http://rmc.library.cornell.edu/EAD/htmldocs/RMA01538.html
I am quite pleased to announce the link above to the Guide to the Acacia Fraternity Records, 1906-2007.
This guide represents the culmination of the many hours of cataloging of the chapter's archives. With the electronic coding complete, all brothers and other interested people can read through the chapter's history electronically. The organization of the collection is designed to give the reader a sense of the great depth and breadth to the chapter history. For those interested in learning more, I would suggest my book, Acacia Fraternity at Cornell: The First Century (Acacia Fraternity Foundation, 2007). It is available for purchase online by ordering through: http://www.cornellacacia.org/index.php?a=cc&s=book&PHPSESSID=a9c1495e36d360906677a5b43f7627f1
I do plan on contributing more items to the archives over time. If you have items that would fit into this collection, please contact me. I usually try to digitize the materials first, e-mail you the digital copy, and THEN donate the originals to the library.
Also, we are online at on the Library's eCommons at http://ecommons.library.cornell.edu/handle/1813/3349. I still need to come up with an organization to the chapter's electronic records (i.e., everything I have scanned), but I did upload about 25 gigabytes of materials. It is all up there, just needs organizing!
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Progress on Sprinkler System - 2007
Below are some photographs taken of the work done installing a pipe from the water line for the sprinkler system. After laying the pipe, we will be moving ahead with installing the interior pipes into the house during the summer. We are having engineering plans drawn up soon, which we hope to make available as part of the spring Traveler newsletter. Our goal is to have all construction complete by the summer of 2009.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
The Venerable Deans of Cornell Acacia at Centennial
This photograph was taken on Saturday evening at the Centennial event in the Statler. Pictured are the Venerable Deans who attended the event. Front row (left to right): Bob Bergren '50, David Rickerby '91, John Ahlfeld '63, John Male '58, Richard Brewer '65, Larry McSorley '85; Second row (left to right): Scott Inglis '99, Rex Inglis '67, Kyle Small-Davis '09, Tom Harp '97; Third Row (left to right): Bill Ward '80, Bill Bethke '79; Fourth Row (left to right): Andrew Mercer '81, Michael Nasatka '03; Fifth row (left to right): David Rimshnick '05, Bradley Schmidt '01, Paul Molnar '99, Thomas Balcerski '05. Venerable Deans who were also present at the weekend but missing from the photograph: Bob Baker '53, Bill Burnett '53, Jim Freeman '55, Bob Phafl '60, Preston Shimer '61, and Brian Sivillo '96.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Centennial Spirit, Vol. 1., No. 1
The Centennial Spirit, the successor to the Centennial Horizon, is an alumni newsletter dedicated to continuing the spirit of brotherhood created by the Centennial. In this issue, you will find a post-Centennial wrap-up article by David Klesh, a two-page "Case Statement" for the Capital Campaign that can be shared with any brother, a list of donors to date, and an order form for the Centennial Documentary. Here's to the spirit of the Centennial!
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
History Project Update
I have been inactive on this blog for a few months now, but it is certainly not because I have been idle on the history of Acacia project. Since finishing writing the book, I have spent much time revising and editing the manuscript for publication. The first step for me was to revise the draft a second and third time. After doing this and incorporating helpful suggestions from alumni reviewers, I then contacted a friend of mine outside the fraternity who is a retired lawyer and a very good copy editor. He graciously volunteered to read the book (twice), and with his help, I was able to come to a final copy of the text.
On the photographs and illustrations, I decided to include as many as possible. With over 250 photographs and illustrations, the book is almost as much visual as it is written. Having already scanned many of the images, I went about the task of doing additional clean up and preparation for printing. In some cases, photographs needed to be replaced with higher resolution versions.
Once I had decided on which images to use and what text to use, I then proceeded to the layout. Using Adobe InDesign CS 2.0, I was able to complete the entire layout myself. I designed a template I was comfortable with and placed all the images and text into the file. I added captions, appendices, and other introductory materials. The final step for the interior pages was to write an index. After first preparing a topical index, I then used InDesign to track all the occurences of various words and phrases. This was the last step on the text.
For the covers, I used Adobe Photoshop CS 2.0 to design a cover design for the casebound and softcover version. Using the specifications provided by the printer based on the number of pages, I determined the margins and other specs to make the covers work. Then I obtained quotes for the back, wrote up a short summary of the book, and obtained an ISBN number. With the covers out of the way, I was almost ready to print.
Printer Thomson-Shore, Inc., sent me a proof, and several corrections were necessary to both photos and text. After making these changes, I submitted a revised version. This version was then reset and sent to me as an electronic proof. I approved this electronic proof last week. Printing commenced today, and the scheduled ship date is August 7. The total number of books ordered is casebound 300 and softcover 350. I plan to sell the books to interested parties, including members of the historical community in Ithaca and Tompkins County, Cornell alumni, and other followers of my writing (read: friends and family). The price for the softcover is going to be very reasonable at $14.95. The hardcover version will be used primarily for brothers and archival purposes, though I would sell a hardcover copy to interested parties for $29.95. Plans are underway to make the softcover book available at the Cornell Store, the History Center of Tompkins County, and Borders of Ithaca. There will also be a dedicated webpage where a person can print an order form or order the book over the web.
In the future, I plan to post all historical materials I have researched on the Cornell University's Library DSpace for future preservation. I have already donated all of the chapter's historical materials to the Rare and Manuscript Collections at the Cornell University Library so that the chapter's history will be preserved for another one hundred years and beyond.
With the history project nearing an end, I would like to thank everyone who helped me in these final stages. I would also like to express my mixed feeling of relief and joy at finishing. It has been a long journey covering one hundred years of Acacia's history, but I am glad to have done it. I hope you will join me on Friday evening at Duffield Hall during the Centennial weekend for the book's official debut. I will sign copies for anyone who would like that. I will make a historical presentation using the photographs I have scanned and employing the research I have made. This presentation will be taped and made available online for those who are interested but cannot attend.
I will continue to update this blog with items relating to the Centennial weekend, so keep checking back during the month of August. But, as to the history project, I consider this my last entry. I thank you all for joining me along the way.
Best regards,
Hoover #1063
On the photographs and illustrations, I decided to include as many as possible. With over 250 photographs and illustrations, the book is almost as much visual as it is written. Having already scanned many of the images, I went about the task of doing additional clean up and preparation for printing. In some cases, photographs needed to be replaced with higher resolution versions.
Once I had decided on which images to use and what text to use, I then proceeded to the layout. Using Adobe InDesign CS 2.0, I was able to complete the entire layout myself. I designed a template I was comfortable with and placed all the images and text into the file. I added captions, appendices, and other introductory materials. The final step for the interior pages was to write an index. After first preparing a topical index, I then used InDesign to track all the occurences of various words and phrases. This was the last step on the text.
For the covers, I used Adobe Photoshop CS 2.0 to design a cover design for the casebound and softcover version. Using the specifications provided by the printer based on the number of pages, I determined the margins and other specs to make the covers work. Then I obtained quotes for the back, wrote up a short summary of the book, and obtained an ISBN number. With the covers out of the way, I was almost ready to print.
Printer Thomson-Shore, Inc., sent me a proof, and several corrections were necessary to both photos and text. After making these changes, I submitted a revised version. This version was then reset and sent to me as an electronic proof. I approved this electronic proof last week. Printing commenced today, and the scheduled ship date is August 7. The total number of books ordered is casebound 300 and softcover 350. I plan to sell the books to interested parties, including members of the historical community in Ithaca and Tompkins County, Cornell alumni, and other followers of my writing (read: friends and family). The price for the softcover is going to be very reasonable at $14.95. The hardcover version will be used primarily for brothers and archival purposes, though I would sell a hardcover copy to interested parties for $29.95. Plans are underway to make the softcover book available at the Cornell Store, the History Center of Tompkins County, and Borders of Ithaca. There will also be a dedicated webpage where a person can print an order form or order the book over the web.
In the future, I plan to post all historical materials I have researched on the Cornell University's Library DSpace for future preservation. I have already donated all of the chapter's historical materials to the Rare and Manuscript Collections at the Cornell University Library so that the chapter's history will be preserved for another one hundred years and beyond.
With the history project nearing an end, I would like to thank everyone who helped me in these final stages. I would also like to express my mixed feeling of relief and joy at finishing. It has been a long journey covering one hundred years of Acacia's history, but I am glad to have done it. I hope you will join me on Friday evening at Duffield Hall during the Centennial weekend for the book's official debut. I will sign copies for anyone who would like that. I will make a historical presentation using the photographs I have scanned and employing the research I have made. This presentation will be taped and made available online for those who are interested but cannot attend.
I will continue to update this blog with items relating to the Centennial weekend, so keep checking back during the month of August. But, as to the history project, I consider this my last entry. I thank you all for joining me along the way.
Best regards,
Hoover #1063
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