From the desk of Felicity Knox '94, assistant university archivist librarian
Hey Felicity...
Q: Who has been our longest-serving school leader?
A: When the Maryland State Normal School (MSNS) opened its doors in January 1866, McFadden Alexander Newell had been named principal just three months earlier. Newell’s primary duty was instructing the students in the most current teaching practices, but he was also in charge of recruiting and hiring staff and recruiting students. He served as the superintendent of public instruction for the entire state. Ultimately, he was the person shaping education in Maryland for more than 20 years. He remained with MSNS until 1890, serving as school leader for more than 24 years.
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Fifty years ago, TU established the second women’s studies department in the country.
To celebrate that milestone, Special Collections and University Archives has been creating a new digital collection to showcase some of the material we hold as well as offer a space for recent oral histories created by past and present members of the department.
For almost 40 years, since the first men’s varsity game in 1926, the mascot for the school had been the Knights. After a year of pushing for change by students, in 1963 the student body agreed the mascot for the school would be a tiger, seen here in the Homecoming parade.
Sgt. Stripes served as the mascot during the 1980s.
This fearsome fellow was the mascot from the 1990s until 2003 when the tiger got an official name. His new moniker, Doc, honored Donald “Doc” Minnegan, who had been a physical education instructor and coach at Towson from 1928 until 1973. Minnegan started many of the sports programs we have on campus today.