Archives Gold #17: 50 Objects for UMBC's 50th

Thu, 28 Jan 2016 14:40:08 -0500
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Special Collections continues our archival project Archives Gold: 50 Objects for UMBC's 50th, a special series showcasing 50 different objects that tell the story of UMBC. This week we present the very first publication of The Retriever (then known as UMBC News) in 1966.

UMBC News, Volume 1, Number 1, September 19, 1966. UPUB- R4 University Publications, University Archives, Special Collections, University of Maryland, Baltimore County (Baltimore, MD)

The first issue of UMBC's student newspaper was published on September 19, 1966, the first day of classes for the new UMBC university. First known as UMBC News, the newspaper's name would later change to include the school's mascot, the Retriever, becoming known as The Retriever Weekly, and later, simply The Retriever. The first issue of UMBC's newspaper contained many of the early activities and traditions of UMBC. Articles featured such things like the history of the UMBC site, the first social event of the university (an informal dance in the cafeteria), the initiation of a Student Government Association, the search for the school's mascot, and a spotlight on the campus' new faculty.

Since its first issue, the UMBC newspaper has continued to publish issues each year, having only stopped once in 1970 for a short span of time due to conflicts with the SGA and difficulties with funding.

Learn More:

-History of UMBC Research Guide

-University Archives Webpage

-Digital Copy of UMBC News (Volume 1, Number 1)

-Information in the 1968 Skipjack Yearbook on UMBC's New Newspaper

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