Tuesday, August 21, 2012

JFK Inspires Stout Students, 1960

JFK and the future first lady take the stage of the Stout Auditorium, February 26, 1960
In 1960, the UW-Stout hosted an extraordinary speaker.

On Friday, February 26th, 1960 presidential candidate John F. Kennedy spoke to an overflow crowd in the Stout Auditorium on campus. His lecture presented Stout students with a call to duty similar to the "Ask not what you can do..." challenge that he would make in his inaugural address the following year:

"Consider what contributions you can make. You are, in a sense, a politician yourself."

Jacqueline Kennedy was also at the event, and The Stoutonia student newspaper reported that her presence was an unusual phenomenon: "Mrs. Kennedy sat at her husband's side during the speech. Her friendliness toward students earned many new friends among them...It was a pleasant surprise for everyone to see Mrs. Kennedy with her husband. She doesn't always travel wither her husband, but when she does, she finds it, 'exhilarating.'"

The visit impressed a large number of students on campus, and the following issue of The Stoutonia described an active new group of JFK supporters on campus. "Kennedy Movement" student leader Don Stewart affirmed, "It is an election year and as citizens it is our duty to exercise our responsibility. We are directly responsible as to whom we choose to govern us...Don't be a mug-wamp, find out about the candidates and choose one to back. Your security, freedom, and peace may depend on the policy of the man we select for our next president."

The Stout Archives webpage includes highlights from a variety of political visitors to campus.


Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Fine Dining on Campus: We've Come a Long Way!

We were so excited to see that our newly renovated Memorial Student Center is featured in the new issue of Campus Dining Today. Check out the article below to learn more about the delicious choices we enjoy every day:

Campus dining has definitely come a long way. Here were some dining options for students in 1948:
UW-Stout Dining Hall, 1948. Stout Archives Photo Collection, 1948531001

Friday, August 10, 2012

Stout's Olympic Champion

 As Olympic Freestyle Wrestlers battle for medals at the 2012 London Olympics, we remember the storied career of a Stout Olympic Wrestler.

The UW-Stout Archives is the home of a variety of materials documenting the career of Olympic gold medalist John Peterson.

Peterson graduated from Stout in 1971 and became an Olympic silver medalist in Freestyle Wrestling at the Munich Olympic games the following year. He won Gold at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal. He wrestled in the 180.5 pound weight class both times.

Wrestling Captures Conference Title, Tower Yearbook, 1970   



 Throughout his academic career, Peterson excelled at the sport. As this clipping from the 1970 Tower Yearbook attests, he helped the Blue Devils win the Conference Championship.


Following his Olympic Championship, Peterson returned to campus to celebrate with members of the UW-Stout Community. This article from the September 16, 1976 issue Stoutonia described how he visited his alma mater with his gold medal in tow.


There are many more photographs and articles about Peterson and his time at Stout. For more information, contact the UW-Stout Archives at archives@stout.edu.

Friday, August 3, 2012

Stout Archives Welcomes New Archivist

The UW Stout Archives/Area Research Center welcomed its new Archivist on July 16, 2012.

Heather Stecklein will serve as the Archivist of the UW-Stout Archives and the Director of its Area Research Center.

Heather Stecklein
Archivist
Email: steckleinh@uwstout.edu
Office: RSSLC 321
Phone: 715/232-5
Heather Stecklein

Education/Background

Heather holds Master's degrees in Historical Administration (Eastern Illinois University), Library and Information Science (University of Iowa), and American History (Loyola University Chicago).
She has worked in Archives since 1998, joining the UW-Stout library staff in 2012. She has assisted with preserving and promoting the historical collections at a variety of institutions including Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, the Juneau-Douglas City Museum in Alaska, the Iowa Women’s Archives, and the Illinois Regional Archives Depository.

Responsibilities

As University Archivist, Heather is responsible for collecting, preserving, and promoting the history of the individuals, departments, and organizations associated with the UW-Stout and its predecessors. As Director of the Wisconsin Historical Society’s Area Research Center at Stout, she maintains county office, local government, and regional history records for Barron, Dunn, and Pepin counties.

Hobbies/Recreation

Heather enjoys exploring new cities, photography, and live music. She shares her favorite adventures with her husband and young daughter.