Alumni, faculty, staff and students can get a glimpse of days gone by on campus by exploring a new digitized collection of The Quiver, the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh’s yearbook published from 1897 to 1974.
The new online collection—completed by Polk Library’s University Archives in partnership with Recollection Wisconsin and hosted by Milwaukee Public Library—includes nearly 15,700 pages.
UWO Archivist Joshua Ranger said the collection chronicles more than 75 years of activities and achievements of UWO and its predecessor institutions (Oshkosh Normal School, Oshkosh State Teachers College, Oshkosh State College and WSU Oshkosh).
The project was undertaken in advance of UW Oshkosh celebrating its sesquicentennial in 2021.
“Anyone interested in the history of UWO can dip a toe in the database to see what people looked like and what clubs and social activities students were involved in,” Ranger said. “This collection gives us a slice of university life, second only to the student newspaper as a source for exploring what was important to students.”
As a resource for historic photos of campus, especially candid shots of students, the collection is “unparalleled,” he added.
The Quivers also reflect the reality of the times.
Ranger noted, for example, that when many young men were serving during World War II, the 1944 and 1945 Quivers showcased about 200 students, mostly women, in a slim, spiral-bound volume.
Advertisements and cartoons included in the yearbooks also give a glimpse of what was important and interesting to students through the years.
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