While COVID-19 is certainly one of the most extreme health crises that have affected Towson University, it is by no means the first. In its almost 155-year history, Towson University has witnessed a number of pandemics¹. When we look back at past pandemics that affected Maryland and the school that would become Towson University, there
The first indication we have of an active alumni body comes from the Maryland School Journal of 1877, edited by M. A. Newell, who served as the Maryland State Normal School (MSNS) principal from the day it opened in 1866 until 1890. From that one sentence, we can gather that this reunion was not the
We want students and faculty to look on their library with pleasure, and to know that it is theirs to build and to use with our help. -Dorothy Reeder, 1955 Report from the Librarian. When Towson University’s predecessor, the Maryland State Normal School, opened its doors in 1866, little thought had gone into the creation
In 1922, rather than printing a yearbook, the graduating class elected to create a “Senior Yearbook” in the brand new student newspaper, then called The Oriole. In that issue are the first photos of the Maryland State Normal School’s (MSNS) athletic teams, namely the “basket ball teams” for that year. None of the players are identified in the
In November, 89.7 WTMD, held a party to commemorate 15 years of its current iteration as Towson University’s FM radio station. However, TU’s exploration and experimentation with radio has been a story almost 50 years in the making and encompasses many more call letters than WTMD. An Idea In October 1970, a committee made up
Maryland State Normal School Course catalogs published during the first session of the Maryland State Normal School (the first iteration of Towson University) list “Rhetoric” as a subject. Students who would be teachers were instructed on how to speak clearly and project their voices. The name of the subject would change from rhetoric to
The Towson University community members we know who have died while serving their country. Robert Lytle, Class of 1943 Robert Lytle is the first casualty we know about from the Towson University family. He was a member of the Class of 1943, but was drafted before he completed his work at the State Teachers College
Sometimes when we look back at what has made Towson University successful, it feels like it was a matter of chance: somehow the right person just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Today we’re going to talk about how having the right person in the right place created not just
In 1963, just after the State Teachers College (STC) at Towson became Towson State College (TSC), the Student Government Association (SGA) agreed to set up an ad hoc committee to investigate the possibility of creating an intercollegiate men’s football team on campus. The timing was significant. Until Towson transitioned to a liberal arts college, the
At the start of the fall semester in 1974, two women came to campus to speak to community members. One was a member of the Baltimore City Council, who was in the running for a seat on the U.S. Senate. And the other was Gloria Steinem, who was already a well-known feminist activist and co-founder