Cornerstone photo to kickoff Centennial year
*The event has been moved to April 3rd*
Over 100 years ago, 10,000 South Texans gathered for a historic photo and the laying of the cornerstone of South Texas State Teachers College’s J.R Manning Hall.
Now a new generation of South Texans have a chance to kick off Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK) 100th year with their very own photo being taken on Thursday, March 27, to commemorate the historic event.
This event, however, started on Monday, Sept. 15, 1924, when ground was first broken for Manning Hall where some of the university’s biggest names were present like Robert J. Kleberg and Robert J. Eckhardt.
Fast forward six months to March 27, 1925, one of Kingsville’s possible biggest events – except perhaps the development of the Santa Gertrudis cow – occurred.
The laying of the cornerstone drew so much attention to Kingsville that then Governor Miriam A. Ferguson, who was also the first female governor of Texas, made an appearance.
The re-creation of this historic photo allows for community to honor the university’s past and show future generations the strength of TAMUK.
“The spirit of community has always been a strong component of our university. South Texas channeled their energy and efforts more than a century ago to ensure this region had an institution of higher learning to advance access and opportunity. The hope and aspirations that effort embodied are reflected in the photo we’re re-creating. It is an opportunity for the entire regional community to come together not just to honor what our university has done but all the transformational work we will do in our next century,” university President Dr. Robert Vela said.
Dr. Vela said the university community is looking to the future.
“It is certainly important to honor our past and the incredible impact this University has had on South Texas and beyond, but it is even more important to look to the future and ensure that we continue to meet the needs of our students and our future students. We remain focused on preparing for a successful second century by increasing enrollment and completion, adding new academic programing that will prepare students for in-demand fields, including health care, expanding research, and launching workforce development initiatives to support the regional economy. All these initiatives will benefit our students, their families and all of South Texas,” President Vela said.
An event like this also can cement the legacy of students, faculty and Kingsville’s greater community in TAMUK’s archives where future generations can read about how everyone stood in front of Manning Hall for a photo celebrating TAMUK.
“Events like this both connect us to the past as well as provide information for future generations,” Bailey Smith, head of Special Collections and Archives at The South Texas Archives, said.
Members of TAMUK and the community can view the original photo online on the archive’s website and TAMUK’s Marketing and Communications website after the new photo is taken on Thursday, March 27. Everyone is invited to attend. The photo is being taken at 4 p.m.
