In 2016, to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Towson University, the book Towson University: The First 150 Years was created. This blog post is based on the section about the history of school colors as well as the alma mater from that publication. The first official school song, or alma mater, drew its inspiration from
Updates from the Fall of 2020 to the present day were contributed by Ani Allen, student worker, Fall 2023. A lot has changed since the coronavirus emerged in Wuhan, China in late 2019. In just a few months, the virus has dramatically altered daily life for those around the world – including students. This timeline
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
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
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
A year after his arrival at the State Teachers College at Towson but before founding the theater program on campus, Dr. Dick Gillespie started a new student group. “A debating society is being formed this year,” reported the September 28, 1962 Towerlight. It “will be open to all students regardless of experience as an extracurricular
On November 5th, 2017, we hosted a second reunion for students of the Lida Lee Tall School — the elementary school that had been part of Towson’s history since 1866. This blog post is a re-creation of a presentation shared by Felicity Knox at the reunion. The hallmark of the student work done at the
One of my favorite ways to learn about history is through how people eat, and in particular, how people celebrate with food. I love looking at old cookbooks and menus, trying to glean what would make a dish special enough to share. Tracing the culture of Towson through the menus for things like graduation and