Greetings from the Center for Campus History and happy summer! We hope everyone is finding some time to relax (and managing to avoid the mosquitos! And the wildfire smoke!) But just because things are quieter on campus doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty going on at the CCH. For July’s newsletter we have Center research updates, archival finds, book recommendations, and more!

The University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Rebecca M. Blank Center For Campus History is an ongoing effort to expand and enrich UW-Madison’s historical narrative by centering the voices, experiences, and struggles of marginalized groups. As always, if you have a story to share, an event you think should be researched, or a person you think has been overlooked, please email us at centerforcampushistory@wisc.edu.  

What do history nerds like us get up to this time of year? Hot Pod Summer anyone?! We’ve been hard at work putting together Season 2 of Reorientation, the Center’s audio deep dive into the history of UW you won’t get on your campus welcome tour. 

This time around, three of our talented student researchers, Alex Pasqualone, Taylor Dickson and Nama Pandey, have been spearheading research and interviews exploring a topic that touches pretty much everyone at UW–Madison and beyond: where you live. Housing is one of the most fundamental things students need to go to college. So why is it so challenging, expensive, and stressful to find?

We’ll have the answers to those questions and so much more when the new season of Reorientation drops this fall!

And speaking of Reorientation, have you caught up on Season 1?

Taking a summer road trip or spending some time at the beach? That’s the perfect time to let the CCH team tell you all about how full-fledged police departments operated by universities have become a ubiquitous part of campus life in the United States. Sounds fun right?!

You can find the show on our website, Spotify, Apple or wherever you get your podcasts.

Each month, we like to share one of the many (many… many… ) books that have helped the Center’s research. But this month we’re cheating a little bit, because it’s not just our recommendation, it’s the entire university’s. 

That’s right, it’s Go Big Read time again and we’re so psyched that this year’s selection is James by Percival Everett! In this inventive retelling of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Everett writes from the perspective of Jim, an enslaved man who runs away to avoid being sold and separated from his family. As Jim and Huck journey down the Mississippi River, familiar events unfold — but this time, Jim’s strength, intelligence, and compassion take center stage. With sharp humor and powerful insight, Everett gives new life to a classic story, making James a standout work of modern American literature. 

You can find out more about James and Go Big Read here, including info on events this fall. And watch this space for a companion teaching guide from the Center’s very own Daniel Berman!

We get asked a lot of questions about UW history. Each month we’ll answer one in the newsletter. 

This month: With concerts finally coming back to Camp Randall, it got me wondering, what was the first ever concert hosted there? 

The answer: The answer to this one may surprise you. People might think of Pink Floyd’s 1988 show as the first big concert at the Badgers’ stadium. But another music legend had them beat by more than 15 years: Duke Ellington! According to a writeup from the Wisconsin State Journal, the Duke and his orchestra were the first act to play Camp Randall back in 1972 as part of a five-day festival honoring the jazz great. Tickets were just $1 (!!) and Ellington made his way to the stage at the 50 yard line in a red convertible.

Do you have any burning questions about UW history? Stories or people you think we should look into? Let us know! Email us at centerforcampushistory@wisc.edu. 

While we’re on the subject of Camp Randall concerts, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to show these great pics from the UW Archives of the Rolling Stones doing their thing on the field in 1994. Sometimes history just looks badass!

Each month Center Director Kacie Lucchini Butcher will share a book, podcast, movie, quote, or something else she thinks has been adding to the CCH. We're calling it "From The Desk of KLB".

This month From the Desk of KLB, Kacie says she’s recently been inspired by a quote from James Baldwin: "I love America more than any other country in the world and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually." And this led her to revisit the source, Notes of a Native Son.

In the classic 1955 essay collection, Baldwin delivers honest and raw revelations about what it means to be Black in America, specifically pre-Civil Rights Movement, and how, he himself, came to understand the nation.