Mementos Sought from First 40 Years

This fall, UT Dallas marks 40 years as a University of Texas System institution. Through the decades, students, faculty and staff have seen the University grow from a small research institute limited to upper-division enrollment into a university aspiring toward the ranks of the best in the nation.

To mark its 40th anniversary, the University is asking former and current students, faculty and staff, as well as the community at large, to share UT Dallas memorabilia.

Suggested items for submission include:

• Photographs.
• Documents such as papers, books or memoirs.
• Objects, large or small.

“The academic excellence of UT Dallas student body and the scholarly reputation of our faculty give UT Dallas distinction,” said Paul Oelkrug, coordinator of special collections in UT Dallas’ Eugene McDermott Library.

“Having achieved this in a span of only 40 years differentiates the University even further. We recognize that during that time, many loyal friends have collected special items that reflect or commemorate some detail of UT Dallas’ past.”

Oelkrug added that the University is particularly interested in memorabilia related to significant events from 1994 onward.

Items offered are subject to review for relevance and appropriateness. Original photos or documents will be scanned and returned to the owner, and all other memorabilia will be cataloged as a temporary loan.

If lenders are unable to bring an item to the University, Oelkrug or a member of his staff may be able to make arrangements to review the item at an off campus location. Similarly, if a lender is unable to release an item to the collection, it can be photographed or scanned and subsequently returned.

“Regardless of size, we’re here to help people determine if their memorabilia would fit with the 40th Anniversary collection,” Oelkrug said.

The University also will invite friends to share their stories about their experiences at UT Dallas through an interactive Web site expected to launch in September. The site will serve as the base of an ongoing record of the University’s history.

“Starting this fall, we look forward to hearing about people’s reflections, and hope they’ll add their chapter to our story,” Oelkrug said. “Did they make a great discovery here? Meet lifelong friends or a future spouse? Watch the transformation of campus through the construction of new buildings? All these experiences and reflections add to the University’s rich history, and we want our friends to be as active as possible in helping us document UT Dallas’ legacy.”

UT Dallas’ 40-year celebration kicks off with the beginning of the fall 2009 academic year in September and lasts through 2010.

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