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Peek in the Stacks: photographs

Beauties in the Archives

Beauty pageants are common throughout the world. Historically, these contests have focused on cisgender women, but there have been exceptions. Judging criteria for pageants is largely based on a combination of intelligence, talent, and poise, yet the core point of comparison is physical attractiveness. Young women participating in beauty pageants often look to the previous year’s winners for images of how...

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Pacoima Revitalization, Inc. Collection

In 1978, Los Angeles Councilmember Bob Ronka founded the Pacoima Revitalization, Inc. (PRI), funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development through the Community Development Department of the City of Los Angeles. PRI's Board of Directors was made up of community members appointed by Councilman Ronka. The primary purpose of the organization was to revitalize the Pacoima, Arleta, and Lakeview Terrace areas...

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CSUN’s China Connection

In 1978, CSUN President James W. Cleary began working on a plan to improve the campus’ international reputation. Step one; initiate an international student and teacher exchange program. As one might expect, it took several years for such a program to become firmly established. In November 1983, Cleary’s administrative assistant Kay Kellogg said, “… the program is just now becoming operational.” By this time, exchanges with China, Brazil, and Poland had occurred, and an estimated dozen students and a dozen teachers had already participated in exchanges with China...

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Adohr Farms Collection

The Adohr Farms milk dairy was initially located in Tarzana, California at Ventura Boulevard and Lindley Avenue. Merritt Adamson and his wife Rhoda Agatha Rindge Adamson established the farm in 1916. The farm, dairy, and creamery were named after Rhoda, with her name spelled backwards as "Adohr." Rhoda's parents, Rhoda May Knight Rindge and Frederick Hastings Rindge, were business leaders and real estate developers with a 13,315-acre Malibu ranch...

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The CSUN Matador

In 1958, students at San Fernando Valley State College chose the matador as their official college mascot. Other nominees, the Apollos and the Titans, were among the most popular mascot alternatives for their inherent and mythological ties to the sun. Many students felt that these two options were more suitable choices for the “sunshine campus,” despite the matador winning by popular vote...

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Political Engagement at CSUN

Several items in the Library’s Digital Collections attest to the interest of CSUN students, faculty, and staff in the political landscape of Los Angeles, California, and the United States. Much of the material currently available in Digital Collections date from the 1960s, a period in American history marked by political and racial activism...

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The Legacy of Brad Pye, Jr.

In 1943, at the young age of 12, Brad Pye, Jr. paid a friend who transported cars to California $5.00 for a ride from his home in Plain Dealing, Louisiana to Los Angeles. Once in LA, Pye continued his education, completing both junior high and high school while working as a gas station attendant in the evenings. During World War II, housing accommodations were tight, and Pye rented space to sleep on an army cot in a freezing hallway. Nevertheless, he did not let his age or hardships deter him from pursuing his passion for journalism...

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American Imperialism in the Philippines

Spain established its first permanent settlement in the Philippines in 1565. Spanish colonial control of the Philippines continued until 1898, when the United States took possession of the islands as a territory after winning the Spanish-American War. The Philippine Revolution, a struggle for independence from...

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San Fernando Rey de España at Achoicominga

Between 1769 and 1823, under the authority of King Charles III of Spain, Franciscan priests established twenty-one missions in California, to colonize the territory and convert its indigenous inhabitants to Christianity. San Fernando Rey de España (San Fernando Mission) was established at...

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Northeast Valley Oral History Project Collection

In 2002, writer Emory Holmes II set out to establish a Poetry and Writers workshop at the Northeast Valley Senior Center in Pacoima, California. The project, entitled “Stories from my Hometown,” was funded in partby the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department's Regional Arts Grants Program....

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