami created at the golden anniversary in 1975 and the 60th anniversary in 1985 only showed pictures of the first two presidents.
However, when the university will create a new documentary for the centennial anniversary in 2025, it will feature President Ashe and President Pearson in action! I and my colleague Marcia Heath could not believe our eyes to see them. Where did I find such amazing historical materials? It is the Wolfson Moving Image Archives!
Please go to the links below to see the two clips made accessible by the Wolfson.
Gift presentation of Pan American Globe by Humphrey Toomay followed by President Ashe’s speech on April 22, 1952. [no audio]
I am grateful for the Wolfson Archives, which provided us a clip of Dr. King speaking at the UM in 1966 and also made accessible these clips of our two presidents which I have never thought available. Please visit their website if you haven’t and explore their amazing moving image collection.
My neighbor Carmen, who is a retired dentist, found out that I work for Richter and showed me a UM periodical I did not know existed. See the picture of the newsletter CONTINUUM, which I borrowed from the neighbor, published by the Osher Life Long Learning Institute of the University of Miami.
See the first two issues of the CONTINUUM published by the Osher Life Long Learning Institute. We are happy to know the Otto G. Richter Library was featured in the first issue.
I am going to contact the Institute so that I can obtain copies of the newsletters, which provides information about the UM’s programs and people, to archive them. Also, I would like to invite the members to Richter for a tour of the library.
See the page from the first issue on Richter Library. I assume the Kislak Center was not open at the time of the publication so I would like to offer them a tour in the near future.
University of Miami Archives -- Let's Archive It 