It’s a Family Affair
When Louistine “Lou” Ford Crockett, ’49 ED, was a student at the University of Illinois in the 1940s, one of her science professors said that all Black people had
My Alma Mater: Personal History
I studied history at the U of I straight out of Pittsfield (Ill.) High School, but it wasn’t until my 40s, after careers in the military, business, banking and politics,
Illini 411: How many U.S. presidents have visited the U of I?
A: Enough to fill a pickup basketball team—which would no doubt please former president Barack Obama, who gave a post-presidency speech at Foellinger Auditorium, in 2018. Two presidents visited the
2024 Athletics Hall of Famers
Laura DeBruler Santos Volleyball, 2007–10 Among the University’s most celebrated volleyball players, DeBruler Santos tallied 577 kills her freshman year, the third-highest single-season number in the program’s history. Unanimously chosen
Illini 411: When did the “I-L-L / I-N-I” stadium cheer begin?
A: The iconic cheer, in which one side of the Memorial Stadium crowd yells “I-L-L” and the other responds “I-N-I,” has been a mainstay of Illini football games since the
Memory Lane: The Streak
When 12,000 people showed up on the Quad one night in March 1974, you could have easily mistaken the gathering for an REO Speedwagon concert or a protest against President
Hangouts
KAMs (1933-) 608 E. Daniel St.; 618 E. Daniel St.; 102 E. Green St., Champaign It’s 1933: FDR is moving into the White House; Prohibition is ending after 13 inglorious
Teacher, Mentor and Friend
Inside the hushed archives of the University of Illinois on a sleepy end-of-fall-semester Friday afternoon, a librarian escorts me to a black cart topped with seven boxes that contain
Illini 411: What year did Illinois start using Homecoming themes?
A: As far as I can tell, it was 1919. The theme was “Victory Homecoming”—a commemoration of the United States’ victory in World War I—and the event was a return
Memory Lane: Film lover’s Delight
In our push-of-a-button, tap-it-and-stream-it world of today, it’s easy to forget that not so long ago, a movie night meant getting off your couch, going to the local video rental
