THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2010
WWW.KANSAN.COM
Radioactive uranium
Clark Bricker, a former chemistry professor, donated this small sample of uranium. He acquired it from research he had done on the Manhattan Project as an undergraduate at Princeton University.
preserved pig's foot
This pig's foot was once the property of L.L. Dyche, a former University professor. Dyche Hall was named after this a turn-of-the-century professor and avid taxidermist.
Uncovered time capsule
The tattered remnants of a time capsule found in 1993 fill this box. A catalog found inside the box was dated 1924. The capsule was found in the cornerstone of the Kansas Union.
REDISCOVERING OLD DISCOVERIES
Mysteries of KU's history on display
Little-known archives reveal glimpses into school's past
BY MICHAEL HOLTZ
mholtz@kansan.com
On the top floor of the Anschutz Research Library sits a gray box in the corner of a small storage room. The box contains a glass jar inside of which rests a vial filled with a jagged, black metal.
The uranium sample was donated by Clark Bricker, an accomplished chemistry professor at the University from 1963 to 1983, according to the description. He collected it while studying "the purity of uranium in connection with the Manhattan Project" as a student at Princeton University.
The word "uranium" is hand-written on the vial. A brief description taped to the jar explains all that is known about its origins.
Brittler died on June 14, 1994, according to a University press release.
Though the uranium sample remains radioactive, health physicist Michael Lemon said in an e-mail it contained "much less uranium than some of the orange Fiestaware on a shelf at an antique store."
"Only Dr. Clark would know the exact place where he collected it and its interest to him," said Lemon, who was contacted two years ago to test the sample for radioactivity. "We all pick up trophies along the way, and this particular piece has a story to tell."
The same can be said for the hundreds of other artifacts located in the University Archives. The archives houses some of the University's most unique — and largely forgotten — relics.
PIGS' FEET AND BOLSHEVIKS
Much like the uranium sample, many of the artifacts are equally fascinating and unusual.
There's the preserved pig foot that once belonged to L.L. Dyche, a turn-of-the-century KU professor and avid taxidermist for whom Dyche Hall was named.
There's the rusted metal shell of a time capsule. its deteriorated content fills an adjacent cardboard box: illegible newspaper clippings, crumbling letters and the tattered threads of what appeared to have been a scarf.
VOLUME 123 ISSUE 30
University Daily Kansan in 1921 by Conrad Hoffman, a KU alumnus. Hoffman found the hand-carved Jayhawk while working in a Bolshevik prison camp in Germany.
Or maybe it was the handiwork of a former KU student who had found himself interned in a prison camp, the editor hypothesizes in the letter.
"The only other solution is that at some time or other a genuine Jayhawk lived," the letter continues. "And that the image was made from a fossil."
PIECES OF HISTORY
Although visitors to the archives will undoubtedly come across both the strange and unusual, so too will they see a glimpse of the University's past.
Slide rules, pigskin footballs, and an engineering uniform from the 1920s are reminiscent of bygone eras. Plaques and trophies serve as reminders of past successes, including one from the 1926 Missouri Valley Glee Club Contest and another presented by President John E. Kennedy in 1962.
"They help to document the activities of students," Schulte said. "You can get a flavor of what life at KU was like by looking at some of these artifacts."
Other artifacts provide a glimpse into the lives of past chancellors: one of W. Clark Wescoe's cigars; Francis Snow's pocket watch and key; and John Fraser's Civil War uniform and two sabers.
Whitney Baker, conservator for KU Libraries said exploring the archives could bring a deeper dimension to a student's experience at the University.
"There's a lot of stories there," Baker said. "It can really bring KU to life."
Edited by Emily McCoy
European Jayhawk
A KU alumnus working in a Bolshevik prison camp sent this wooden Jayhawk to an unnamed editor at The University Daily Kansan in 1921.
Mascots of the past
These retired Jayhawk mascot uniforms fill what was once a projection room in Spencer Research Library. Several of them were used in last year's "Late Night at the Phog."
Check out a full photo gallery at kansan.com/photos/ Photos by h
ART|6A
Student photographer shows work in gallery
Senior Allen Ginsberg will show his work at the Union until Friday.
Classifieds...8A
Crossword...4A
Cryptoquips...4A
Opinion...5A
Sports...10A
Sudoku...4A
INDEX
WEATHER
All contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2010 The University Daily Kansan
Bell leads Hawks to third place
Contributed photo
Team takes highest finish of the season, third place, at Colorado Invitational.
MEN'S GOLF | 8A
SAFETY
The intersection at 11th Street and West Campus Road is commonly travelled. Students have encouraged the University to develop a safer walkway.
Dangerous road paves the way for pedestrian accidents
BY GARTH SEARS gsears@kansan.com
"The first thing our teacher did was warn us about this intersection," she said. "Everybody was talking about the easiest way to cross without getting killed."
When Jessica Horn's class moved to northwest campus, her teacher had one warning for the students.
That dangerous intersection is the meeting point of 11th Street and West Campus Road.
For the most part, West Campus Road is charming. It starts northward at the Chi Omega fountain,
Although there is a designated path for pedestrians to walk toward the Triangle fraternity, they don't always use it.
The road winds around JRP and becomes eastbound 11th Street heading downhill toward Memorial Stadium, essentially designed for confusion.
4.
passes fraternities and sororities along the left side and nears JRP Hall on the right side. At this point, the road loses all of its appeal.
"It's almost lucky if you get across, OK," Horn, a freshman from Hoyt, said. "A lot of the drivers aren't paying attention."
So, a driver coming up the hill from Memorial Stadium would be free to bend left onto West Campus Road, while a car one directly faced would have to stay at a stop sign until traffic cleared.
Drivers new to the intersection are often puzzled, which only adds to the confusion and timidness of walkers.
The drivers are confused by the intersection, too. Although there are four places for cars to turn, the right of way is L-shaped, going along the bend.
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SEE CROSSWALK ON PAGE 3A