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First Centennial Exhibit
Did you know this isn’t Duke’s first centennial exhibit? In 1939, an earlier library exhibit celebrated one hundred years since the founding of Brown’s Schoolhouse, the small educational institution that would eventually become Duke University. The exhibit showcased various items from the Duke Libraries, such as southern journals, rare manuscripts, and historical photographs and illustrations. -
Blue Devil Doll
The Blue Devil we know and love today is not the same one that cheered on Duke athletes 100 years ago. The "Blue Devil" comes from Les Diables Bleus–an elite French infantry unit that served in World War I. Inspired by their courage, The Chronicle began calling Trinity College’s football team the Blue Devils in 1921, and the name stuck. The Duke mascot has undergone several costume changes and students of all backgrounds have donned the mask to serve as the Blue Devil. -
1938 Season Towel
Under Coach Wallace Wade (1931-1950), the Duke football team was renowned nationwide. During his time as coach, Duke won seven Southern Conferences and made two Rose Bowl appearances, including a four-year period where the “Iron Dukes” ran undefeated. Following Wade's retirement, Duke would win six Atlantic Coast Conference championships between 1953 and 1962. The Athletics department produced various vivid, colorful programs to advertise the games. -
Nursing Cap
Founded in 1931, the Duke School of Nursing was a three-year program for high school graduates and required this nursing cap as part of the student uniform. The school added their first Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree in 1953 and, in 1958, became one of the first schools in the United States to offer a graduate nursing program. In 2002, they relaunched the BSN degree as an accelerated program for college graduates due to the increased nursing shortage. Today, the school’s accelerated, graduate, Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), and Ph.D. programs prepare nurses for leadership positions and to provide quality care. -
Report of the Director of the Duke Forest, 1937-1938
In 1931, the Duke Forest was founded under the stewardship of Dr. Clarence Korstian, providing almost 5,000 acres of land to the School of Forestry—now the Nicholas School of the Environment. The first report from Korstian to President Few described the imminent need for professional training in technical forestry. In 1937, the Duke Forest had hosted over a hundred professional foresters from fifteen states, the District of Columbia, and five foreign countries. Today, the Forest contains over 7,000 acres, used for teaching and research by the Nicholas School and the rest of the university. This glass lantern slide from 1935 depicts a scene from the Forest, which maintains its same natural beauty almost a century later. -
Duke Forest glass lantern slide
In 1931, the Duke Forest was founded under the stewardship of Dr. Clarence Korstian, providing almost 5,000 acres of land to the School of Forestry—now the Nicholas School of the Environment. The first report from Korstian to President Few described the imminent need for professional training in technical forestry. In 1937, the Duke Forest had hosted over a hundred professional foresters from fifteen states, the District of Columbia, and five foreign countries. Today, the Forest contains over 7,000 acres, used for teaching and research by the Nicholas School and the rest of the university. This glass lantern slide from 1935 depicts a scene from the Forest, which maintains its same natural beauty almost a century later. -
Trowels
These trowels belonged to stonemason Pete Ferettini and were used for the construction of West Campus in the late 1920s. At that time, all stone was delivered to campus by train from a quarry in Hillsborough and cut by hand. Chisel marks can still be seen on some buildings. James B. Duke's death in October 1925 meant that he never saw the “new” campus realized. His only daughter, Doris Duke, symbolically laid the cornerstone on June 5, 1928, on the family’s behalf. Descendants of the Duke family have remained engaged and generous supporters of the university, and have served as trustees for Duke University and the Duke Endowment. -
Negatives, Photos re: Duke's FIRST Centennial
The year 2024 actually marks Duke's second centennial celebration. Duke celebrated 100 years of being an academic institution in 1938-1939, marking a century since the foundation of Brown’s Schoolhouse, which would become Trinity College in 1859. The celebration included speeches, free food and drinks, and a museum exhibit. The 2024 centennial marks 100 years since Trinity College became Duke University after the Board of Trustees changed the name to honor Washington Duke on December 29, 1924. -
Women's college placemat - Few Graduate Quadrangle
This placemat depicting the newly-constructed Few Graduate Quadrangle may have been used at the Woman's College. Author and Woman’s College faculty member G. Hope Summerall Chamberlain designed the placemat. Notice the illustrations of dogwoods, now the North Carolina state flower. The Few Graduate Quadrangle was named after President William Preston Few. The creation of this placemat coincides with Duke’s first Centennial celebration, which occurred in the 1938-1939 academic year. -
Extrasensory Perception (ESP) Cards
Ever had a friend who was just too good at guessing games? With these ESP/Zener cards, you can find out if they're clairvoyant! Duke's Parapsychology Laboratory was founded in 1930 when Drs. J. B. and Louisa Rhine came to Durham. According to the accompanying ESP Record Pad, the Lab was interested in studying “those powers of the human mind that are commonly called hunches, intuition, mind-reading.” J. B. conducted experiments with the Zener cards, named after colleague Dr. Karl Zener, which tested for clairvoyance by recording how many times the subject could guess the design on the card correctly.
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