Decoding Commencement
For what is believed to be the first time in IU history, university officials were compelled to cancel Commencement festivities for the class of…
Pride & Tradition
5 Facts of IU Commencements Past
Much has changed over the course of IU’s 200-year history, including the largest and most symbolic of the university’s ceremonies—Commencement. With historical research and…
IU’s Black History Makers
Indiana University was founded in 1820, but it would be more than 60 years before Harvey Young, the first African American student, stepped foot…
IU Football, Preston E. Eagleson, and the 1885 Civil Rights Act
The Eagleson name is familiar to many at Indiana University and in Monroe County, as the prominent African American family is riddled with “firsts”…
Eye on the Prize
The 1895 Arbutus lists among the graduating seniors a math major named Marcellus Neal. With that announcement, history was made. Neal had officially become…
A Phenomenal Woman
In the fall of 1915, a young Black woman from Rushville, Ind., arrived at Indiana University to begin her freshman year. She carried with…
The Great George Taliaferro
Star of IU’s only unbeaten football team. First African American player drafted into the NFL. Champion of IU integration. Beginning with football but finishing…
Bill Garrett Makes History—Again
As the first African American basketball player to compete regularly in the Big Ten, Bill Garrett, BS’51, was a trailblazer for Indiana University. Some…
A Queen Comes Home
This story was originally published in the Feb. 28, 2013, issue of the Indiana Daily Student, and won first place in the Hearst Journalism…
Doing the Undoable
This article originally appeared in the 1994 March/April issue of the IU Alumni Magazine. When Thomas Atkins was 5, he was diagnosed with polio….
Foundational Politician
The election of Nov. 7, 1967, was a milestone in U.S. political history, as Gary, Ind., chose Richard G. Hatcher, BS’56, as mayor. He…
Legal Legacy
Philadelphia in the 1960s. The courtroom of Juanita Kidd Stout. If you were a criminal, this is not where you wanted to be. Judge…