May 2012 Photo of the Month

After a long winter and the grind of the academic year, the annual campus May Day celebration was highly anticipated by St. Procopius College (now Ben U) students. The June 1921 edition of Studentské Listy, the college newspaper, describes the excitement of the day: "Like a thunderbolt out of a clear pocket in the sky came the news on that bright May the 10th morning, when the cuckoos were softly calling, that "May Day" had at last arrived."

The 1921 celebration included activities still seen in modern springtime celebrations: banners and decorations across the campus, music (in the form of a four-piece student band), skits and other performances, and a cookout complete with ice cream. Like hungry students everywhere, students greeted the picnic with great enthusiasm: "No second summons had to be sounded before we were in a long, long, never-ending line to get our 'weeners' and cakes" (Studentské Listy, June 1921). In the afternoon, students marched in a parade over to the athletic field where they watched their classmates compete in a variety of track and field contests.

The 1921 photograph shows a group of Saint Procopius College Students enjoying their May Day to the fullest.

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The Archives & Special Collections holds research and primary source materials which support teaching and research at Benedictine. The University Archives contain over 700 linear feet of Benedictine University's own history, publications, records, theses, and memorabilia. Special Collections contains almost 3000 volumes of rare books and periodicals as well as maps, prints, manuscripts, photographs, and memorabilia covering people and organizations related to the university, its programs of study, and local history.

If you are new to historical research, you might find our guide to working with primary sources helpful.

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Alumni Directories from 1887 - 1937