This is the second article in a three-part series examining the legacy of HIV/AIDS in Iowa City. Read part one here. It’s October 1980, and Jack Stapleton is treating a 19-year-old girl diagnosed with a rare lung infection: pneumocystis carinii pneumonia. Stapleton, then an internal medicine intern in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, became interested in […]
University of Iowa history
Posted inCommunity/News
During the ‘wild, bucking ’70s’, Iowa City’s lesbian and gay communities were often at odds. A crisis brought them together.
This article is part one in a three-part series from Adria Carpenter exploring the history of HIV/AIDS activism in Iowa City. Part two and three will be published in the weeks to come. In the early 1980s, Rev. John Harper was a fresh-faced graduate student at the University of Iowa and a semi-active member of […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Former UI President Sandy Boyd, who left an indelible mark on the university, has died at age 95
Willard Boyd, president of the University of Iowa from 1969 to 1981, died on Tuesday. Boyd, known to everyone by his nickname “Sandy,” was 95 years old. Boyd was president during a period of great change and unrest, with protesters challenging the established structures of power at the university over issues such as the war […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Doodles, scribbles and goldleaf: Flipping through the University of Iowa’s medieval book collection
When one imagines a book from the Middle Ages, they likely picture a hefty religious tome, calligraphed by quill-clutching monks and featuring the kind of gilded, illustrated initials that inspired that one episode of Spongebob. But old books don’t have to glitter to be gold, according to Eric Ensley, medieval scholar and curator of Rare […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Why we love the Middle Ages — and still have things to learn from them
An enormous forest extends for thousands of miles in every direction, with rivers that the traveler — whether pilgrim or trader — must cross on foot, leading a tired horse. The tracks of bears and wolves are often seen. Elk swim in the cold lakes. There is an eerie absence of people. Following the sound […]
Posted inCommunity/News
University of Iowa Labor Center, slated for closure in 2019, celebrates 70 years
The University of Iowa Labor Center will celebrate 70 years of empowering workers in the Hawkeye State this Saturday, May 7. Surviving the threat of closure and a pandemic, the Labor Center continues to play a vital role in tackling the challenges facing workers statewide. “The Labor Center is our state university’s commitment to the […]
Posted inCommunity/News
How UI grad Liz Crokin became one of QAnon’s biggest influencers
Content warning: This article contains references to sexual assault, child abuse and racism. “QAnon Congresswoman” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was red-pilled (that is, fell down the rabbit hole of far-right online conspiracy theories) back in 2017. “I first heard about [Q] from Liz Crokin,” Greene said in a Facebook Live video from November 2017. “She’s […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Coast Guard to honor Hawkeye football great Emlen Tunnell for his bravery in WWII
Emlen Tunnell made history on the football field — first as a Hawkeye, then in the NFL — and continued do so after his playing days ended in 1961. In 1965, he became the first Black assistant coach in the NFL, and in 1967, Tunnell was the first Black player inducted into Pro Football Hall […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Two houses represent a forgotten period of segregation in Iowa City, University of Iowa history
The houses at 942 Iowa Ave and 914 S Dubuque St in Iowa City may seem nondescript — just another couple of old, off-campus rental properties for college students — save for the rust-brown metal signs out front. These signs, funded by a grant from the National Park Service, detail the background of the Iowa Federation Home and Tate Arms house, which have had quiet but important roles in the history of Iowa City and the University of Iowa.
Posted inCommunity/News
Meet the University of Iowa’s first female drum majors, leaders and entertainers during WWII
When UI drum major Analisa Iole stepped onto the Kinnick Stadium football field this past fall, she was celebrated as the Hawkeye Marching Band’s first female major since WWII. But who were Iole’s predecessors, the women who served as leaders in the community while U.S. service members (including Nile Kinnick) were overseas?
