Celebrate National Archives Month with the Special Collection!

October is American Archives Month and Special Collection in the University Library is celebrating with our annual Open House. 

Come join us from 1 to 3 pm on Wednesday the 29th of October for some refreshments and a chance to see everything from Civil War medical kits to Howard College's first set of student records. 

Visit the Special Collection Treasure Chest to check out some of the priceless items that can be found in our collection.  

The Special Collection Welcomes the William E. Hull Collection

Some of the boxes of the 475 linear feet of the Hull collection, neatly stacked and waiting to be transferred into proper storage.

Last week, the University Library Special Collection department received the final installment of the William E. Hull Collection. The collection consists of approximately 475 linear feet of records, including book manuscripts, articles, correspondence, sermons, and research notes. Samford’s Special Collection was honored to be selected back in 1995 by Dr. Hull himself as the archive to receive his materials.

Dr. William Hull as a Senior from the Entre Nous 1951.

William E. Hull enrolled at the University of Alabama in 1948 to study medicine. During his sophomore year he felt a calling to ministry and transferred to Samford University, then Howard College, for his junior year. After graduating from Howard College in 1951, he went on to earn a master of divinity and a Ph. D from Southern Seminary in Kentucky. In addition, he did advanced studies at Harvard University and the University of Gottingen in Germany.

Dr. William Hull speaking at Samford Commencement in 2008.

For 17 years, Dr. Hull was a professor of New Testament at Southern Seminary and served as dean and provost there before becoming the pastor at First Baptist Church in Shreveport, LA in 1975. He returned to teaching after taking the position of provost and professor here at Samford in 1987.

Dr. Hull was famous for saying the same benediction at many occasions, and this is one of the copies of it.

In addition, Hull, was a world-renowned scholar, writer, and theologian. He authored 21 books on Christian topics and theology and contributed to 24 additional works. Hull was a popular speaker both locally and worldwide preaching approximately 7,500 sermons between 1949 and 2008 with a ministry reaching beyond those years.

One drawer of the many filing cabinets storing Dr. Hull's clippings, research notes, and sermon drafts.

Dr. Hull passed away on December 10, 2013 from ALS. The University Library, Special Collection department is honored to be a part of preserving his legacy. 

Text and Photographs provided by Jennifer Taylor of the Special Collection.

READ with our Scholar Athletes

Jay Galloway, Football, Communication Studies Major

This fall, the Library and the Athletics Department have teamed up to promote reading by bringing you an exhibit featuring handpicked Scholar Athletes from each major sport at Samford.

Fares Kilani, Men's Tennis, Accounting Major

Brandon Hayman, Men's Basketball, Accounting Major

The American Library Association's READ campaign started in 1985 and has featured nearly two hundred celebrities holding their favorite books, all to promote one thing-- reading.

Caroline Wilder, Softball, Nursing Major

Hope May, Freshman Selfie Volunteer

This may be just the beginning of Samford's READ campaign.  We'd love to get other team members, professors, and administrators on their own READ posters.  We also invite you to come by the library, take your very own READ selfie, and tag us with #DavisLibrary on social media.

Lauren Caballero, Women's Tennis, Marketing Major

Stop by the library today and take a look at our READ posters, or visit us on Facebook where we'll be highlighting our featured READ poster students over the next couple of weeks.

Most importantly: get out there and READ, Samford! 

A Look Back: Oxford's photographs of Marion, Alabama

Howard College, now Samford University, was originally located in Marion, Alabama.

Alexander Christopher Oxford, known as A.C. Oxford, was a photographer active in Alabama from the 1870s until the 1880s. He died in 1925.

Marion, Alabama 1872

Marion, Alabama 1872

The Special Collection is blessed to have an album of Oxford’s photographs (SCAV 1324) that contains photographs of Marion, Alabama in 1872.

Text and Photographs contributed by Rachel Cohen of the Special Collection.

Play it again, Samford: the 1984 Return of Football to Campus

Samford team members celebrate a score against Arkansas Monticello in 1984.

In 1973, the football program was dissolved on Samford’s campus. Football returned as a varsity sport in 1984.

Georgia Southwestern team vs. the Samford Bulldogs in their 1984 season.

Though not a scholarship sport (that wouldn’t happen until 1988), the 1984 season was crucial in establishing administrative and student support for a robust football program. 

Alpha Phi Omega members show off "SU," a live mascot they donated to the Athletics Association.

The return season record was not particularly impressive, but the campus rallied to support the program. 

Cheerleaders hold up a sign for the team to run through at the 1984 Homecoming game.

During the 11 years that Samford University did not have an official football team, homecoming was celebrated during a basketball game. The return of football meant, among other things, the return of football games at homecoming. 

Arkansas defender stops Samford tailback Greg Switzer in the 1984 season.

Football became a scholarship sport in 1988, and in 1989, Siebert Stadium opened. With two NCAA playoff appearances in the 1990s, football continues to be an important part of campus life.

Thanks to Rachel Cohen, of the Special Collection, for text and photographs.

Vineyard Family Services benefits from Davis Library Book Fair

You may remember that, back in April, the Davis Library hosted a Book Fair in conjunction with the Books are Fun company.

One of the great things about Books are Fun is that 10% of the pre-tax proceeds from the Book Fair went to benefit the charity of our choice!  

The staff and faculty of the library got together and chose Backpack Buddies as a cause worthy of our support.  Backpack Buddies is a program where food is distributed to students who likely only get to eat regularly through school lunch and breakfast programs, and who probably would otherwise go hungry on the weekends away from school.  The food is given out discretely so that students can store the food in their backpacks to take home for the weekend and do not appear to be the recipients of charity.  

Locally, Backpack Buddies is managed by Vineyard Family Services, and they distribute food to over 600 elementary and middle-school students.  They are "a faith-based agency that works to decrease the effects of father absence by feeding kids in need, promoting responsible fatherhood & aiding families in crisis."

Today we were finally able to contribute our donation from the book fair to this worthy organization.  We encourage you to visit their Facebook page and find out more about how you can help.

Ward Williams, Director of VFS, accepts our donation.