UR history lives on new Web site

BY LINDA EVANS
Editor, RichmondNow

The first two people to own cars on the University of Richmond campus were President F.W. Boatwright and Dean May Keller, who tooled around campus in her Model T Ford. Keller, who served as dean of Westhampton College from 1914–46, also was known as “the Dancing Dean” because she allowed dancing at Westhampton College on the weekends.

These are just a few of many interesting historical factoids that appear on the University’s new history Web site, located at urhistory.richmond.edu.

The site has been operative for a few months, according to Kathy Monday, vice president for information services. “In anticipation of the University’s 175th anniversary, Information Services developed a Web site to provide information about the anniversary celebration and to chronicle the University’s fascinating history,” said Monday. “Once the anniversary celebration had passed, IS and Marketing Communications decided that much of the content in the Web site should migrate to a site that could be further developed to document the story of the University. While there is a great deal of information already there, we hope to continue to grow and expand the site to tell the story of the people and events that shaped this great institution. ”

The site is divided into six sections, including a timeline, milestones, architecture, traditions, people and The Collegian archives.

Entries under milestones in University history include the first chapel organ, purchased in 1936 and replaced by a Beckerath pipe organ in 1961 and the Daisy Chain, which began in 1915 as part of commencement, when sophomores would pick flowers from a nearby field and construct the chain for their senior “sisters” to carry into commencement.

Traditions include Proclamation Night, Investiture Ceremony, Ring Dance, graduation weekend, Richmond College formal and Teeter for Tots, among others.

People profiled include May Keller, James B. Thomas Jr., Robert Ryland, Tyberius G. Jones, Bruce Heilman, Fanny Crenshaw and many others.

The site also links to the searchable archives of the student newspaper, The Collegian, first printed in 1914.