Our Iowa Heritage: An Introduction. We might suggest you start here! Here’s how & why I got started collecting stamps, coins, and other Iowa memorabilia.
The Iowa City Public Library – Celebrating 125 Years. In 2021, the ICPL celebrated its 125th anniversary. Since 1896, the library has been at the center of community life, and its rich heritage includes presidential visits, innovative ideas, four locations, and several remodeling projects. Over the years, the organization has transitioned from being a simple small-town library to becoming one of the most widely-respected media centers around the country.
UI Herstory – Dr. Christine Grant. In December, 2021, one of Iowa City’s finest citizens passed into glory. Dr. Christine Grant – age 85 – served as the University of Iowa’s Director of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women for 27 years (1973-2000). Under her leadership, we not only saw UI women – in 12 different sports – bring home 12 NCAA championships and 27 Big Ten titles, but we all witnessed this gracious but gritty competitor from Scotland serve as a national pioneer and influential voice for gender equity in collegiate athletics.
On The Road to Statehood – Celebrating 175 Years! On December 28, 2021, The State of Iowa celebrates its 175th Anniversary of Statehood. To honor the event, we’ve assembled a list of Our Top 20 “Did You Know?” Facts About Iowa – twenty points of interest surrounding our state’s history. See how knowledgeable you are when it comes to Iowa trivia.
Iowa Statehood Day – December 28th. Over the years, Iowans have celebrated our statehood on the day it all happened – December 28th (1846). Join us as we look at past Statehood Day celebrations over the years and celebrate our 175th Anniversary on December 28, 2021.
On Iowa! Go Hawks! – Celebrating 175 Years! On February 25, 2022, The University of Iowa celebrates its 175th Anniversary. To honor the event, we’ve assembled a list of Our Top 25 “Did You Know?” Facts About SUI – twenty-five points of interest surrounding my alma mater’s history. See how knowledgeable you are when it comes to Hawkeye trivia.
Iowa City – Featured On PBS Main Streets. In 2023, PBS-Wisconsin’s Travel Series – John McGivern’s Main Streets – paid a visit to Iowa City and, as it turned out, the show became a big hit for the network. Yours truly helped a bit with some of the programming, so come take a peek at some of the show’s highlights and watch the full 30-minute production! It’s Iowa City at her very best!
Caitlin Clark From The Logo In Coralville. In April 2023, immediately following the exciting women’s basketball season with the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Final Four, Caitlin Clark dropped by the Coralville Community Food Pantry (CCFP) to meet and greet her many fans while raising funds for the CCFP Clark’s Team Up Against Hunger Campaign. This April, we raised over $70,000 and it all goes to help our neighbors in need throughout Coralville. Here’s a salute to Caitlin – maybe we need to restore Coralville’s old name – Welcome to Clarksville!
Herky The Hawk – 75 Years Young. It’s 2023, and everybody’s favorite college mascot is celebrating his 75th birthday. Yup, Herky the Hawk looks a bit different than he did when he was first hatched on paper in 1948, but in all honesty, he looks pretty spry for a 75-year-old bird – don’t you think? So, on this page, we simply want to give you a photographic overview of Herky’s history – from 1948 to today. Happy Birthday, Herky!
2023 – A Night At The Englert. Back in 1967, trumpeter Herb Alpert came to Iowa City with his world-renowned Tijuana Brass, and your humble author was there in the standing-room-only crowd at the UI Field House. When it was announced that Herb – and his wife Lani Hall – were scheduled for the Englert Theatre in September 2023, Sandy & I just couldn’t miss the 88-year-old Alpert’s return visit to Iowa City.
Saving Iowa City’s Slezak National Hall. In 1872, a recent immigrant to Iowa City from Bohemia – Johann Slezak – bought two lots on the corner of Bloomington & Linn Streets. By 1875, his son – Joseph Slezak had opened the first of four buildings that would end up being called The National Hall. A true commercial center, Slezak Hall included a hotel, a dance hall with a stage and balcony, a grocery store, a tavern & restaurant, and even a horse stable to park your wagon and/or buggy! Today (2023), this classic property is endangered by not being classified as a city landmark. Join us as we work to SAVE THE SLEZAK.
October 15, 2023 – Setting Hawkeye Herstory! The first NCAA women’s basketball game to be played outdoors in a football stadium – set a single-game record for the largest attendance in women’s basketball history! 55,646 screaming Hawkeye fans filled up Kinnick Stadium as the Iowa Women’s Basketball Team played an exhibition game against the DePaul Blue Demons. A historic day in Iowa sports herstory.
A Fred W. Kent Campus Tour – Then & Now. In October 2023, The University of Iowa Pentacrest Museums sponsored a special exhibition of Fred W. Kent photographs. F.W. Kent (1894-1984) was a prolific photographer who took over 50,000 photographs in and around Iowa City between 1911 and 1975. Here, we take thirty contemporary pics by two UI photographers and place them side-by-side with thirty of F.W. Kent’s classics. Come enjoy the view!
Iowa City Airport – Flights Through Time. In 2018, the Iowa City Airport celebrated its centennial birthday. Five years later (2023), a U of I graduate from the School of Art – Jenna Brownlee – completed a massive mural that commemorates and celebrates the rich 100-year history of aviation in Iowa City. Come take a deeper look at this colorful masterpiece.
“Hey Buddy, I’m Bill” – The UI Library Exhibit. During the fall quarter of 2023, the University of Iowa Library hosted an enlightening exhibit celebrating the life of Iowa City’s own Bill Sackter. Coming here from Minnesota in 1975, where he was a ward of the state for 40+ years, Sackter, with the help of his UI School of Social Work “buddies”, became a national icon when two made-for-TV movies debuted his life story on national television. Bill died 40 years ago, but thanks to this exhibit, his story lives on.
Tales Of Iowa City – The Black Angel. In October 2023, we sat down with UI student Sophia R. Favorello, and we chatted about one of Iowa City’s most infamous landmarks – The Black Angel – located in Oakland Cemetery. Sophia is closing in on her BA degree in Journalism, Mass Communication, and Italian from the University of Iowa, and her short video project – Tales of Iowa City – The Black Angel, A Visual Story – is now complete and the link is posted our website. Take a peek.
The Caitlin Clark Effect. While the University of Iowa has a rich history in collegiate athletics, no one has ever seen anything like what happened when Catlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeye Women’s Basketball Team played their 2023-2024 season. After finishing as the NCAA National Champion Runner-Up in 2023, not many expected this team to roar back to the Final Four in 2024, but with Caitlin Clark on our side, we were nearly unstoppable.
The Bollers & The 2023-2024 Women’s Basketball Season. Our Boller family had a blast following the Hawkeye Women’s Basketball Team during the 2023-2024 season. From October 15th – Crossover In Kinnick – to the Big Ten Tournament Championship in Minneapolis to the Final Four – glued to the TV watching the Hawks battle it out in Cleveland, the Boller clan took in every joyous moment.
Remembering Krysty. During the amazing 2023-24 Iowa Women’s Basketball season, we all got the opportunity to meet the team’s Kid Captain – Krysty Bujakowska. Diagnosed – at age 10 – with a serious bone cancer in her leg, Krysty fought the valiant fight for nearly three years before finally succumbing in late November 2024. While her life was way too short, none of us will ever forget the amazing way Krysty walked through it all. So, Krysty, this page is our salute to you! Godspeed!