Flashback: One Year in UB History
Category: Alumni
photo courtesy of UB’s Special Collections
photo courtesy of UB’s Special Collections
The year was 1971.
Throngs of screaming fans paid $10 each to see Elvis Presley take the Baltimore Civic Center stage. William Donald Schaefer, LL.B. ’42, LL.M. ’51, was elected mayor of Baltimore. Frazier beat Ali in “The Fight of the Century.” The voting age was lowered from 21 to 18, and an adult pass to Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom cost $3.50.
What was happening at UB:
- Future Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader visited UB in March to speak about his fight for consumer rights; he answered students’ questions afterward.
- The University received its initial accreditation by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
-
UB basketball star Isaiah “Bunny” Wilson (pictured) averaged 29 points per game in his senior year and became the Detroit Pistons’ 12th pick in the second round of the 1971 NBA draft.
- The former Kelly Buick building at the corner of Charles Street and Mount Royal Avenue reopened as UB’s Academic Center in the fall, adding substantial new space for classrooms, offices, a bookstore and gym facilities, including a rooftop tennis court.
- Students pursuing the field of teaching and/or coaching could be eligible for financial support from The Baltimore Orioles Foundation’s Baltimore Orioles Scholarship Fund.
- The Second Annual Alumni Association Golf Tournament brought 46 alumni and guests to Dulaney Springs Golf Club in September to compete for prizes including a McCormick spice rack, National Brewing Co. beer and a case of canned corn.
Readers Look Back to 1982 ...
In our last issue, we asked readers to tell us what UB was like in 1982; our thanks to everyone who told us their stories.
From Jeff Stratton, B.S. ʼ83:
UB Lax!
11 consecutive victories—longest win streak in school history
Best single-season record in school history
Ranked #6 in the country during regular season
3 D1 All-Americans
2011 UB Athletic Hall of Fame inductees
From Don Usher, B.A. ʼ85, J.D. ʼ87:
While Baltimore was suffering through a snowstorm in January, Washington, D.C., also had the same storm pass it by. On Jan. 13, Air Florida Flight 90 crashed into the Potomac River, leaving only six surviving passengers to await a rescue by U.S. Park Police helicopter “Eagle 1.” Five of the six made it to safety through the efforts of the helicopter crew and two civilians who risked their lives to save the survivors. I was the police officer/pilot of that helicopter and became a student at UB that summer in the Jurisprudence program. I went on to law school and graduated UB with a J.D. in 1987.
From Bert Smith, M.A. ’85, former professor, Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences:
My first day at UB:
On a cold, snowy Saturday morning in January of 1982, a new student orientation program was scheduled to begin in the gymnasium. I was one of those new graduate students, and knew next to nothing about UB. Icy roads had made most people late, and there was confusion about seating and advisers. Some materials had been misplaced, refreshments had not arrived, and the building was cold.
After settling in groups, the grumbling crowd quieted as a white-haired gentleman wearing a bow tie began to speak. In his soft Virginia manner, he introduced himself as Meb Turner, the president of the University, and began an impromptu talk on the value of effective communication. He told the story of a little country church that had no electricity until recently, and was investigating the purchase of a chandelier to brighten the interior, but one member objected, saying, “We don’t need a dang chandelier—if we had one, nobody would know how to play it—what the church needs is lights!”
Everyone laughed and calmed down, the orientation was very helpful, and I knew I would like it here. I liked it so much, I stayed for 30 years, first as a student, and later as a tenured associate professor!
