An insider’s look at a university collection so valuable, the professor who built it once stole it back.
The earliest herbarium—a collection of plant samples preserved for scientific study—dates to 16th-century Italy, when the Bologna physician and botanist Luca Ghini (1490–1556) sought to make plant material available to his students in winter when the plants were dead or dormant.
The specimens were flattened between two pieces of paper to remove moisture. Once dried, they were mounted on paper sheets with notations on the plant’s name, where the plant was gathered, and any distinctive features. The pages were bound into volumes to enable transport from one location to another, thus making plant material from faraway places available indefinitely.
The Stewarts at Westwood
Robert Bruce Stewart (HDR M’68), known as R.B., joined the Purdue University staff as controller in 1925. At that time, Purdue enrolled 3,000 students, the physical plant was worth $3 million, and the endowment totaled $340,000.
Stewart, who went on to become the university’s first vice president and treasurer, is credited by many with influencing the character and growth of Purdue University. He spent 36 years building the university both fiscally and physically.
Geochemist Marissa Tremblay ’12 analyzes Antarctic rocks to unravel Earth’s climate chronology and predict the planet’s future environment
A geologic field excursion to Death Valley during spring break her first year at Barnard set Marissa Tremblay ’12 on course to becoming a scientist. She entered college intending to pursue a law degree, but stepping foot on that vast, desolate desert landscape marked with sand dunes ignited a curiosity to uncover the stories in stones.
50 Years of Wolf Park
Founded by Purdue ethologist Erich Klinghammer in 1972, Wolf Park began as an experiment to study wolf behavior. The pioneering research conducted there over the past 50 years contributed to a better understanding of the apex predator and facilitated its reintroduction into the wild.
Twenty Years After 9/11 Longhorn Reflects on the Unexpected Detour—and the Subsequent Broadway Show—that Altered His Life’s Trajectory
On the morning of September 11, 2001, Kevin Tuerff and his then-partner, also named Kevin, were on an Air France flight bound for New York City. The couple had just wrapped up a European vacation and they were eager to get home. A sudden drop in elevation over the Atlantic Ocean was the first sign that something was amiss. Then came an announcement from the cockpit.
Innovative Boilermakers whose work impacts the daily lives of millions
From his fourth-floor home office perched on so-called Billionaires Row, Keith Krach (IE’79) can see the entirety of the San Francisco Bay and the famous Golden Gate Bridge that spans the strait connecting the bay to the Pacific Ocean. It’s an impressive vista and a far cry from his hometown of Rocky River, Ohio, a Cleveland suburb.
Hackathon challenges students to develop innovative solutions in 36 hours
By 1:00 a.m. on the second night, the gym is tense with energy. At 27 hours in, a scheduled late-night snack pro-vides enough of a boost to drive participants through the final hours of Boilermake 5. The student-run hackathon attracted more than 2,000 applicants this year for about 500 randomly selected spots. Surveying the room, Boilermake cofounder Brittany Vacchiano (S’14) was amazed at how much the event has grown over the past three years.
It all started with an image of White Sands. About 10 years ago, Brian Leung, director of the Creative Writing Program, attended an exhibition on graphic art at the Cincinnati Museum of Modern Art. He was captivated by a Ford Times hand-pulled silkscreen print created by Cincinnati-based modern artist Charley Harper (1922–2007), best known for his highly stylized wildlife illustrations. Harper’s 1953 White Sands, New Mexico, was part of a themed series of natural and man-made wonders titled Horseless Carriage Adventures.
One of the first things a young cadet learns is how to properly shine military-issue leather shoes.
ROTC programs are designed to model operational military units for which customs and courtesies — including a meticulously presented uniform — are the foundational basis for etiquette and conduct.
Col. Chris Moss (LA’90), commander of the 30th Space Wing and Western Range, Vandenberg Air Force Base, in central California, fondly remembers shining shoes with his flight, the two dozen junior cadets for whom he served as flight commander in ROTC. In those days, patent leather shoes were a privilege afforded to senior cadets, which meant Friday night gatherings for underclassmen, replete with cotton balls and wax.
The mascots are a rowdy bunch. Outgoing, goofy pranksters, they are constantly laughing and joking with one another. They act pretty much exactly how you’d expect a mascot to act. The antics come naturally for Nick Sprecher, a first-year Pete from Pittsboro, Indiana. “I’ve always been an energetic, whimsical guy,” he says. “I like to bring the juice to every environment. If it’s dead, I liven things up. That’s just my personality.”
Facing graduation in December 1981, John White (T’81) made his Tarkington Hall buddies swear that they weren’t going to be like every other group of yahoos who promise to stay in touch, but never actually reunite. And so it was agreed that no matter how far away from campus they may roam, the members of The Wild Bunch (TWB) would return in five years to gather on Tark’s back dock. Things didn’t go exactly as planned.
Agricultural Hall, built in 1901 in the Beaux-arts Neoclassic style, served as the epicenter for agrarian teaching and research at the university for seven decades. It was renamed Entomology Hall in 1969 when the department took up occupancy in the building. When it faced demolition in the 1990s, preservationists vocalized their desire to save the second-oldest building on campus.
Forestry and Natural Resources was a growing department that required more space and also had access to the funds needed to mount the $16 million renovation. The John S. Wright Fund for the Promotion of Forestry in Indiana, established by an 1892 Purdue alum, provided $12 million.
“The vault was part of the original building, and during renovation as much effort as possible was put into retaining the building’s historical appearance, such as the woodwork, tin ceiling, and terrazzo floors,” says Bill Hoover, FNR professor emeritus.
It’s been nearly 20 years since two aviation technology students and their instructor — all experienced pilots — died in a plane crash at the Purdue Airport, but Tom Carney (T’71, MS A’77, PhD S’84) recalls the morning of September 12, 1997, vividly. Carney was one of two administrators who waited near the crash site for hours until emergency crews were able to remove the fallen aviators from the wreckage on what he calls “the longest and saddest day of my life.”
