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Arthur's Attic

Portrait of Phillis Wheatley in profile, seated at a writing desk.
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New Acquisitions: 18th Century Black Authors

SCU Archives & Special Collections has recently added several works to support the teaching of 18th century Black authors, including texts by or about Phillis Wheatley (1753-1784), Olaudah Equiano (1745-1797) and Ignatius Sancho (1729-1780). A distinctive feature of these 18th century publications is the repeated inclusion of testimonials that insist upon the authenticity of the […]

Palm palm trees leading to the Mission Church with a balloon banner
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Campus rumors: What about those palm trees?

Whenever tours ramp up in spring and new students start arriving in summer and fall, they begin to learn some facts (and some fictions) about the university. As the keepers of campus history, sometimes the archives get questions about old campus legends like this one:  I know that many years ago, the university used to […]

catala crucifix 2021
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Cristo de Maíz in the Mission Church

Have you ever spent time in the Mission Church and wondered about the origin of some of the religious art and decorations in there? One particular object has inspired many a prayer and a bit of curiosity: the Christ Crucified statue. Also known as the Catalá Crucifix, this statue came to Santa Clara from Mexico […]

Close-up image of marbling
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Marbled Books in SCU’s Archives & Special Collections

People often say, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” but I think that we all do. The cover helps us to focus our interest when looking into a sea of books. There are paperback and hard covers, there are solid and graphic covers, there are covers with images and there are covers with art. […]

aerial view of SCU circa 1950s with cross and communist emblem
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Christian-Marxist Dialog and the Changing Tides of a Jesuit University

When working at Archives & Special Collections, it’s hard to finish a shift without learning something new. Since I’ve started working here, the nature of my job has taught me so much about our university’s history. Where else could I learn about the activist origins of the Multicultural Center or about the time that students […]

Tenacious Zine Box Set cover photo
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A “Tenacious” Acquisition

I’m not the all-knowing anarchist. I’m just Lee, living day to day in a concrete cage while these life-stealing monsters try to shorten my life expectancy and decimate my hopes and dreams for the future. I’m just trying to leave something positive behind in the wake of my solitary confinement.” – Lisa “Lee” Savage (Tenacious […]

St. Joseph's Hall visible over the Mission Gardens archways
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Serene Gardens at SCU

Those who have ever lived at Santa Clara cannot deny that life for them has been rendered more pleasant and attractive by these glorious manifestations of Nature’s blossomings, surrounding them on every side.” (The Annals of Santa Clara: College and University 1851-1951, p. 830) The Mission Gardens Freshly cut grass, a plethora of colorful flowers, […]

A rugby match during the 1924 Paris Olympics
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Santa Clara’s Olympians

Tokyo Olympics 2020/2021 The Olympic games are an international spectacle that showcase some of the best athletes in the world. Viewers from all over the world watch in support of their country’s representative athletes as they strive to make the Olympic podium, which is one of the highest achievements an athlete can reach in their […]

Medal with University Seal, 1981
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The Origin of Senior Awards

At the end of the year, Santa Clara University sends off its graduates with one last bittersweet farewell at commencement. The ceremony allows students and faculty to reminisce about their time at SCU and feel proud of their accomplishments leading to the conferring of degrees. For the few students who went above and beyond, SCU […]

Jesus Maria Estudillo portrait
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Revisiting Californio Students: Jesús María Estudillo

Earlier in the year, I looked into the history of Hispanic students at Santa Clara College during the 19th century. It was easily one of my favorite blog posts I’ve written so far because of how much I’ve learned about Californios and early California. However, during my research, I came across the story of Jesús […]

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  • Reading Between the Lines: Sacramental Records and Ohlone Lives at Mission Santa Clara
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