That I May Remember

Student 5
Word Count: 1,346

Picture by Florida State Libraries

TALLAHASSEE, FL Beneath the famed Spanish moss, inside the brick buildings, through
Legacy Walk and around Doak Campbellone collects more than just college credits at
Florida State University. Countless of priceless memories are created on our campus. Some
are small moments, like passing the hardest class of your life. Some are incredible, like
witnessing your football team win a national championship. Each of these moments sums
up the FSU experience but past graduation, what happens to these memories? For some,
the pictures and memorabilia go into a cardboard box in the attic labeled F-S-Unever to
see the light of day again. But for thousands of photographs, yearbooks, and memorabilia,
they have been given a second life in a new home in a new museum on campus.
The Heritage Museum, which opened its doors in 2011, tells the history of Florida State
University through historical documents generated by the university and artifacts donated
by alumni. These artifacts, which range from scrapbooks to personal correspondence, are
collected through the campus-wide program Heritage Protocol. The program was the
brainchild of a group of impassioned female faculty and alumnae who put saw a need for
the university to have a database of historical documents and sought out materials that
encapsulated the student experience.

Very quickly, the movement branched off into two sectors; the Heritage Protocol branch
focuses directly on student materials, which include everything from scrapbooks,
memorabilia, letterman sweaters and postcards. The other, University Archives, focuses on
institutional records, which would include financial documents, reports, newsletters, and
statistics. Both share a common goal; to locate, identify, record and assist in the
preservation of, and promote knowledge about the history of Florida State University and
its predecessor institutions.

Commented [KV1]: Good job on cleaning up the lead

paragraph. This reads cleaner.

From Humble Beginnings to Towering Pines

Part of the movement was to teach both current and future students the rich history and
legacy of Florida State University. Although many hidden treasures on campus pay homage
to the earlier years, most are unaware of the early beginnings of Florida State. As one of the
largest and oldest institutions of higher learning in the State University System of Florida,
Florida State began as a Seminary. In 1851, the year found on the official university
emblem, is when the Legislature of the State of Florida signed the Legislative Act of January
24, 1851, which provided the establishment of two institutions of learning. According to
the Act, the two institutions were to serve two purposes; the instruction of persons, both
male and female, in the art of teaching all the various branches that pertain to a good
common school education (what is commonly referred to today as a liberal arts
education). The second, to give instruction in the mechanic arts, in husbandry, in
agricultural chemistry, in the fundamental laws, and in what regards the rights and duties
of citizens.
Years pass, and in 1857 The West Florida Seminary (also known as the Florida State
Seminary) opened for classes. Current students might be surprised to know that when they
take Baby Bio in the Westcott Building, they are sitting in the oldest continuously used the
site of higher education in Florida. In 1858, the seminary absorbed the Tallahassee Female
Academy and became coeducational. During the Civil War, Floridas Confederate
government added a military school to the institution, and changed its name to the Florida
Military and Collegiate Institutethus beginning FSUs long military tradition. In 1883, it
became part of the Florida University, the first state-supported university to be founded in
Florida, but due to lack of funding, the seminary soon returned to its original name.
In 1905, the Buckman Act restricted higher education in Florida, and the seminary was
reorganized as the Florida State College for Women. This part of Florida State history is
perhaps most formative years as the college became one of the most acclaimed and
premier Womens colleges in the southeast. After WWII, the school became coeducational
once again to accommodate the influx of young men entering college under the G.I Bill, and
was renamed The Florida State University.

Purpose of Heritage Protocol

But how do yellowed pictures in scrapbooks enhance the student experience? Sandra
Varry, Heritage Protocol, and University Archivist believe the materials do more than just
teach undergraduates about the history of Florida State. Florida State University has a
good sense of community, Vary says. One of the ways to reinforce that and to get students
to understand their place in the history of an institution is to engage with the past of that
institution. This allows them to know how they are creating history during their time,
while also reaching back into that history and understand how things came to be.
Heritage Protocol and University Archives goes beyond the borders of Florida State
University. Having well-rounded archives collection allows for the public to see the Florida
States role in the development of Tallahassee. As Archivist, our job is to acquire, preserve

Commented [KV2]: Excellent job on including in depth

information. Makes the article more varied.

Commented [KV3]: Once again, great job on including

more historical information. It shows that you have done
your research well.

it, and prevent access to it with no particular interpretation, says Varry on her role as a
University Archivist.

From Library to Museum

The Heritage Museum is particularly unique to Florida State, in that very few institutions
have a museum on campus dedicated to university history. We are not the only institution
that has an archives collection, Varry explains. We are unique in that we grew our student
experience and museum separate from the archives.
Dodd Hall is quite fitting for the museum location. The purpose of the building has
transformed as much as the university. Dodd Hall has been the home to the original Florida
State College for Women library, WFSU Studios, Claude Pepper Library and finally the
Heritage Museum.
Since its opening, the museum has seen over 5,500 visitors. The reaction has been positive
from both students and alumni. Students love the quiet place to study, and alumni love the
space for development purposes (The museum has become a popular venue for various
fundraising and alumni events). But Varry points out the lack of diversity that the museum
currently has. We want to make a conscious decision to feel inclusive, that everyone can
feel comfortable, engaged and feel like they belong.
Not Just A Football School
When the sun sets on campus, one can go to the museum and see the mosaic artwork of
watercolors on the floor reflecting from the beautiful stain glass windows. Each stained
glass is special to Florida State. Created as a way to endow funding for the museum, each
stain glass window represents a Florida State University organization, program or people
of historical value to the institution. One of the stain glass windows represents an
important part of Florida State history, The College of Arts and Sciences.

The College of Arts and Sciences is special to the museum, explains Varry. It is the oldest
college at the University. As the pictures and memorabilia show, the college has provided
generations of Seminoles with a robust liberal arts education, which heralds back to the
original purpose of the university. The contributions of the College of Arts and Sciences
have been integral to the growth of Florida State University. The first recorded master's
degree was awarded in 1908. The college also awarded the first Florida State College for
Womens masters degree in 1909, as well as the first doctorate in Chemistry in 1952.
In addition to the abundant of gifted students, the College of Arts and Sciences also has
sported distinguished faculty. The Museums collection of photos and yearbooks show
decades of distinguished professors, including seven members of the National Academy of
Science, three Nobel laureates and a Pulitzer Prize winner.
Heritage Protocol and University Archives seeks to preserve the legacy of Florida State
University. This heritage is rich with a diverse background that shows not just the
development of FSU and Tallahassee, but of higher education in Florida. With its humble
beginnings as the Western Seminary of Florida, to one of the most premier Women's

Commented [KV4]: Good research. Great job at

connecting the dots back to the College of Arts and
Sciences.

Colleges in the Southeast, to its current status, Varry hopes that Heritage Protocol shows
the public that It is not just FSU the football school,' its so much more.

Commented [KV5]: I think you did a good job with this

second draft. The writing reads better. Your paragraphs
are cleaner and it shows that you have done your
research. It is clear that you took the advice from the
conferences which I commend you for. Excellent job on
including more historical information. You also did a
good job at connecting all the information together from
the beginning to the end. I noticed that you still only have
quotes from Varry, so you may want to look into getting
some more sources for this article.