Gallery of intriguing objects

The article shown on the left is an important source of information for this project. Thus, I am including it in my gallery of intriguing sources. This article, written by George J. Schorr, describes and details the importance of those who helped create the establishment of The Ohio State University. In addition to this, this article explains as to why the university dedicated and named certain buildings in honor of those whose legacy and work impacted the university itself. George J. Schorr details the incredible work that some influential figures did and how their work impacted the university’s foundation. Therefore, to give credit as well as honor these people for their hard work and passion to create a strong university for generations of students to come, the university named buildings and certain dorms, especially today’s older dorms after these essential individuals. I believe that this article fits well into my project because it details the history of Ohio State’s establishment and those who contributed to the start of one of the most well-known universities in the nation. Thus, I believe that it should be part of my gallery of intriguing sources as it not only is an essential part of Ohio State’s history, but because it will be of interest to my intended audience too.

My second object in my gallery of intriguing objects is an article that I found in the Lantern. The image of this article is shown next to this text on the left. The article is about Canfield Hall and its history. Canfield Hall was built in 1940 and was part of a master plan drawn by the University to prepare for the expected increased post-war enrollment. The Mack addition, being Mack Hall, which joins the dorm with Canfield, was built around the same time. Residents of both Mack and Canfield can walk freely from one dorm to another, on all floors including the basement.

Next, the image on the left is of an article that describes and details Mack Hall. According to this article, Mack Hall was one of the largest dorms on the campus. The article mentions that Mack Hall closely resembles a castle from the Middle Ages. Additionally, it was one of the largest women's dormitories on campus. Mack Hall in the late 1950s had a capacity for 360 coeds, many of which were international women. It was named after John Talmon Mack, a former Trustee of the University. One connection I made is that John Mack is specifically mentioned in the article “The Ohio State University, 1870 – 1970, History of the Division of Business and Finance” by George J. Schorr. In that article, John Mack is mentioned as one of the trustees on the board of trustees that oversaw the funding of Ohio State and the overall management of the university, including Ohio State’s financials. Due to his important contribution to the establishment of the university, Ohio State named one of its dorms after him. Furthermore, the article found in the Lantern discusses how Old Mack was completed in 1924 and was originally built to house 110 women students. Mack Addition, which includes the main entrance, and the main lounge was added in 1934. Interesting enough, Mack was not always a women's dormitory as it housed men in the Army and Navy from June 1943 until August 1944.

Another important source I found is an article titled, “Women leaving Mack won't be coming back.” It was about the decision to move stadium dorm residents to Mack Hall, which meant that residents of the all-female dorm could not return the following year. The Board of Trustees approved a $150 million renovation to Ohio Stadium, which requires the dorms to be moved. As a result of this decision, many women who lived in Mack were angered by this as they did not want to leave their home on campus. Lastly, the article stated that Canfield would remain a single-sex dorm for women. I find this not only interesting, but that this deeply connects to the purpose of this project. I believe that this is a huge part of Ohio State’s past specifically about the past of women/female students who first attended Ohio State back when the university was just getting started. This article represents a moment in time where female students wanted to voice their opinion about the relocation of them from Mack Hall as they felt as though Mack Hall was already a home to them, as mentioned in this article. With this being said, it represents a part of the journey of female students at Ohio State and of those who attend Ohio State in this particular moment in time. Thus, my intended audience, primarily women historians and female students of Ohio State should care and be interested in this article as it can relate to them in some ways, but more importantly, they can recognize the struggles that women before them faced at Ohio State.

My last source in my gallery of intriguing objects is another article that I found in the Lantern. The article is about the Stadium Dorm and those who lived underneath The Shoe. In this article, the Ohio Stadium used to be home to about 350 students. They were part of the Stadium Scholarship Dormitory. The dorm was founded in 1933. Its purpose was to give students during the Great Depression low-cost housing so they could afford to attend college. After 65 years, Ohio State made the decision to shut down the dorm and move the program to Mack Hall. The dorm underneath the Horseshoe has quite a remarkable history. Eleanor Roosevelt visited the dorm back in the 1930's to see the new concept of cooperative scholarship housing in action. Lastly, residents of The Shoe were very close since there were only 350 students. As a small community, it created a special sense of family, brotherhood, and fraternity that existed within the stadium. Only those that once lived there truly know the significance of this. I believe that this connects to my project as well as the interest of my intended audience as this article details the history of those who lived and experienced dorm life in the Stadium Scholarship Dorm. Moreover, a huge part of Ohio State and the Buckeye life is going to or watching Ohio State football games and it is safe to say that most visitors, family, friends, alumni, faculty and of course Ohio State students themselves enjoy the football games at the Ohio Stadium. Therefore, all these people would want to not only preserve the stadium itself but also appreciate the history of the stadium, including the dorm and of the students that the Shoe housed in the past.