One of our most popular resources for researchers at the Women and Leadership Archives is the database containing digitized copies of the Mundelein College* Skyscraper, the school’s student-run newspaper. The Skyscraper, begun in 1931 by women enrolled in Mundelein’s first journalism classes, reported on noteworthy college happenings such as club activities, social functions, and student involvement in the Chicago metro area. In addition to college news, the students of the Skyscraper also wrote about important local and national news items.
We normally use this publication as a source for other blog posts (like Horses for Classmates from last spring or Start of a New School Year) but I think it deserves its own time in the spotlight! See below for photographs of Skyscraper staff from the Mundelein Photo Collection.
Some of the first Skyscraper students pose for a group photo, 1931.
The Editorial Board of the Skyscraper hard at work getting an issue to print, 1940
Student reporters review print blocks, 1942
The clock is ticking! Skyscraper staff hard at work to meet their deadline, 1959
The first issue of The Skyscraper printed on January 30, 1931. Its mission statement read that the newspaper would strive
to strengthen and foster school spirit; to promote and encourage interest in college activities; to create mutual interests which will result in closer contact among students and to promote cooperation between faculty and students; to make our college better known by presenting news and events in concrete form. It will also be a means of fostering journalistic endeavor and of giving the students opportunity for self-expression.[1]
Click on the issues below to find out what was going on at Mundelein College in September of 1958, 1962, and 1966! Or explore all of our scanned copies from the Skyscraper in our online database here.
The Skyscraper Vol. XXIX, Sept. 30, 1958
The Skyscraper Vol. XXXIII, Sept. 26, 1962
The Skyscraper Vol. XXXVII, Sept. 30, 1966
*Mundelein College, founded and operated by the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (BVM), provided education to women from 1930 until 1991, when it affiliated with Loyola University Chicago.
[1] The Skyscraper Vol. 1, January 30, 1931.
Ellen is a Graduate Assistant at the WLA and is in the second year of her M.A in Public History at Loyola University Chicago. Before moving to Chicago, Ellen was a Kindergarten teacher in Louisiana. She enjoys brunch, procedural dramas, and pugs.
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