Nearly 100 alumni and friends of the University of Redlands logged onto Facebook to join in the first U of R live virtual trivia night on May 21, part of a series of virtual events from the Alumni and Community Relations team. The evening was co-hosted by Director of Alumni and Community Relations Shelli Stockton and U of R Trustee and Director Emeritus of the A.K. Smiley Public Library Larry Burgess ’67, author of the University’s centennial history, With Unbounded Confidence: A History of the University of Redlands, who also curated the night’s questions. Look out for the second installment of virtual trivia night during Homecoming on Saturday, October 24.
How many of the evening’s 32 trivia questions can you guess correctly?
1. What was the first academic hall built on the University of Redlands campus and what was it called?
The Hall of Science. It was built in 1920 and is now known as Duke Hall, named after the second U of R president, Victor LeRoy Duke. The last science departments vacated the building in 2005 when the Stauffer Center for Science and Mathematics was completed.
2. In which year was the University’s yearbook, La Letra, first published?
1915. There was a student-produced magazine, originally called The Spectrum, launched in 1910, but it took until 1915 for there to be a critical mass of students to produce a yearbook.
3. The “Och Tamale” chant also had another name, what is it?
The “Psalm of Collegiate Thanksgiving.” The “Och Tamale” was written in 1921. Students had gone to Occidental College and heard their Latin chant. They returned to campus determined to compose something more lively.
4. How many alumni were present at the first alumni association meeting?
Seven. The meeting was held at the First Baptist Church in Redlands—that church also hosted the first trustee meeting, first faculty meeting, and first classes. The first alumni publication, The Alumni Edition, was published in 1923.
5. In which year did KUOR begin broadcasting?
1955. As early as 1930, the University’s trustees authorized the administration to pursue a campus radio station. In 2000, to meet a budget shortfall, the station was leased to an Orange County radio station.
6. When was the “R” created and by whom?
1913-14 by a group of students, mostly freshmen, and some faculty, who made the trek up the mountainside to clear the brush to make the “R”—still visible today
7. How many square feet of building space was constructed under President Jim Appleton’s tenure?
199,014 square feet. President Appleton’s tenure was prolific in terms of building.
8. The school colors were not originally maroon and grey. What colors were they?
Orange, green, and white. The opening ceremony for the University in 1909 featured a floral sign of the college in orange and green, which were listed as the school’s colors. A few, short days later, the faculty and 39-member student body un-selected these colors, opting instead for maroon and gray.
9. How did La Letra get its name?
It’s named after the “R” on the mountainside. The “R,” created in 1913-14, was had just come on the scene.
10. In which year was the bulldog adopted as the University of Redlands mascot?
1918. An opposing football team’s coach described the Redlands’ squad as tenacious as bulldogs, and the mascot was adopted.
11. What was the name of the first mascot?
General Haig, after a famous British World War I general.
12. Which building on campus was the original library?
Larsen Hall. The building was dedicated on Feb. 1, 1926. It was simply called “The Library” until the completion of Armacost Library in 1969. The building was then renamed after Earnest ’23 and Dorothy ’24 Larsen, who had funded an interior renovation.
13. In which year did the Salzburg program begin?
1960. Off-campus study was initiated in 1953 with a semester in Washington D.C., but the University’s Salzburg program was one of the first study abroad programs in the nation. The president of University of California, Berkeley acknowledged that Berkeley modeled its own overseas study course after the Salzburg program.
14. What was the first residence hall built on campus?
Bekins Hall. It was built in 1911 and housed female students. It was named for Mr. and Mrs. Martin Bekins, who donated the funds.
15. What were the first two intercollegiate sports played at Redlands?
Baseball and rugby. In 1910, the faculty organized the athletic association, confirming the University’s intention to offer competitive sports. Rugby was an important sport until the up-and-coming sport of football became the rage on college campuses across the country. Coaches were challenged to put together full teams in many sports, especially football, and faculty sometimes suited up to play alongside students.
16. In what year were women first admitted to the University?
1909, with the first class—women have been a part of the University of Redlands since its founding.
17. Redlands was founded as a northern (later American) Baptist-affiliated university, and there was one activity that, although students lobbied hard, the Board of Trustees did not allow until 1943! What was that activity?
Dancing. It was New Year’s Eve of 1943 when it was first allowed. Pressure from the sailors and marines of the World War II V-12 program helped finally bring it on campus.
18. Who were the last president and first lady to live in the president’s home, now the Alumni House, on the Redlands campus?
President Doug and First Lady Becky Moore. Becky Moore once came downstairs in her bathrobe to find a Cub Scout troop in the kitchen!
19. What was the first women’s sport on campus?
Tennis. The 1921-22 school year was first time we played intercollegiate tennis. By 1928, the Women's Athletic Association was formed. Sports included field hockey, basketball volleyball, archery, swimming, baseball, tennis, hiking, and riding. Letters were given, too! Note that this was long before Title IX and the emergence of women’s sports on the national scene.
20. Before there were oak trees and grass on the Quad, what was there?
Crops. The crops included beans and asparagus, which were served in the Commons, and also alfalfa.
21. Why is the Chapel on campus called “Memorial Chapel”?
It is in “memorial” to its donor, Milo Treat. Treat, too modest to have his name on many of his gifts, died before the result of his last gift, the Chapel, was completed. It was named “Memorial Chapel” at its dedication in 1928. The Chapel’s architect was Herb Powell ’20, who also designed Currier Gymnasium and the Alumni Greek Theatre.
22. Who raised the money to build the Greek Theatre, and in what year was it built?
Alumni raised the money, and it was built in 1927. The alumni starting raising money in 1915, but it took until 1927 to see it completed. This is why the official name is Alumni Greek Theatre.
23. Who was the first president of the University of Redlands Alumni Association?
Rachel Coolidge Price. Price was from the Class of 1911 and the Alumni Association was started in 1912, so she was only one year out of school when she became the first president.
24. What alumni couple have given the largest amount of philanthropic support to the University of Redlands since World War II?
Rich and Ginnie Hunsaker. Rich and Ginnie live in Orange County, and both are from the Class of 1952. As president of his freshman class, Rich was also the handler of one of the University’s live bulldog mascots.
25. In what year was the bulldog statue on campus erected and what organization raised the money for it?
2017 and Maroon and Grey Student Ambassadors. They raised the money in a very short period of time from alumni and fellow students.
26. What’s the name of our new men’s basketball coach and from what school is he coming from?
Eric Bridgeland, Whitman College. In Coach Bridgeland’s last five years at Whitman, his team qualified for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament each season and advanced to the Sweet-16, Elite-8, and Final Four. His 2019 seniors graduated as the winningest class in NCAA Division III history, as they contributed to three undefeated titles in Northwest Conference action and a 67-conference game win streak. Expect lots of exciting basketball this season in Currier Gym!
27. What year did the Feast of Lights begin?
1947. It was conceived by J. William Jones, director of University choirs.
28. What was on the property before it became the site of the University’s Redlands campus?
A vineyard. Carl Wells donated 40 acres of land, the majority of the present-day Redlands campus, along with $25,000, which is $460,000 in today’s dollars. Wells was a young banker originally from Vermont. Originally, the site was Cahuilla and Serrano land.
29. Which coach has won a conference championship in four different sports?.
Coach Jim Ducey ’78, in Men’s and Women’s Basketball and Men’s and Women’s Tennis.
30. What was the first student service organization on campus?
SPURS. It was founded in the 1932-33 academic year and was the 14th chapter of the national SPURS organization. Although it is now a sophomore honor group, it was founded by a group of seniors. SPURS continues to this day but its men’s corollary, Yeomen, no longer exists on campus.
31. Why is the University’s Administration Building the same on both sides?
It was designed that way as a part of the architectural style of the building. The trustees of the University felt it was important for the Admin Building to sit on a hill, and that is why it was positioned where it is. The original architectural plans for the building are clearly marked “front” on the north-facing side and “rear” on the south-facing side.
32. When the cornerstone of the University was laid for the Administration Building, it contained a time capsule. What was in it?
Newspapers from 1909, a picture of U of R’s first University president, Jasper Newton Field, and other items. Rumors that it included the signatures of all the faculty pledging allegiance to the Baptist faith are not true.
Congratulations to all of the trivia winners from this inaugural event: Chris Alvarez ’07, ’18, Caitlin Arakawa ’15, ’19, Kathee Bautista ’75, James Benanti ’99, ’05, Sebastian Brown ’16, ’18, Katie Cure ’97, Kevin Dyerly ’00, ’04, Autumn Earle-Rodriguez ’99, ’03, Jean Harrison ’78, ’81, Angie Hatch ’88, Lori Horter ’88, Matt Johnson ’01, Ryan Kelley ’99, Natalie Kille, Ayesha King ’10, Steven Rodriguez ’98, ’06, Tom Westerfield ’86, Leslie Whittemore ’94, ’96, John-Paul Wolf ’02, ’06, and Lou Zamudio, Jr. ’02.
Join the University of Redlands for its next virtual trivia event on Saturday, October 24 at 6:00 p.m. as part of Homecoming. The event will be hosted on Facebook Live at https://www.facebook.com/UniversityofRedlandsAlumni/. For a list of Homecoming events and activities, visit www.redlands.edu/homecoming.
