Rearview Mirror

From the desk of Felicity Knox ’94, assistant university archivist librarian

black and white drawing of an old campus street map

Hey Felicity . . .

Q: Why is there an Emerson Drive on campus? 

A: Why does Towson University have a street named after a 19th-century philosopher from Massachusetts? Prior to 1968, the roads on campus didn’t seem to have names. So that year, perhaps in honor of the Maryland governor becoming the vice president of the United States, the roads were named after Maryland governors, and the road in front of Stephens Hall
was named Agnew Drive. But by 1971, students wanted to honor those who had been killed
during civil rights protests and highlight great philosophers and local journalists. Agnew Drive became Kent State Drive, and another road was renamed Jackson State Drive. A traffic circle was named after Goethe and another one named after Thoreau. And one road connecting
a parking lot to Towsontown Boulevard was named Emerson Drive.

In 1984, the administration changed the names again, creating the ones we have on
campus today but kept only one from those created in 1971, which is why West Village
sits along Emerson Drive.

Have a question for Felicity? .

Unearthing TU’s History Through Oral Histories 

In summer 2019, TU student and faculty researchers began the Unearthing Towson’s History Project, delving into the University Archives collections with the goal of exploring the history of diversity on our campus.

As part of that project, researchers have conducted oral history interviews with alumni and former faculty members about their experiences on campus. The first was an interview with Whitney LeBlanc, the first Black faculty member hired by the school, who taught theatre in the 1960s. More interviews will soon be added to the online collection. 

TU Bands Have a History of Making Noise

black and white photo of the 1963 concert band

1963

The College Concert Band appears in the yearbook for the first time. This student group was under the direction of Benjamin Glover, who was at the school for just three years.   

color photo of the 1968 Hank Levy jazz band

1968

Hank Levy establishes the Towson State Jazz Ensemble. They would become so proficient under his direction that they would be barred from entering the Quinnipiac Jazz Festival in New Haven, Connecticut.

color photo from 2018 of TU jazz band

2018

The Towson University Jazz Orchestra celebrates 50 years of supporting students studying jazz at TU.