The not so tranquil Thanksgiving of 1959

When someone mentions students riots one immediately thinks of students in the 1960's and early 1970's demonstrating in support of the civil rights movement, the women's movement, the anti-war movement, or any number of student movements from that time.

At least some UK students decided to disrupt the "tranquility" of the 1950's by engaging in a demonstration on the UK campus and through the streets of Lexington which was reported in detail in the November 24, 1959 Kernel.  What major societal issue could cause such a student disturbance in 1959?  Well, students wanted a holiday from class the day before Thanksgiving. 

The problem began a year earlier in 1958.  Following UK's 6-2 football victory over Tennessee.  Governor Albert B. "Happy" Chandler, a huge UK sports fan and Chair of the UK Board of Trustees, proclaimed the Wednesday before Thanksgiving a state holiday in recognition of UK's victory over the Vols effectively dismissing classes at UK that day.  Governor Chandler claimed to have no knowledge of the UK faculty's earlier decision not to dismiss classes that day.  All of this placed UK President Frank Dickey in a nearly impossible position.

In 1959 some students requested that classes be dismissed again on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.  The UK faculty voted not to dismiss classes and the trouble ensued.

The day after a demonstration through downtown Lexington a second protest march by the students was held on campus.

To this day a debate continues among most colleges and universities about how best to handle classes the week of Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.  

UK Provost

As the university searches for a provost it seems a good time to look back at UK's previous provosts.  In its over 150 year history the University of Kentucky has had only seven provosts:

Elvis Stahr - Law
1954-1957

A. D. Albright - Education
1960-1962

Lewis Cochran - Physics
1965-1967

Mike Nietzel - Psychology
2002-2005

Kumble Subbaswamy - Physics
2006-2012

Christine Riordan - Business
2013-2015

Tim Tracy - Pharmacy
2015-2017

The first provost was not appointed until 1954 and there have been extended periods since when UK operated without a provost.  Instead, a Vice-President for Academic Affairs or a Chancellor of the Lexington Campus served as the chief academic officer for the university.

Armistice Day

1919 Kentuckian Dedication

Armistice Day Celebration 1921
University of Kentucky Cadets
in front of Main Building

Adapting to an Urban Campus

Since the first automobiles arrived on campus UK students have been searching for a place to park.  Often the streets around campus became so congested (and still do) that the streets seem more like parking lots.

In the late 1850's Rose Street, seen below to the right and parallel to Limestone, was little more than a quiet country lane.

By the 1920's automobiles had become a major issue on campus as more and more students owned cars.  The student's cars caused headaches for the Deans of Women and Men because it decreased substantially the control they had over their students.  As problematic was the challenge of where to park the increasing numbers of cars each year.  In 1929 the Board of Trustees issued the following rules for automobiles:

Parking on Administration Drive, 1938

By 1964 the Kernel editors were describing campus parking as intolerable.  Every new construction project on the ever expanding campus eliminated parking spaces.  In 1964 the number of student parking spaces were cut in half.

Traffic on Rose Street, both cars and pedestrians became a growing concern.  President Herman Donovan petitioned the city to install "an electric traffic light" at the intersection of Rose and Washington Avenue.  As dormitories and the medical center developed east of Rose Street the number of reports of cars striking students crossing the road increased dramatically.

By the 1960s some people began calling for the closure of Rose Street.  When UK suggested this solution to a Lexington official in 1962 they countered by suggesting that Rose Street be widened to four lanes through the campus.  Surprisingly, after acknowledging the danger to students crossing Rose Street, Kernel editors backed the four lane plan.

Kernel, 1964

Over the past several years portions of Rose Street have been closed to through traffic making the street much safer for UK students.  The recent proposal for UK to "swap" land for control of campus streets could be the beginning of the university's ability to continue enhancing campus safety while at the same time making the campus a more pleasant place to study and work.

Kernel, 2013

Campus parking?  Making progress but still a work in progress!