Tulane University Yearbook 1907

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2 years ago

Jambalaya 1907
Tulane University Yearbook

New Orleans Public Library and Tulane have a long and interesting history of partnerships and other interactions. NOPL owes its very existence to Tulane’s decision to move its main campus from downtown to uptown in 1894 (the city fathers did not want the Fisk Library collection, then maintained by Tulane, to move away from the business district; they established NOPL to take over control of the collection). More recently, Lance Query, dean of libraries and academic information resources at Tulane, was named special consultant for administration to the board of the New Orleans Public Library during NOPL’s search for a new permanent director, post-Katrina.

This Gallery identifies a number of early interactions between Tulane and the New Orleans Public Library using photographs published in the 1907 edition of Jambalaya, the university’s yearbook. We’ve also included some of the wonderful artwork that illustrated the Jambalaya that year–just because it is so wonderful!

James Hardy Dillard left Tulane in 1907 to become head of the Jeanes Fund, dedicated to the improvement of educational facilities for Southern blacks. He continued to serve as chairman of the Board of Directors of the New Orleans Public Library. In that capacity some years previously Dillard had persuaded Andrew Carnegie to fund construction of library buildings in the Crescent City. The 1907 Jambalaya was dedicated to Dr. Dillard and his service to Tulane.

James Hardy Dillard portrait — James Hardy Dillard left Tulane in 1907 to become head of the Jeanes Fund, dedicated to the improvement of educational facilities for Southern blacks. He continued to serve as chairman of the Board of Directors of the New Orleans Public Library. In that capacity some years previously Dillard had persuaded Andrew Carnegie to fund construction of library buildings in the Crescent City. The 1907 Jambalaya was dedicated to Dr. Dillard and his service to Tulane.

This odd little cartoon by sophomore civil engineering student Frank F. Stone appears at the end of the yearbook section on Tulane football. If nothing else, it shows the ability of at least some Tulanians to not take things all that seriously!

Vera Morel, May Syndor Morel's younger sister, provided this illustration for the introduction to the yearbook section on athletics. Both young women played on the Newcomb Art School basketball team in 1907. Note the suggestion of equality between the Tulane and Newcomb athletic programs, despite the fact that Newcomb is actually only represented in the basketball arena. Vera Morel went on to a career as an artist with the Surgery Department of Tulane Medical School.

We're not sure of the significance of this illustration showing two devils boiling a big pot of fraternity brothers, but it does provide a provocative introduction to the yearbook section devoted to Tulane's "Greek" community. The artist, David J. Chaille (definitely NOT a Newcomb woman), was a sophomore majoring in civil engineering and a member of Delta Tau Delta.

The image to the right, by Newcomb potter May Syndor Morel, suggests (as does the entire volume) the undeniable presence of Newcomb College within the larger Tulane University. The accompanying poem, perhaps, says it all:

Two things there are that can’t be beat
Under our skies of azure heat;
Like twin starts to our eyes they shine–
Alma Mater, half divine;
Newcomb, learned, lovely, true;
Evermore long life to you!

The images and descriptions used in this post previously appeared as part of the Image of the Month in October 2007. Reformatted and edited by Brittanny Silva in 2023.

Jambalaya 1907Tulane University Yearbook

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Jambalaya 1907
Tulane University Yearbook