Jesup Scott believed that “a great city needs an institution to train its young people.”
And so, in 1872, Scott endowed Toledo with 160 acres with which to create a university.
Sara Mouch, university archivist and associate lecturer, works on a cabinet with elements of Rocky’s costume, including his helmet from 1980, as part of the Canaday Center’s sesquicentennial exhibit, which opens on Founder’s Day, Oct. 12.
The 150-year trajectory of that university is documented in the Ward M. Canaday Center’s exhibit commemorating The University of Toledo’s sesquicentennial, “Faith, Vision, and Hard Work: The University of Toledo, 1872-2022.”
The exhibition opens on Founder’s Day, Wednesday, Oct. 12, following a lecture by Barbara Floyd, retired university archivist and director of the Canaday Center, and author of “An Institution for the Promoting of Knowledge: The University of Toledo at 150,” published by UToledo Press.
Titled “Ten Events that Shaped 150 Years,” Floyd’s lecture is scheduled at 3 p.m. in the Carl Joseph Reading Commons on the fifth floor of Carlson Library.
The exhibit follows the University’s history from the 1872 articles of incorporation for the Toledo University of Arts and Trades through today with The University of Toledo standing as a national leader in student success. Other exhibition highlights:
• The University’s earliest publications, including bulletins, newspapers and yearbooks;
• Documented efforts of administrators and students to secure a $2.9 million bond levy to purchase land on Bancroft Street and begin construction on it;
• Printed material and photographs regarding changes in curriculum and activities on campus during World War II;
• The agreement for state support;
• Material pertaining to the centennial celebration and the subsequent fundraising campaign;
• The merger with the former Medical University of Ohio;
• Displays dedicated to the University’s presidents, a selection of firsts and homecoming; and
• A smaller Art Gallery exhibit just outside the Canaday Center that chronicles the development of the Bancroft Street campus, with changing campus maps and building profiles.
The free, public exhibit will run through Aug. 1, 2023, in the Canaday Center. Viewing hours will be from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information about the exhibit, call 419.530.4480.
