World War II and University Housing

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Written by Thomas Hendrickson After the bombing of Pearl Harbor the United States launched itself into World War II and, like many universities and colleges throughout the States, the University of Illinois was fully engaged in mobilizing its resources for the war effort. New military-student programs began to be set... Read More

Beckoning Forward: The Extraordinary Life of Carlos Montezuma

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Written by Anna Trammell In 1871, a group of Pimas took a young Yavapai boy named Wassaja captive. From there, he would begin on a journey that would eventually lead him to Urbana, Illinois. Political activist, writer, physician, and the first Native American graduate of the University of Illinois, his... Read More

Cosmopolitan Club Postcards

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Written by Breana McCracken The Cosmopolitan Club was founded in 1907, making it the oldest international student organization on the University of Illinois campus. The purpose of the club was to cultivate social and intellectual relationships between persons of different nationalities though a variety of activities and services. These activities... Read More

A Homecoming History

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Written by Leanna Barcelona With Homecoming week in full swing, it is worthwhile to take a trip back in time and see where the idea of “homecoming” at the University of Illinois came from and what it was like in its first years. Clarence Fiss Williams and W. Elmer Ekblaw (who... Read More