UMBC: An Evolution
In the fall of 1981, the editorial staff of The Retriever, UMBC's student newspaper, celebrated UMBC's 15th year by printing a ten part essay series outlining the history and development of the school. This fall, 30 years later, I would like to share this early history with you in celebration of UMBC's 45th anniversary. Here is how then Editor in Chief John Markus described the essay series:
This week the Retriever begins, as a series, segments of a paper prepared by former Editor in Chief of the Retriever Jose Anderson and former feature page editor Lamar Turner. In the words of the authors, the paper is "a humble attempt to record some of the more important events in the history and development of UMBC." It is perhaps odd to speak of 16 years as a history. Most of the people who were instrumental in the founding and development of the UMBC campus are still alive, and many of them still work in politics or higher education. But the community here, students and University staff alike, has undergone radical changes in these 16 years. The campus sorely lacks traditions or a collective memory of the years of development. Although this series is limited in scope to several main issues, and in depth to official documents and press accounts, it hopefully will still provide new and interesting information about this campus.
An unedited. unabridged, footnoted copy of Anderson and Turner's paper UMBC: An Historical Investigation is available for examination at the Retriever offices.
As the early years become more distant we may forget some of the controversies, disagreements, and turning points that ultimately formed UMBC as the campus it is today. I hope that you enjoy this series and learn more about the founding years of our campus and our community here at UMBC. Click the essay headings below to view essay in full.
