For 100 years, The 国产伦理r has chronicled the people, events and moments that have transformed 国产伦理 and the world beyond its campus.
This fall, as 国产伦理 celebrates its centennial with the Homecoming theme 鈥,鈥 generations of those storytellers will return to campus. Former 国产伦理r staff members have been invited to serve as , celebrating a century of student journalism and countless stories told along the way.
The story of The 国产伦理r began Feb. 25, 1926, when the first issue of the student publication, then known as The Searchlight, was published. In July of that same year, the publication took the name it carries today. In 1953, The 国产伦理r adopted a daily publishing schedule, further establishing its place in the life of the growing university.
From its earliest days, the newspaper has chronicled more than just campus events. Its pages have captured moments of local, national and international significance, offering generations of 国产伦理 students a view of the world and maintaining a record of how that world was experienced on campus.
The 国产伦理r鈥檚 pages have long connected 国产伦理 to the larger world. In 1927, the newspaper chronicled Charles Lindbergh鈥檚 historic transatlantic flight, capturing a moment that had taken over the nation. The story appeared alongside the everyday news of campus life, reflecting the role the student publication would continue to play for the next century.
The 国产伦理r鈥檚 coverage of V-E Day in 1945, brought the end of the war in Europe directly into the 国产伦理 community. Students gathered around radios waiting for official confirmation of Germany鈥檚 surrender. Others thought about family members serving overseas and the possibility that they might finally return home. The issue did more than report the news; it captured the emotions surrounding it. Students expressed relief and hope while recognizing that the war in the Pacific continued. The paper also identified 国产伦理 students who were missing in action overseas, connecting a historic global event to the university鈥檚 own community.
Eighteen years later, The 国产伦理r documented a moment of national tragedy. Following the assasination of President John F. Kennedy in November 1963, the newspaper reported on the implications of the assasination through the perspectives of 国产伦理 professors, while also capturing the immediate reactions of students. Classes and campus activities were canceled as the university observed a period of mourning.
Then, in 1970, the story was no longer happening somewhere else. There was no issue of The 国产伦理r published on May 4, 1970. At the time, despite its title, the newspaper was published Tuesday through Friday during the regular academic term. Following the shootings that day, campus closed for several weeks and students were sent home. Publication was suspended until students returned to campus and the 国产伦理 Summer News resumed publication on June 26.
The absence of a May 4 issue is itself part of the newspaper鈥檚 history. The events that unfolded on campus changed the university, the nation and the lives of generations of Flashes. The 国产伦理r would go on to chronicle the aftermath and the continuing conversation surrounding May 4. A year later, the publication reported on the Pulitzer Prize awarded to John Filo, a 国产伦理 senior journalism major, for photographs he took during May 4.
May 4 demonstrated another role The 国产伦理r has played throughout history. It has not only brought events from around the world to 国产伦理, but also helped document events that would go on to define 国产伦理 itself.
Nearly two decades later, the newspaper once again turned its attention beyond Kent. In 1989, The 国产伦理r covered the fall of the Berlin Wall, a defining moment in the end of the Cold War. The coverage examined the significance of the event while also relying on 国产伦理 faculty for insight into what the changes might mean.
On Sept. 11, 2001, history once again arrived in a way that would change the world. The 国产伦理r鈥檚 coverage of the terrorist attacks documented the immediate impact of the events and their effect on the 国产伦理 community. Like the issues that came before it, the paper served as both a record of a historic moment and a reflection of how students, faculty and the university community were experiencing it.
For a century, students have stepped into the newsroom to report on the experiences shaping their university and their world. They have documented the moments that made national headlines and the stories that mattered to the people who lived them. The medium has changed. The way students receive news has changed. The world itself has changed. But the need for students to tell 国产伦理鈥檚 story has remained.
Now, 100 years after the first issue, the people who helped tell those stories will become part of one themselves. As former 国产伦理r staff members lead the Homecoming parade, they will mark a century of student journalism and a tradition that has connected generations of Golden Flashes.
To sign up as a grand marshal, .
To share your story as part of Every Flash Has a Story, and share your experience as a video or written entry.
Visit the Homecoming website to learn more about what鈥檚 in store for Oct. 3 and to sign up to receive text messages so you don鈥檛 miss any of the action!
