2010 marks BGSU’s 100th Anniversary. Looking forward to that celebration, CAC staff and student workers chose the Centennnial as our theme for Halloween decorations. Seen in the grouping above, are two small Centennial-themed pumpkins flanking a portrait of BGSU’s first president, Homer Williams. The pumpkins seen at right are Freddie and Frieda Falcon.

Much more impressive with the lights out, President Williams and Freddie wish everyone a Happy Halloween and a great Centennial year!

In keeping with our Centennial theme, remember to check out the BGSU Trivia Quiz. One new quiz will be posted each month at:
Trivia Quiz. When using the interactive version, please be patient while the application loads.

The CAC reference area was the scene of a great deal of hustle and bustle.  For ten days in July, staff and researchers made room for construction workers and furniture movers.  The old carpeting was worn and frayed and the tables and chairs had a rummage sale variety.  Card catalogs no longer in use were taking up valuable floor space.

The photograph at left shows the newly-bare floors ready for the installation of carpet tiles.

At right, the new carpeting is in place and ready for furniture.  The CAC Conference Room was also updated during this remodeling, complete with carpeting, and new tables and chairs.

Below, the scene that will greet researchers when they arrive at the CAC. The new service desk allows staff to see the entire reference area and easily lend assistance. Patrons will have more usable area in the reading room. Just a few final touch-ups remain and our remodeling will be complete.

2009 marks the 40th Anniversary of the Center for Archival Collections and the Browne Popular Culture Library at Bowling Green State University.  To recognize our twin “birthdays,” a special luncheon was held on April 24, 2009 in the Pallister Conference Room.  Watch this space for further news as we mark this important milestone.

At left, President William T. Jerome makes a point during an interview in his office. Jerome was BGSU’s sixth president, serving from 1963-1970.

William Travers Jerome, III was a 1941 magna cum laude graduate of Colgate University. He earned his master’s and doctorate degree from Harvard University and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Middlebury College, Vermont.

Dr. Jerome served as teacher, administrator, research associate, lecturer, writer and consultant to both business and government.

His career as an educational administrator began at Middlebury, Vermont, where he was assistant to the President and instructor in economics (1946-1950). In 1953 he was appointed Associate Professor of Business Administration at Syracuse University where, in 1958, he became Dean of the College of Business Administration.

In 1963, Dr. Jerome became the sixth president of Bowling Green State University. During his seven years here, he guided the University through a period of rapid physical and academic growth, as evidenced by the addition of ten buildings, including the library, by a major jump in enrollment, and by the establishment of programs such as the Center for the Study of Social Behavior. Library growth during this time included the establishment of the University Archives, the Historical Collections of the Great Lakes, and the Browne Popular Culture Library.

It fell to Dr. Jerome to guide the campus during the turbulent years of the Vietnam era. Thanks to his leadership, BGSU remained open during the days following the May 1970 Kent State shootings, the only Ohio state university to do so.

Dr. Jerome left BGSU in 1970 to accept a position as special consultant to the President of Florida International University. He later became Distinguished University Professor of Management at FIU.

In 1982, the Bowling Green State University Board of Trustees passed a resolution naming the University Library in honor of President-Emeritus Dr. William Travers Jerome, III. A rededication and naming ceremony was held on September 23, 1983. Dr. Jerome passed away on March 10, 2008.