Seymour Notes: News from Seymour Library

Adolph P. "Ziggy" Hamblin (1896—1966) left an indelible mark on the lives of countless individuals. During his time as a student at Knox he earned 16 letters in football, basketball, baseball, and track, still the most letters earned by any Knox student. After graduating Knox, Hamblin moved on to West Virginia State College where he served as head of the Biology, Zoology, and Botany Department, coached football and baseball teams, and was heavily involved in multiple fraternities. His dedication to teaching and mentoring endured throughout his lifetime, leaving a lasting impact.

The collection consists of World War II era letters sent to Hamblin from 91 of his students who left college to serve in World War II. These letters offer an important glimpse into experiences and perspectives of Black soldiers about military life and service during the War. They serve as testimony to the enduring mentorship Hamblin provided to the young men he taught and coached at West Virginia State College. As one soldier puts it in a letter, "If I can ever equal the man you are or accomplish half as much I'd be the proudest guy on earth."

The collection was generously donated to Knox College by Lauren Tucker, Hamblin's granddaughter. We thank our volunteer transcribers for their work in making the collection searchable: Jean Patton, Peter Bailley, Jeff Douglas, Kyra Kellogg, and other anonymous individuals.


https://collections.carli.illinois.edu/digital/collection/knx_hamblin

Second Floor Historic Spaces

Seymour Library has the following beautiful rooms available for event reservations that are not available via Google Calendar: Muelder Room (Red Room), Standish Room, and  Bookfellow Room (Gold Carpet room)

Please email Kari Santos (ksantos@knox.edu) about reserving one of these spaces. A library staff member will reach out to you to confirm your reservation. We will assist with work orders as the rooms have complicated set ups!

Andrews Forum

If you are a faculty member interested in using Andrews Forum for a class, please email your Subject Liaison. If you are a staff member looking to have an event in Andrews Forum, please email Kari Santos (ksantos@knox.edu).

Google Calendar Reservable Rooms:

Room reservations may be made in advance for the Burkhead Seminar Room using the Google calendar room reservation system. The Burkhead Seminar Room has 1 table with 6-8 chairs. The room is located near the Tower offices and requires use of stairs. 

The Abolition Lab and the Podcasting Studio are also available via Google Calendar. Please check with Jen Andrella if you have questions regarding this space.

Seymour Library received a $94,678 grant from the Illinois State Library  to encourage the creation the Open Educational Resources(OER) at Knox College. Our project is titled "Making the Liberal Arts Affordable and Innovative: OER Across the Curriculum." Faculty from Biology, History, Politics, and Mathematics will be writing and updating OERs during the 2024-2025 academic year and teach them in courses in 2025-2026. As part of the grant, we have hired Erin Stapleton-Corcoran, an instructional designer, to lead workshops on topics ranging from Universal Design to developing authentic assessments. More information on these workshops is coming soon. 

If you would like more information on OER, please visit our Introduction to OER guide.