Kitchens across the United States are bracing for the beginning of the baking season marathon that commences every year just before the fourth Thursday in November and continues through the dropping of the ball signaling the arrival of the New Year.  So for those of you who may be bored or uninspired by the offerings of today’s celebrity chefs, the variety of cookbooks in the holdings of Archives & Special Collections may be what you’re looking for.  The collection contains a wide variety of cuisine for all palates.  A sample of the titles are shown below.

The staff of Archives & Special Collections wishes everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving and best of luck in this baking season!

Betsy Pittman, University Archivist

COSTEP-CT, a group based in Connecticut that encourages disaster preparedness and recovery in the state by individuals as well as organizations, has developed some basic guidelines for recovery efforts for storm damaged family heirlooms and antiques.

The guidelines describe basic activities for  cleaning and drying water-damaged materials including paper based items, framed artwork, photographs, textiles, leather, bone/ivory, metal and sound and video recordings.  COSTEP-CT also provides contact information for materials requiring more than basic care.

Betsy Pittman, University Archivist

Student Union

The University of Connecticut Student Union opened its doors to the UConn community sixty years ago today.  Since 1952 the students and building have changed a bit, but the Student Union is still physically in the center of campus and serves as the “center of activity for students, faculty and staff…designed to enhance the quality of student life, support co-curricular activities and contribute to the University’s educational mission.”

–Betsy Pittman, University Archivist

Connecticut Archives Month, October 2012

The poster for Connecticut’s recognition of Archives Month highlights the fragility of our documentary and cultural heritage.  Repositories throughout the state, like Archives & Special Collections at UConn, actively acquire materials that document events, actions, individuals and organizations that are Connecticut and its residents to protect, preserve and make it accessible into the future.  During Archives Month, everyone is encouraged to visit a repository and learn more.  A list of activities being held in the Dodd Research Center, where Archives & Special Collections is located, can be found online.

–Betsy Pittman, University Archivist

in 1938, the first major hurricane to hit New England since 1869 made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane.  The full force of the hurricane reached Long Island in the afternoon, the eye making landfall in Suffolk County (LI) shortly after 3:00 pm. By 4:00, the eye had crossed the Sound and made a second landfall just east of New Haven, Connecticut.   Current analyses have labeled the hurricane at Category 3 intensity at both landfalls and place the maximum sustained winds in the 120–125 m.p.h. range. After crossing Long Island Sound, the hurricane sped inland. By 5:00 pm, the eye had crossed Connecticut and moved into western Massachusetts, reaching Vermont by 6:00 pm.

Betsy Pittman, University Archivist

Congress Week observance September 16 – 22, 2012

Archives & Special Collections at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center would like to remind its readers of the significant roles in our lives played by Congress and the Constitution.  Congress week is sponsored by the Association of Centers for the Study of Congress (ACSC), which was founded in 2003 as an independent alliance of organizations and institutions which promote the study of the U.S. Congress.  The theme of this year’s national celebration is “Congress: Chosen by the People.” Article 1, Section 2 and the 17^th Amendment of the Constitution give citizens the right to elect their members of Congress. With the presidential and congressional elections just around the corner in November, it is important to remember our civic responsibility to choose our representatives in government.  Documentation of Congress and how it works can be found in the papers of Connecticut’s Congressional delegation housed in the Dodd Center.  A complete list of the political collections open for consultation is available on the A&SC website.

Constitution Day recognizes the adoption of the United States Constitution and those who have become U.S. citizens.  This year also marks the 225^th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution on September 17, 1787. Connecticut had two representatives sign the Constitution, William Samuel Johnson and Robert Sherman. Sherman also signed the Articles of Confederation and the Declaration of Independence, making him one of only two people to sign all three documents. Both Sherman and Johnson were influential in creating a system of representation in Congress where the rights of smaller states like Connecticut would be protected. In the end, the Great Compromise created two branches of legislature: the House of Representatives where states are represented proportionally, and the Senate where every state is guaranteed two senators regardless of size.

Today, UConn is observing Constitution Day by hosting a “watch party” from 1:30-2:30 p.m., in Konover Auditorium (Dodd Center). The program is an hour-long presentation showcasing the national scene and dilemmas that faced Americans on September 22, 1862. The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has arranged for a special live stream performance and discussion focused on the ramifications of emancipation. Several renowned Civil War scholars from around the country (University of Richmond, Columbia University, and Duke University, among others) will participate in the presentation. Perspectives from Frederick Douglass, enslaved people from the South, Northern free blacks, the White House, and others will be highlighted.

For community members who wish to view the panel from their classrooms/offices, please use the following link to connect: emancipation.neh.gov/live/.

–Krista Miller,  Intern

On 12 December 1997, the UN General Assembly proclaimed 26 June the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, with a view to the total eradication of torture and the effective functioning of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.  Background, information and links are available from the UN website.

–Betsy Pittman, University Archivist

Campus songs have been a tradition at American colleges and universities for over a century, and at one time the University of Connecticut had enough to fill its own songbook.  Published in 1949, Songs of UConn featured about a dozen songs, and its highlight was the first publication of a new fight song written by Prof. Herbert France, head of the music department. The songbook introduction notes that “UConn has many songs, but there are three which you’ll find sung at all rallies and football games. These are the fight song, Connecticut Husky, better known by its first line ‘On the Rolling Hills Beneath the Blue”, the driving UConn Husky, and the nostalgic Alma Mater. By the end of the 1950s, only two songs would be known on campus. Today, while few will know the Alma Mater, the success of Connecticut basketball has made UConn Husky a nationally recognized tune.  Connecticut Husky, a favorite for a little over two decades, has faded from memory. It was written at the request of a student by musician Fred Waring, who composed and premiered college songs on his popular NBC radio program in the late 1930s. You can hear an excerpt of the Waring premiere of Connecticut Husky here [http://advance.uconn.edu/1999/990405/waring1.mp3] and a recording of the full song here. [http://advance.uconn.edu/1999/990405/waring2.mp3]

–Mark J. Roy, University Communications (retired)