Public offered sneak peek at new KU history Web site, gallery panels in Union

LAWRENCE -- The public can get an early look at the University of Kansas' new history Web site and display panels through Saturday, May 4, both online and at the Kansas Union.

The date-driven site and a series of thematic display panels interpreting the university's history will be formally unveiled this fall.

"This Week in KU History" is located at www.kuhistory.com. During this week's preview, it will display articles, images and digitized primary source documents focused on key events in KU history that occurred between April 28 and May 4.

Original articles detail the turn-of-the-century "Maypole Scraps" tradition, the unveiling of Lewis Lindsay DycheØs "Panorama of North American Mammals" at the 1893 Chicago WorldØs Fair, KUØs reaction to America's entry into World War I and an attempt that almost abolished KU football. The Web site also offers users links to related subjects on the Internet.

The display panels are the initial installment of the KU History Galleries at the Kansas Union. Built around such themes as "Lost Traditions," "A Swell Yell," "Protest and Dissent," "Net Effectiveness" and "A Nose for News," the 52-inch-by-37-inch museum-quality panels are on display in the main lobby display cases at the Kansas Union.

Nearly 18 months in the making, "This Week in KU History" and the KU History Galleries are being developed and written by graduate students from the KU Department of History. A board of advisers, composed of professional historians and representatives from the university and Lawrence, oversees the projects.

When completed in fall 2002, the Web site will contain more than 125 original articles about key events and people in KU's history.

The project is sponsored by the KU Memorial Unions with additional support from the KU Student Senate and the KU/Coke Partnership.