44 years ago this week, a lecture on the newly established Wiccan religion was held at UNCW. The speakers, Gavin and Yvonne Frost, were invited by psychology faculty member Antonio Puente in support of a class on the psychology of consciousness, which studied the concepts of self-awareness and the conscious mind. The Frosts’ talk was entitled “Witchcraft: The Way to Serenity.” It was extremely popular – over 175 people packed into King Hall auditorium to hear the Frosts speak. They demonstrated some traditional Wiccan healing practices and explained the basic tenets of their church, afterwards passing out newsletters to the attendees.
Article on the Frosts’ lecture, from the UNCW scrapbook, 1981-1982, in RG-10 UNCW Advancement and University Relations Records.
The Frosts were the archbishop and archbishopess of the Church and School of Wicca, which they had founded in 1968. It was the first federally recognized Wiccan church in the United States. In the early days of the church, the Frosts developed a correspondence course to teach interested followers about the Wiccan religion.
Blurb about the Frosts’ visit from the Wilmington Morning Star, 1 December 1981
The Frosts moved their church to New Bern, North Carolina, in 1974, where the church’s headquarters remained until they relocated to West Virginia in 1996. During that time, the Church and School of Wicca attracted quite a following, and a large population of Wiccan/Pagan-identifying folks still reside in or near New Bern to this day.
William M. Randall, circa 1960s, Center for Southeast NC Archives and History.
This Veterans Day, University Archives is exploring the rich history between the military and the University of North Carolina Wilmington.
UNC Wilmington's military connections emerged in the aftermath of World War II, before the College had even opened. The G.I. Bill was signed in 1944, offering significant financial support to returning soldiers who sought university education. North Carolina, seeing the influx of veteran enrollment, established temporary college centers across the state. In 1947, two centers were created in the state's Southeastern region - reflections of the importance of veterans as well as the racial segregation of the time: Wilmington College, for white students, and Williston College, for Black students. Both colleges provided higher education to veterans, eventually becoming the one UNCW we know today. Original documents related to the colleges, their administrations, and their student veterans are available in our Committee and Administration Records, as well as in our Academic Affairs Records.
ROTC practicing a close order drill, circa 1980s, Center for Southeast NC Archives and History.
Since its time as a college center, the University has educated and employed many veterans, some of whom are integral to understanding UNCW history. John T. Hoggard, a veteran of the Spanish-American War and World War I, served as the second president of Wilmington College from 1949 to 1958. A World War II soldier, William M. Randall, acted as the College's third president and created the University motto, discere aude, still in use today. William DeLoach, William H. Wagoner, James Marshall Crews, and James Leutze are just a few other veterans who also served as University leaders.
UNC Wilmington extended its support to veterans, particularly student veterans, with the creation of the Office of Veterans Affairs (OVA) in 1974. According to academic catalogues from the 1970s, the OVA was responsible for veteran success on campus, from outreach and recruitment to counseling and educational support. In the 1980s, UNC Wilmington furthered its efforts by developing an Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program. Records in University Archives show that the ROTC program began as a temporary cross-enrollment arrangement. By 1984, however, the University was granted host status, allowing UNCW ROTC to directly provide training, education, and support to future military veterans. The ROTC program no longer exists on campus, but University Archives holds a plethora of materials related to UNCW's ROTC history and the work of students in the organization. Items in the collection include scrapbooks, awards, challenge yearbooks, brochures, handbooks, annual reports, and marketing materials, among other items; see the finding aid for a full listing of records and dates covered.
ROTC commissioning event, circa 1980s, Center for Southeast NC Archives and History.
Today, UNC Wilmington continues to support its military-affiliated students. Students who are veterans, active-duty, or related to service members receive guidance from the Office of Military Affairs (OMA). UNC Wilmington has ranked in the top 30 schools for military veterans since 2022 because of the OMA's efforts. In 2024, UNCW was named the #1 school in North Carolina for veterans.
To learn more about the historical connections between UNC Wilmington and the military, visit the CSENCAH Reading Room on the second floor of Discovery Hall during our open hours or contact us with questions or to make an appointment.
Front cover of Apparition, undated, Center for Southeast NC Archives and History.
October is coming to an end. As the UNC Wilmington community prepares to celebrate a long-awaited Halloween holiday, the Center for Southeast North Carolina Archives and History is observing another occasion: American Archives Month. Every October, archivists share information about archives, historical records, and their value to the public. University Archives is celebrating both Halloween and American Archives Month by writing this week’s blog post about Apparition, a defunct UNCW creative magazine dedicated to all things horror, suspense, and Halloween.
Many members of the UNCW community are familiar with Atlantis, the University’s student-led creative magazine. Since 1971, Atlantis’ team has carefully selected and published the prose, poetry, artwork, and photography of talented college students from across North Carolina. Apparition, a Halloween publication, was at different times sponsored by Atlantis and the UNCW English Club, though student organizational records do not clearly indicate which group created the magazine. An article from the October 5, 1977 Seahawk newspaper mentions both organizations in a campus-wide search for “suspense or horror short stories” for the Apparition, suggesting that the magazine was a joint effort between the two student groups. Although the circumstances surrounding Apparition's creation are uncertain, the publication clearly resembles Atlantis. Like Atlantis, it features short stories, poems, artwork, and captivating front covers.
Front cover of Apparition, 1977, Center for Southeast NC Archives and History.
There are few references to Apparition in student periodicals, but an article from the October 20, 1976, Seahawk speaks positively about the magazine. According to the article, the 1975 edition of the Apparition was so popular that every copy was gone within just two hours. Perhaps students were drawn to the magazine’s pumpkin-colored front covers and the intricate—although eerie—hand-drawn illustrations. Others might have been intrigued by the spooky poems and short stories that bore titles like “The Hunted,” “There were Footsteps,” and “Peering into the Darkness.”
Although the Apparition is no longer being published, you can still view this Halloween-themed magazine by visiting the CSENCAH Reading Room on the second floor of Discovery Hall during our open hours. Or, contact us to make an appointment.
In October, the Center for Southeast NC Archives and History is excited to host an open house! Mark your calendars for Thursday, October 30, from 4-5:30pm and come join us!
Come visit us in Discovery Hall on the second floor - see you October 30! Photo courtesy OUR.
In the Center’s Reading Room (Discovery Hall 2095), we will have items on display related to our collecting areas: government information, manuscript collections, rare and special publications, and University records. Our team will be on hand to chat about the Center’s collections and services – we are available for use by faculty, staff, students, community members, and all kinds of information-seekers looking for information about the history of Southeast North Carolina!
Folks from all around may find this open house helpful: students, faculty, staff, community members of all kinds. Our collections document the University and its history and Southeastern North Carolina encompassing New Hanover County and the surrounding region including Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, Duplin, Pender, Onslow, and Sampson counties.
Fall is here, and so is college football season. Exuberant fans paint themselves in their team's colors, cheering crowds flood into massive stadiums, and football players walk out to the sound of an expertly drilled marching band. On other college campuses, this exciting season is in full swing, but UNC Wilmington remains quiet. While UNCW boasts many talented student athletes and championship-winning teams, football is one sport to have never graced our campus. Or has it?
Materials from University Archives reveal that UNC Wilmington once had a thriving football club. This group was not an official team; they weren't members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), nor were they recognized by the University's athletics department. Although the club may have been informal, student newspapers from our archives show that its members took things seriously. In their first year, the club celebrated a win streak and entered the North Carolina Club Football Association playoffs, according to a November 30, 1977, article in the Seahawk. In September 1985, another Seahawk article reported that the UNCW community needed a football team, stating that "Large crowds at home games show that the student body and community residents enjoy watching football on a fall afternoon."
UNC Wilmington's Student Government Association (SGA) was particularly invested in the Football Club, especially in the possibility of evolving it into something more. In 1979, the SGA conducted a detailed study to determine the feasibility of forming a Division III football team at UNCW, taking into consideration the demand for and cost of such a group. The study was authorized by the University's Board of Trustees, but a team was never approved. In a 1979 memorandum, the Trustees rejected the SGA's proposal due to the exceedingly high costs of creating an NCAA football team. The funding required for training facilities, scholarships, coach and assistant salaries, and insurance would have been immense. Nevertheless, the SGA and other supporters continued to assist the Football Club. In 1980, the club received $5,600 from the Student Senate, and another $2,500 from private donations, according to Board of Trustees meeting minutes.
Despite these valiant efforts, UNC Wilmington has never had an official, NCAA-backed football team. Many football-loving students have accepted this absence with plenty of humor, however. This 1981 April Fools' edition of the Seahawk, for instance, includes an articles that jokes about the Football Club receiving an enthusiastic Division I invitation from the NCAA. If you ever find yourself dreaming of football players in teal uniforms, remember that our school already has much to offer. UNCW has a plethora of competitive sports teams, student-led sports clubs, and intramural sports (including a flag football group) for everyone to enjoy.
Many of the materials mentioned in this blog post are digitized, if they have a link, and available to view online in the Library's Digital Collections. More complete citation information is below. To view these materials and other non-digitized records in-person, visit the Center's Reading Room on the second floor of Discovery Hall during our open hours. Or, contact us to make an appointment.
Records Management (RM) had a presence at UNCW's celebration of Love Data Week in February. Seventeen people attended the online session “Let’s Talk about Administrative Data: A Conversation about Archiving the Data in Your Office.” Slides are available here. What RM topics do you want to see addressed during next year's Love Data Week? The theme will be “My kind of data.”
Records and Information Management Month, April 2023 - University Archives held a total of 4 workshops–one on Zoom and 3 others around campus. There were 48 attendees altogether. Check out this handy Records Management Guide customized for UNCW.
News & Updates
Please continue to refer to the UNC System Records Schedule (2021). The Record Analysis Unit at the State Archives is currently short-staffed with only two analysts in Raleigh and two regional analysts. Please send suggestions for schedule updates and revisions to University Archives for consideration by the State Archives.
Following the RM workshops this past spring, we in University Archives have had the opportunity to consult with several staff members at UNC Wilmington on records management questions. A valuable reminder: Adhering to the records schedule is a process! Making a plan, testing, and communicating with stakeholders and the public are components of a records management project. It is fine to build time into your projects to complete these steps as you move toward compliance.
Do you produce state publications? Examples are university and departmental magazines, books published by the university, the Atlantis and other creative magazines, strategic plans, exhibition catalogues, and more. NC General Statute 125-1A established a process for schools in the UNC system – as state agencies – to send 10 printed copies and/or a digital version to the State Publications Clearinghouse at the State Library of NC. Copies are then distributed to designated libraries throughout the state in addition to the Library of Congress. See guidelines on donating to the State Publications Clearinghouse. We continue to acquire these publications for University Archives as well.
I hear from you that video recordings of Zoom presentations on Records Management are appreciated. We will try to accommodate this request going forward.
RM Phrase of the Day
Capstone Approach to Email Archiving: The Capstone Approach is a method of email management that bases appraisal for long-term retention in the Archives on the account owner’s role or position rather than individual email content. This approach has benefits for a successful email archiving program.
Electronic Records Day and Archives Month
Electronic Records Day is observed in the United States every year on October 10, which can be expressed as 1010 in honor of binary code. October is National Archives Month. UNCW will help raise public awareness about archives throughout October.
Good luck on your Records Management projects and all your other endeavors this summer!
Wednesday, April 19, 2023 10am – 11am Workshop 11am – 12pm Q & A and Activities Education Building 162
Tuesday, April 25, 2023 1pm - 2pm Workshop 2pm - 3pm Q & A and Activities MG 1105 (Center for Marine Science Auditorium)
What is Records and Information Management Month?
Records and Information Management Month (RIMM) is celebrated internationally to highlight the importance of organizing and maintaining records and information.
A record is any document, paper, e-mail, picture, recording, video, or other material that can prove the transaction of business.
UNCW workshops will introduce you to the Records Retention Schedule and offer tips on how to make it work for you.
Hot Off the Presses! Seahawk student newspaper became a monthly in 1958
The Seahawk released its first monthly issue on November 3, 1958, becoming Wilmington College's monthly student newspaper after a period of sporadic publication. The news organization promised to strive for this level of consistency in the future.
The first Seahawk newspaper was distributed in September 1948. The year 1958 was its reinvigoration, according to the 1959 Fledgling yearbook. A Publications Board, consisting of representatives from the administration, faculty, and student body, was established to support the Seahawk.
Today, the Seahawk is the online student news organization for the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW). In its historical all print form, The Seahawk was never a daily newspaper, although publication did reach twice a week at various times.
Students Launch Student Newspaper, September 27, 1948
On September 27, 1948, a group of college students published and distributed the inaugural edition of the Seahawk--a 4-page mimeographed newspaper. This was the first student publication for Wilmington College.
The charter staff members stressed the importance of the Seahawk as a current and future asset of Wilmington College:
“We are proud and honored to be able to have published this small paper as the first “SEAHAWK.” We are gratified to know that we have been the beginning of something which we believe will grow with time as Wilmington College grows. We have made a small beginning but nevertheless, have taken the first step.”
In 1969, Wilmington College became the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW).
The first Seahawk staff believed that the student newspaper would become an integral part of campus life with the continued support and excitement from faculty and students. In order to garner the support and participation of the student body, the staff “extend[ed] to the student body an invitation to criticize [their] endeavors and to flail [their] paper as trash if they so desire[d]. But…also an invitation to contribute something useful or something better.” In 1958 the Seahawk became a monthly publication.
