Throwback Thursday: Biology

We have a few skeletons lurking around Reeves right now in honor of Halloween, so it seemed like a fitting time to share these glimpses into the past of the Biology program. 

Our first photo is captioned "Biology 1946 - Bacteriology."

Looking very Peggy Carter.  

Our next shot is has no date and is called "Physiology - girls with skeleton." Indeed. 

And finally is one without a date, but with Sister Ann Infanger in the biology lab! Sister Ann teaches for the Religion Department these days, but before that, she was science faculty.

Throwback Thursday: Our Mascot(s)

Happy Homecoming!

As we welcome back alumni and prepare to celebrate all things Seton Hill, you'll probably see Griff the Griffin out and about at the football game and the various other events (don't forget about the library booksale, by the way). But did you know that the Seton Hill mascot wasn't always a griffin?

We've had several mascots over the years!

First up is this snapshot from 1953. "Hermes" was a... well, they claim he was a tiger. The different classes competed against each other in the Women's Athletic Association in a sort of House Cup/intramurals fashion and the winning class got to keep him for the rest of the year.

Caption: "Hermes is ours!" Proudly Pat Brown and Peggy Garvis hug the A. A. mascot. "We won him in '50 and kept him through '53."

By 1957 (this clipping is from the January 24th Setonian), we have a new Hermes. He's managed to change his spots into stripes and is looking much more tigerly now. 

Caption: HERMES HOLDS THE SPOTLIGHT for sports minded Patricia Mullen, Mary Jo Onto, Marjorie Owens, and Mary Wilson.

TEXT: "Since last June when the Class of '56 absconded with the Women's Athletic Association's mascot, there has been no fuzzy little Hermes to stimulate class teams to heroic efforts in their mortal combats on land (basketball floor, hockey field, bowling alley) and sea (swimming pool).

"Admittedly, the Class of '56 had won Hermes four years in a row; admittedly, he, poor tired old tiger, was headed for dust bin or bonfire anyway. But his going left a vast hole in the hearts of those who had fought for him so hard, though unsuccessfully.

"At last a second Hermes has come to fill that hole! A saucy tiger cub he is-- who wears the stately name of the Greek god Hermes with a rakish air and reveals an unmistakable streak of insanity in his foolish, rubbery grin. He made his first appearance two weeks ago at the opening game of the basketball season, rolled his big green eyes, whisked his tail, and won the game for the seniors! Who knows what he might do this season?"

At some point in the next 30 years, the mascot underwent a complete species change. Here's another Setonian clipping for you (February 22, 1990). 

TEXT: "By Martina Owens. 

"There is a great mystery on campus. Just what is the Seton Hill mascot? When this reporter asked various students, the answers were varied.

"Sophomore Maria Poppa had no idea, while Dana Barauskas believes it is a bird of some kind.

"Sophomore Lisa Griner wanted to know if it is the 'stupid penguin!' 'We're not the SHC penguins,' said Greiner, 'do penguins have spirit?'

"Senior Mig [sic] Owens did not know either but another senior, Pam Wiseman, did, 'It's a penguin!'

"Freshman Kim Headlee gave a blank stare and asked, 'Do we have one? I didn't know Seton Hill had one.'

"Fellow freshman Holly Winterhalter decided that not only was it a bird, but it was a red bird. Then she decided it was a chickenhawk, 'just like the one on Bugs Bunny.'

"Freshman Tammy Wrzosek knew it was a penguin. She believes it has something to do with the nuns. (Nuns? Penguins? I get it.)

"Freshman Shelby Fletcher decided that since you could not see a Spirit the penguin is O.K., but she feels that it should somehow become more popular. 

"Well, I shall keep you in suspense no longer. Yes, ladies and gents, our mascot is indeed Opus the penguin!

"Our name, the Spirit, was chosen by Athletic Director, John Fogle in the early 1970's. (Yes, he has been here that long.)

"In 1983, Seton Hill joined the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. Fogle chose the Opus with the Spirit flag to fulfill official emblem requirements by the NAIA.

"So the great mystery is solved. Opus is our mascot and our team name is spirit. Got it? Good."

You may still be able to find a few Opus/Spirit things hiding around campus. Over the summer, a couple of rubbery penguin mascot toys somehow found their way to the library office. Unfortunately, the material was starting to break down, but we had fun reviewing the mascot's evolution. 

Annual book sale!

It's time for the annual Library Homecoming Book Sale!

Friday, Oct. 21: 8:00am - 4:50pm

Saturday, Oct. 22: 9:00am - 4:50pm

Sunday, Oct. 23: 1:00pm - 10:50pm

Monday, Oct. 24: 8:00am - 4:50pm

The sale will be located on the main level of Reeves Learning Commons, in front of the large front windows. We're once again pricing books by the stacked height. If your purchases stack up five inches high, that'll be $5.00. 

We encourage you to bring your own reusable bags if possible.

We're excited about the selection this year; we received a generous donation of materials from the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh, and you'll find many classics of Holocaust fiction and non-fiction. Here's a glimpse:

Additionally, we have our usual motley assortment of titles gleaned from library deselection and from individual donations. A few representatives:

No, you can't "reserve" any titles that you see in this teaser, so you'll just have to make sure to get to the sale early! 

October Reading Theme: Road Trip New England

The leaves are beautiful at this time of year, and while Pennsylvania draws plenty of leaf-peepers, we hear that New England can top even the Mid-Atlantic for October foliage. If you can’t take a real northerly road trip this month, you can at least go in your mind with our October book selections.

Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

Another You by Ann Beattie: “Using a deliberately understated narrative voice, [Beattie] presents the confused world of college professor Marshall Lockheed and his wife, Sonja. As Marshall ponders whether to tell Sonja about his complicated infatuation with a student, Sonja ponders the pros and cons of revealing her brief affair with her boss. Meanwhile, repercussions from their rather unexceptional indiscretions are about to plunge both Lockheeds into some very unusual territory. In the background are Marshall's dying stepmother, a woman with secrets of her own, and a collection of mysterious letters from the past with significant links to the present.” (Library Journal review)

Early Autumn: A Story of a Lady by Louis Bromfield: “Bromfield takes a close look at the Pentlands- a fictional rich family in New England- exposing the hypocrisy and ignorance behind their luxurious facade…. A fascinating study on the struggle of one woman to escape the stifling influence of her husband and in-laws.” (Publisher’s summary)

Before and After by Rosellen Brown: “Before and After centers on Carolyn and Ben Reiser and their two children, Judith and Jacob, who live comfortably in a small New England town. When the chief of police comes looking for seventeen-year-old Jacob to question him about the bludgeoning to death of his girlfriend, the Reisers' lives are changed forever.” (Publisher’s summary)

Seasoned Timber by Dorothy Canfield: “A principal of [a] small town school is involved in a love affair and a township election.” (Publisher’s summary)

The Tommyknockers by Stephen King: “It begins with a writer named Roberta Anderson who unearths the unbelievably intact remains of a buried ship--a ship that still vibrates faintly, still hums with some sort of life. And as the ship rises more and more out of the earth, the inhabitants of Haven start to change.” (Publisher’s summary)

I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb: “For most of his life Dominick Birdsey has been living in the shadow of his schizophrenic identical twin, Thomas, but when Thomas commits a violent act that affects both their lives, Dominick decides to leave his home and search for his true identity.” (Publisher’s summary)

Blue Angel by Francine Prose: "It has been years since Swenson, a professor of creative writing at a small New England college, has published a novel of his own. It's been even longer since a student of his has shown a glimmer of talent. And academia, with its increasingly stifling politically correct environment, isn't what it used to be. Enter Angela Argo, a pierced, tattooed student with a rare gift for writing. Fearless and ambitious, Angela seems like the answer to Swenson's prayers. Better yet, she wants his help. What could be more perfect? However, as experience shows, the road to hell is paved with good intentions" (Publisher’s summary)

Blue Moon by Luanne Rice: “The Keating sisters, owners of a generations-old New England restaurant, are finding it hard to keep the family together, until Cass' husband is lost at sea and the family must weather the tragedy.” (Publisher’s summary)

The Vanished Child by Sarah Smith: “New England, 1887. The millionaire William Knight is brutally murdered and the only witness is his grandchild, Richard, who himself disappears, and is presumed dead. Eighteen years later, Richard is "recognized" in Switzerland in the person of Alexander von Reisden, and William Knight's only son, Gilbert, is convinced that this man is the long lost child. Reisden, himself, has no memory of any childhood, and his own growing obsession with finding the real Richard is leading him closer to a shattering truth. And to a killer, still at large....” (Publisher’s summary)

Old School: A Novel by Tobias Wolff: “Determined to fit in at his New England prep school, the narrator has learned to mimic the bearing and manners of his adoptive tribe while concealing as much as possible about himself. His final year, however, unravels everything he's achieved, and steers his destiny in directions no one could have predicted.” (Publisher’s summary)

The Last Waltz by Nancy Zaroulis: “Set in New England at the turn of the century, this is the story of two women's turbulent lives. Marian marries to gain social position, but loves another man she cannot have. Her friend, Isabel, jilted by her fiance, never stops yearning for him.” (Publisher’s summary)

Throwback Thursday: Study Abroad!

Semesters studying in other countries have long been an opportunity offered at Seton Hill. This clipping is titled "Study Abroad - 1930s - Foreign Language Exchange students - Campus Life."

TEXT: "The Institute of International Education in New York City maintains exchange scholarships with Seton Hill College in the leading European Universities. Students in this picture came to Seton Hill through the Institute. They represent Rome, Paris and Peking.

"To insure superior command of a modern language, the prospective teacher spends a year abroad. This student took advantage of Seton Hill's Junior Year abroad and has returned from a year at the Sorbonne."