May 17, 1870 |
Cornerstone Laying of the First Building |
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Cornerstone Laying of the First Building |
October 28, 1873 |
First Board of Trustees Meeting |
First Board of Trustees Meeting addressed by Governor John L. Beveridge |
July 1, 1874 |
Dedication of First Building |
Dedication of first building and the inauguration of Dr. Robert Allyn as first President on July 1st, 1874. The first day of school followed on July 2nd, 1874. |
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1878 |
Start of Military Training Program |
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Establishment of Douglas Corps Cadets and beginning of a program of military training under the authority of the United States War Department. |
November 26, 1883 |
Fire destroys First Building |
The First Building was destroyed by fire on November 26th, 1883. A temporary frame building became occupied by January 24th, 1884. |
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1895 |
U.S. Vice President Speaks (1895) |
Adlai E. Stevenson, Vice President of the United States, served as thecommencement speaker. |
1896 |
Altgeld Hall opened |
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Altgeld Hall was opened for classes and remains to be the oldest surviving structure on campus. |
June 6, 1904 |
Wheeler Library Completed |
Wheeler Library dedicated on June 6th 1904. |
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June 10, 1909 |
U.S. Presidential Nominee Speaks |
An American lawyer, statesman, politician, and three time Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States William Jennings Bryanspoke at the commencement ceremony.Bryan was known as one of the mostpopular speakers in American history, he was noted for his deep, commandingvoice. |
January 1, 1912 |
University Farm Acquired |
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University Farm Acquired |
October 13, 1913 |
Anthony Hall Dedicated |
The dedication of the newly constructedwomen's residence facility, Anthony Halltook place on October 13, 1913. Namedfor women's rights activist Susan B.Anthony. |
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January 1, 1914 |
Southern's annual, published. |
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The first volume of Obelisk, Southern's annual, published. |
October 1, 1916 |
Weekly Campus Paper Created |
Publication of Egyptian as a weekly campus paper is launched. |
January 1, 1918 |
Shryock Auditorium Dedicated |
Shryock Auditorium dedicated and addressed by ex-president William Howard Taft. |
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January 1, 1926 |
Creation of Dean of Women Office |
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Lucy K. Woody was appointed as the first Dean of Women at Southern and served from 1926-1945. |
January 1, 1928 |
Class-A College |
Southern Illinois Normal University recognized by American Association of Teachers Colleges as a Class-A College. |
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January 1, 1931 |
Fully accredited teachers college |
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Southern becomes a fully accredited institution as a degree-conferringteachers college by the North Central Association. |
January 1, 1935 |
Creation of Dean of Men Office |
Eli G. Lentz was appointed as the first Dean of Men and served from1935-1945. |
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January 1, 1938 |
McAndrew Stadium Completed |
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McAndrew Stadium Completed |
October 1, 1944 |
Homecoming Dance Desegregated |
For the first time in 1950 Southern Illinois University's Homecoming dance became desegregated. |
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January 1, 1947 |
New Campus in Edwardsville |
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Southern Illinois Edwardsville officially chartered in 1947. |
January 31, 1947 |
University Renamed |
Name of Southern Illinois Normal University changed to Southern Illinois University by legislative act. |
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January 1, 1950 |
75th Anniversary Celebration |
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1949-50 school year celebrates 75th anniversary of Southern Illinois University. |
January 1, 1951 |
Change in Mascots |
1951-52 school year sees change inmascots. University goes from being the Maroons to the Salukis. King Tut is adopted as the first official salukimascot for the campus. |
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January 1, 1953 |
Woody Hall becomes women's dorm |
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1952-1953 Woody Hall opens as a women's dormitory. Women move from Anthony Hall to Woody, as men move in. |
May 5, 1954 |
Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt speaks |
Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt speaks on theUnited Nations at Shryock Auditorium. |
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August 1, 1955 |
New Life Science Building Opens |
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New Life Science building opens forclasses in fall of 1954 with the firstelevator on campus. |
April 25, 1958 |
New Library Dedicated |
Library formally dedicated April 25-26, 1958. The library was officially named Morris Library on June 24th, 1958. |
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January 1, 1959 |
President John F. Kennedy Visits |
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President John F. Kennedy stops at SIUC during the presidential races. |
January 1, 1961 |
Buckminster Fuller |
Department finds homes in 6 geodesicdomes designed by Buckminster Fuller,the renowned designer and former member of the SIU design departmentfaculty. |
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January 1, 1961 |
New Student Union Opens |
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University Center (currently known as the Student Center) opens for businessreplacing the old student union on Harwood Avenue. |
November 1, 1961 |
WSIU TV Launched |
1961 marked the first year for WSIU television joining WSIU radio. |
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January 1, 1965 |
Cronkite interviews Buckminster Fuller |
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Walter Cronkite and CBS interview Buckminster Fuller about his design for Expo '67 held in Montreal, which is a 20-story pavilion bubble. |
October 27, 1967 |
First African American Homecoming Queen |
Hazel Scott becomes the first African American to be crowned Homecoming Queen in the fall of 1967. |
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June 8, 1969 |
Old Main Burns |
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Custodian finds smoking building at 7:30a.m. alerts fire department and efforts tosave records being. The fire was set with accelerants in the ROTC classrooms, and there was graffiti found on the walls, no one was ever charged for the fire. Students, President, and Vice Presidents band together creating a human chain in an attempt to save documents and research materials. Eventually, they have to retreat as the building begins to collapse. |
January 1, 1970 |
New Year Brings End to Green Beanies |
1969-1970 school year sees the end of green beanies for freshman class. |
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October 12, 1971 |
Steagall Hall becomes first co-ed dorm. |
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Steagall Hall becomes first co-ed dorm.Two more are slated for the 1972-73 school year due to the success of the experiment. |
July 1, 1977 |
Student Rec Center Opens |
Student Recreation Center opens during the summer of 1977. |
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January 1, 1980 |
Amtrak to Service Southern Illinois |
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Amtrak station will becomes a pipeline for students to travel from SIU to northern points of the state. |
January 1, 1980 |
Campus Ranked for Handicapped Facilities |
Campus ranked as one of the best in thenation for its available handicap facilities. |
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January 1, 1992 |
President Clinton visits campus |
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President Clinton becomes the first U.S. president to visit SIUC while still serving office. |
December 1, 1997 |
Senator Paul Simon joins SIUC |
Former U.S. Senator Paul Simon was a professor at Southern Illinois University, where he taught classes in political science, history and journalism. He joined SIU's faculty in 1997. Simon was founder and director of the Public Policy Institute at the Carbondale campus. |
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January 1, 2004 |
SIU Unveils New Illinois License Plate |
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SIU unveils new Illinois license plate. Intended to raise funds and promote school spirit. |
August 1, 2007 |
2007 SIU honors legacy |
The point of this annual celebration is to remember the contributions of all those who came before us, to take pride in our history and to inspire each of us to continue making our own contributions to the next "chapter." |
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