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Sir Wilfrid Laurier speaks at the ceremony to lay the College Building cornerstone. University Archives photo A-8 |
For some time now, Patrick Hayes has had a photo of Sir Wilfrid Laurier at the College Building cornerstone laying posted as the wallpaper on his computer screen, an image that inspired him to develop a unique way to celebrate the University’s centenary.
The University Archives assistant has put together a collection of old photos that are available for download. They are photos that give viewers just a taste of people and events from the U of S over its 100-year history, and with tens of thousands of archival photos to choose from, there was no end of possibilities.
“I’ve had the Laurier photo on my machine for a couple of years and I found myself walking around looking at other people’s machines,” said Hayes. “They’d have picture of tropical islands they’d never been too, or waterfall they’d never seen. I though this was an opportunity to celebrate the University’s history.”
In selecting the photos for the wallpaper project, Hayes said he tried to guess what might interest people. What he came up with is a selection that includes sports shots, classics from over the years, and even some more modern, colour shots.
For those interested in historic wallpaper, the easiest way to access the images if from the University’s new centennial website. Launched the first week in October, the site will be a single point of contact for the University community and University stakeholders “who want to know what’s happening, how they can get involved and how they can learn a little bit more about the University’s history,” said Ghislaine McLeod, director of communications and chair of the Centennial Committee.
In addition to a link to the Archives’ wallpaper photos and instructions for downloading them, the site features a calendar of events that will evolve as more activities associated with the centennial take shape. “We encourage people to link in with that,” said McLeod, “and we’re also hoping to make centennial merchandise available on the site.”
It also features University history, other centennial projects like the U of S lily and the Canada Post stamp, and there is a place for individuals to share their U of S stories and experiences, she said. “One of our mandates for the centennial in 2007 is to raise the national profile of our University,” said McLeod, “and the web provides a very valuable tool for doing that.”
The website is managed by University Communications and includes contact information for queries, said McLeod.
The U of S centennial website is at www.usask.ca/100
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