It could very well be that one of the “worst laws in the history of this country” is not what some might imagine. The Fugitive...
"Hello Stranger" was a 1930 production of the University of Detroit's operatic endeavor for the 1930 season. It was a story of aspiring...
“Resolved, That the practice of non-resistance to physical aggression, is not only consistent with reason, but the surest method of obtaining a...
The University of Detroit Mercy is celebrating Homecoming this weekend, September 29-30. It includes a dinner dance, fun run, a tug-of-war...
What had been an annual tradition, starting in 1914, the Junior Prom (also called J-Hop) came to an end in 1961. It was a grand occasion where...
The 1965 Tower Yearbook begins with an aerial view of the campus. Spending a few minutes on the two images offered here, allows...
On the 50th Anniversary of the July 1967 Detroit Riots, there has been a lot of discussion in the media as to how it affected the people in the...
The following editorial was published in the Provincial Freeman newspaper on January 6, 1855. The digitized version of this editorial in the Black...
It was 50 years ago, July 20, 1969, that Neil Armstrong, became the first man to set foot on the moon. It took a few years later, but the University...
With the recent announcement of Ford Motor Company acquiring the historic Michigan Central Train station, in browsing the files in archives, I...
The University of Detroit sponsored Madrigal Dinners in full medieval costumes from 1964-1966. The students put on the production with songs by...
At a special meeting of the Board of Trustees held on March 19, 1921, the reverend Fathers unanimously agreed with Professor Dunn to start a program...
While the Archives floor is undergoing renovation, I will be running some past blogs. In an alphabetical browse through the theatre files of...
Aretha Franklin recieved an honorary degree from the University of Detroit in 1987. Her citation reads: Respect -- not only is it the title...
Things were never really what you might call cordial between the New World and Britain during the early 1800s. There was the whole mess between...
The Colored American was among 40 black newspapers published before the Civil War. Although it’s first issue was available in...
A documentary on Public Television (PBS) called The African Americans: Many Rivers To Cross offers an excellent overview of slavery in the...
I was sad to hear of Benny Napoleon's passing of the coronovirus. As I was reading all the news articles and hearing on the radio other...
OK- well not exactly ON campus, but you can't miss it. McDonald's set up shop at the corner of McNichols and Livernois in 1989....
Communication holds together the people within a defined social structure. Slavery as a social institution in the early years of this country,...
Recently, Bob Seger announced some of the dates for his final tour. In one of his early performances, he played here for the University's Spring...
The recent news that one of the Bob-Lo boats, the Ste. Claire, caught fire during its renovation, probably brought back a lot of memories from...
Back in the days when companies were allowed to advertise cigarette brands, Varsity News would put them in the student newspapers.Here are a few from...
It was fear mostly that kept free black men from being accepted for enlistment in the early days of the Civil War (1861-1865). Although they...
While the Archives floor is undergoing renovation, I am rerunning some past blog posts. The University of Detroit Flying Club was first formed...
I guess some things never change. Editorial cartoon from Varsity News Jan 13, 1976
In light of some current criticisms surrounding some apparent racist comments by Donald Trump, I thought I would find an item in the Black...
Around the Detroit area, a football game on Thanksgiving means a game with the Detroit Lions. But long before there was even a Detroit Lions team...
Back in 1969: the average cost of a car was $3,270, a gallon of gas was 35 cents. The United States would land the first man on the moon. The first...
From 50 years ago.... from artist Charles Thurston, some pointers on "How to Watch a Graduation"...
Each year the McNichols Library sponsors a night of games for Detroit Mercy students, staff and faculty. A variety of video and card games...
The University of Detroit Mercy is one of the partners of the Rocket Mortgage Classic, the first PGA Tour to be held in the City of Detroit at the...
Homecoming time! Back in 1956, the university celebrated with a parade with a Disneyland theme for the 35 floats, a Homecoming Queen, the U. of D....
Monarchy met Democracy in a full scale "Human Chess Game" at the University of Detroit in 1959. Moving on a 576 square-foot chess board...
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It has been ten years since I last posted this item! An oldie but goodie that I think is worth posting again. There are races like the...
While the Archives and Special Collection area is undergoing some renovations, I will rerun some previous postings. Many times when I am looking...
It seems an unlikely pairing, but one theory in the history of slavery assures us that Harriet Beecher Stowe was influenced to write her novel Uncle...
Most people in Michigan knew L. Brooks Patterson when he was serving as Prosecutor (4 terms) or Oakland County Executive (7 terms). Love him or hate...
Finals week coming up! If you are just now getting started on your report...
Just a few more finishing touches to do.... Computers going up! Bookmark cafe coming along.... New furniture added...
OH NO! The system is down! Well, guess we will just have to do stuff the old fashion way-with paper and pencil and a good memory as to where the...
Its getting there, but still has a ways to go.....
Just a couple more weeks and the library renovation should be just about done! See new more modern water fountain! Cafe's new home...
It took all summer, but the first floor of the library is finally open for business! ...
Students and visitors have probably passed by the Lillie B. Kassab Memorial thousands of times without too much notice. It was...
The University has a number of ways for students to express their creative writing skills. In 1945 a club called "Manuscribblers" was...
The University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team has in the past, taken part in the NCAA Basketball Tournaments. They have played in the...
Memorial Day Service May 29, 1951 Marble table at the base of the University of Detroit Mercy Tower
No cell phones back then! New buildings on campus being put up. The chaos and frustration of registering for class!...
From October, 1941 through April 1989, Mercy College of Detroit offered its academic population news and information through the publication of a...
As I was browsing through the 1946-1947 Varsity News for something to post on this blog, I came across a couple of items that are still very much...
This is a rerun, but it's "timeless" (sorry could not help myself) Take a look at the first picture of the tower and compare it...
A couple of Fr. Dowling's watercolors have come back home. If these pictures could talk it would be interesting as to what travels they took that...
Back in the 1940's there was a roller skating rink on the corner of Livernois and McNichols (not sure which corner).
Back in the late 1950's to '70's there was an auxillary group of women with the ROTC Air Force division called Angel Flight. The...
This year Safety Street at the University of Detroit Mercy, all the trick or treaters will pick up their treats as a drive through. Maybe not as much...
While the archives area is being renovated, I am rerunning some past postings. In 1990 the University of Detroit Mercy chapter of the American...
Safety Street is an annual event at the McNichols campus of the University of Detroit Mercy. It started from the School of Architecture in 1990 and...
In the archives are photos of gestures from the Folklore Archive collection. I am posting some of them here (there are 79 total pictures, in the...
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HOW IT ALL BEGAN (From the St. Francis Club Archives) Legend has it that the whole thing began with a tussle between one Adolph Schultz...
JUST A FEW MORE DAYS LEFT! Click this link or copy into your browser:...
The 1963 Tower Yearbook introduces the reader to 12 months of changes summed up in one span of time between March 15, 1962 to March 15, 1963. The...
In March, 1827, Freedom’s Journal, the first black-owned and operated newspaper was established with the goal of reaching the free...
How many times have you gone down to the Lower Level of the McNichols Library on your way to get something to drink or eat from the vending...
Just an interesting Ad from the 1928 Varsity News Commencement issue. Not much in the way about the commencement-mostly ads, jokes, cartoons (I guess...
A few of the very small items held in the university library archives.
During the years of African-American Newspaper publication in the 1800s, articles would often appear regarding travel across the new territory that...
The Archives are undergoing a major renovation for the next few weeks. The material will, for the most part, not be available. so I will be rerunning...
The Tuyere fraternity started in 1918, but under the name "Cosine Theta". At first it was just a club licensed to play cards and have a...
As Donald B. Taylor has been offically installed as the latest president of the University of Detroit Mercy, here is a bit of trivia on some past...
This is an update of a blog posted in 2014. I thought since this blog would come up around February 14, I would find some nice Valentine’s...
On June 7, 1849, an amazing tale of one man’s courageous flight from slavery was published in the Emancipator, one of many black abolitionist...
Varsity News, the student newspaper is published by the University of Detroit Mercy. It has been running almost continuously for 100 years. There...
There is growing talk of impeachment and comparison of the Watergate scandal to Mueller's report on the Russian interference of the 2016...
The first Jesuit to set foot on what is now Detroit was Father Jean Enjalran on June 7, 1687. Fast forward 190 years for the establishment of the...
“There is a flow to history and culture. This flow is rooted and has its wellspring in the thoughts of people. People are unique in the inner...
In response to student concerns, academic developments of the the late 20th century, and social movements around the globe, the idea of a...