New Book Commemorates UF’s 150th Birthday

July 11, 2003

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — In celebration of the University of Florida 150th anniversary this year, two UF researchers have written a 116-page pictorial chronicling the institution’s history.

Conceived about a year ago and released last week, the book, “Honoring the Past, Shaping the Future,” was written and compiled by UF archivist/librarian Carl Van Ness and Kevin McCarthy, a professor of Florida studies and English. It captures UF’s history in words and more than 225 black-and-white photographs. The photographs and descriptions give insight into what life might have been like at the university as far back as 1853.

Van Ness said he enjoyed researching early student life. “I think one common thread in the university’s history is the sense of identity and community found in the student body,” he said.

Co-author McCarthy said the book features many never-before-published photographs. “With this book, we hoped to bring the history of the university up to date in honor of the sesquicentennial,” said McCarthy, who has written 28 other books – 18 of them about Florida.

Both authors credit Cindy McMillen, director of the publications department at the office of News & Public Affairs, as the unofficial third author. She was responsible for the book’s layout,.

“Honoring the Past, Shaping the Future” includes a foreword by UF President Charles E. Young and is divided into five sections, each capturing a different chapter in UF’s storied history.

The first section, the Pre-Buckman Years, outlines the period prior to 1906 when the university, then located in Lake City, was known as the East Florida Seminary. In 1905, the Buckman Act consolidated Florida’s seven state schools into three and moved UF to Gainesville.

The Formative Years covers 1906 to 1927 and segues into a section on the university’s progression during World War II, the Great Depression and the GI Bill. A chapter on Post-War Expansion, 1948-1975, reviews UF’s structural developments and includes a chronicle of the history of women and African Americans at the university.

The book also includes an overview of the past 27 years and a section containing more than 30 color photographs, old postcards and football program covers from as far back as 1928. It concludes with an essay on Florida’s future by Win Phillips, vice president for research at UF.

“Honoring the Past, Shaping the Future” is available at Goerings Book Stores and the university book store for $19.95. It also is available online atwww.ufl.edu/150.