Category Archives: Uncategorized

More Early Landscaping With Cute Kids, circa 1922

I have a couple more pictures from the Tsanoff collection that were clearly taken on the same day that we caught young Katherine on the path between the privet hedges. This first one caught me by surprise: That’s little Katherine … Continue reading

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The Field House, 1920-1950

I had a followup post to last week’s postcards all planned out but instead I’ll try to answer some questions raised by readers about the old stadium picture. First, what is the building between the open end zone and Main … Continue reading

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Two Postcards of Rice Stadium and One Little Kid

I recently came across a beautiful postcard I’d never seen before, this one showing the old football stadium and the west end of campus. This is actually what I think of as the New Old Stadium, built in 1938 to … Continue reading

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“Christmas Greetings of Peace and Goodwill,” 1930s

This beautiful hand made, hand colored card carried holiday greetings from the family of Rice architecture professor William Ward Watkin, circa early 1930s: The house pictured is the Watkin’s home, of course, located at 5009 Caroline, in a neighborhood that … Continue reading

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“functional and utilitarian without neglecting the aesthetics,” 1949

After all my talk about those Aalto tables in the library, I finally have something to say about a chair. The other day I was looking in the file drawer called “Miscellaneous” where I found this: It was the only … Continue reading

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The First Time Rice Beat Texas, 1917

A while back I noticed a large, mysterious scrapbook back by the vault on the bottom of the oversize shelves. Last week I had time to pull it out and take a good look. It was full of pages from … Continue reading

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“A Dream Coming True”: Fondren at 75

I can’t let 2022 slip away without acknowledging something that an alert reader pointed out to me a while ago. This year is the 75th anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone of Fondren library, just before Christmas in 1947. … Continue reading

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Rally Club Thanksgiving Dance, 1925

For many years Thanksgiving Day was also Rice’s Homecoming and from the beginning in 1919 these events were absolutely jam packed with functions, making for a very long day.  Our traditional football opponent for all those years was Baylor. In … Continue reading

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Inauguration, 2022: Part II, Ruth Simmons’s Speech

I’d first like to account for my extended absence, for which apologies are hereby issued: I was chairing a presidential search at another university and that task took pretty much all of my attention for the last month or so. … Continue reading

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“Football Headquarters,” 1935

Football is having a pretty good year and tomorrow’s Homecoming game with Charlotte should be fun, but equally interesting is the nightly dancing in the terrace ballroom. I wish I could have seen that: The Woodson is chock full of … Continue reading

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