Newswise — Anne Turkos may not have graduated from the University of Maryland, but she is a Terp fan through and through. Just take a look at her office on the second floor of Hornbake Library. It is filled to the brim with terrapin memorabilia in every shape and size. She even crochets terrapin-shaped bookmarks!
As the first woman to hold the title "University Archivist" at Maryland, she is in a unique position to oversee the history of an institution she has come to love. And when planning began to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Maryland, she was at the center of virtually every single discussion. There is no counting the number of hours she has put into planning for this year-long event.
One of the major projects Turkos took on was to create a new exhibit in the Maryland Room Gallery on the first floor of the Hornbake Library. The exhibit honors the students who, over 150 years, helped make Maryland what it is today. "Corps of Cadets to Testudo's Troops: 150 Years of Student Life at Maryland" is unique, interesting and yes, even fun because it reflects the men - and later the women - who attended this institution. The exhibit will continue through the end of July.
"I think it is difficult for students of today to imagine what life was like for the first 34 young men who entered the Maryland Agricultural College when it opened its doors on October 5, 1859," she says. The college had actually been chartered by the state on March 6, 1856, but it took more than three years to get the new institution up and running. "Each student followed a very regimented schedule. They rose at the same time, ate at the same time, shared the same classes, worked in the college's agricultural fields together, and attended religious observances at specified times," Turkos says. And did we mention that these students were referred to as cadets who wore uniforms?
The University Archivist says it was difficult deciding what to include in the exhibit. "We started with materials that we felt would tie into the title of the show," she says. That includes a display of those uniforms student cadets had to wear, images and memorabilia to capture Maryland's athletic history and even the original taxidermied terrapin that was the model for the first statue of Testudo, the university mascot. And in the back of the exhibit, you'll find a real may pole - May Day celebrations were a long and popular tradition on campus from 1923 until 1961.
Turkos says that the real Testudo is her favorite piece of student life by the way. "I consider it the crown jewel of the Archives," she says.
Recently, Newsdesk had a chance to talk with Anne Turkos about her new Maryland Room exhibit that highlights and honors the accomplishments of "Testudo's Troops."
You can read her full interview online at:http://www.newsdesk.umd.edu/culture/2006/Anniversary/Turkos.cfm
See this release online at:http://www.newsdesk.umd.edu/culture/release.cfm?ArticleID=1234
Publication Quality pictures from this exhibit are available. Please contact Dave Ottalini for more information.
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