Illini 411: Where did the trolley run on campus?
A: In the university’s early years, a full-service, horse-drawn streetcar connected Champaign and Urbana, and ran right through the heart of campus. By 1890, it had evolved into an electric
Great Sport Moments: Final Four Fever
Ask any Illinois men’s basketball booster the most cherished game and year involving their favorite team, and the answers are always the same: the 2005 regional final against Arizona and
The Big Picture: Cherry Blossom Time
Mid-April’s sakura—blossoming cherry trees—herald spring at the university’s Japan House, inviting garden visitors to engage in the traditional Japanese custom of hanami or “flower viewing.” An allée, or walkway, of
Legacy Builder
It’s just after dawn on a Sunday morning in mid-October, the sun fanning out between the skyscrapers of downtown Chicago, a light breeze coming off Lake Michigan, and in Grant
Sports Legends: The “Osborn Roll”
He doesn’t have a statue or a building with his name on it. But Harold M. Osborn, 1922 ACES, probably should. At the 1924 Olympics, Illinois great Osborn became the
My Alma Mater: Step Up
My time at Illinois was filled with many fond memories, and a fair share of them included Foellinger Auditorium as the backdrop. By day, I’d show up there for an
Illini 411: What was the medieval-looking place that served wassail at Christmastime?
A: For many years, wassail was a speciality of Etc. Coffeehouse, the cozy hangout spot inside the Late Gothic Revival, decidedly medieval-looking Wesley Foundation, at the corner of Green and
Dig This!
In Disturbing the Bones (Melville House, 2024), Andrew Davis, ’68 MEDIA, and Jeff Biggers weave a geopolitical conspiracy thriller that’s set almost entirely within the state of Illinois—filled with war
I’s on the World: Stylish Sisters
While back on campus in May 2024 for a Pi Beta Phi sorority reunion, sisters Janet Barczak Niehoff, ’84 LAS, and Joyce Barczak Sterk, ’77 LAS, hit on a grand
Illini 411: How does the university keep ground water out of the steam tunnels?
A: A torrential downpour? Melting snow and ice? No sweat. All nine miles of the underground steam tunnels, which connect many of the campus’ buildings and have been used as
