Jill Smith
Staff Writer
jsmith194@murraystate.edu
Murray State is marking 100 years since its founding with a year-long Centennial Celebration.
In 1922 Murray, Kentucky, was selected by the state legislature as the home of the Western Kentucky Normal School, now called Murray State University, according to Murray State’s website. The community came together to donate $117,000 in cash and other assets to win the bid for a Normal School in western Kentucky.
A Normal School is an institution that trained high school graduates to become teachers.
“This was remarkable for the times — 1,352 donors made an average gift of $82.10, with $2,500 the largest cash gift received,” the website reads. “Additionally, 350 families opened their homes with the promise to board up to 2,000 students should Murray be selected for the location of the school.”
President Bob Jackson said the centennial is a celebration of success.
“Our centennial, a celebration of 100 years of success and achievement, is a tribute to our alumni and friends, faculty, staff and students — and recognition for those who came before us,” Jackson said. “We encourage our entire campus community, alumni and supporters to celebrate this historic year with us.”
Director of Alumni Relations Carrie McGinnis said one of the first tasks was to determine a logo for the celebration.
“They kind of looked like, you know, it represented our past and their future on one of our most beloved and original buildings on campus,” McGinnis said. “At the same time, with that sort of sunburst appearance, it looks off into the distance into the future as our best days are ahead, as Dr. Jackson likes to frequently say.”
The centennial logo, inspired by the shield visible on the exterior of Pogue Library, was designed by Murray State’s Graphic Design Manager Melissa Shown.
McGinnis said planning for the celebration was fun, especially in the early stages.
“A lot of thought and time went into what [the logo] would look like,” McGinnis said. “Once we established what the logo would look like, then we put a lot of thought into what are things that people will want to wear or have to commemorate this thing that’s only going to happen one time in our lifetime.”
McGinnis said the Murray State Bookstore is launching a series of items including apparel, keychains and other items that will feature the logo.
The Centennial Celebration is a collaborative effort among all offices and departments across campus.
McGinnis said they are currently creating an online toolkit for other departments and offices on campus to post their centennial events.
The toolkit will contain branding statements, logos, photographs and other information for departments and offices to use for their centennial events.
“They can use the toolkit to fill out a form, let us know what their events are going to be, then we can promote it to the greater alumni or greater Murray community, and make sure that everyone knows all the exciting things that we’re doing all year long,” McGinnis said.
According to the Murray State website, the centennial event calendar features the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament, All Campus Sing and Distinguished Alumni Awards.
McGinnis said the week of March 8 includes plans to celebrate the University’s Founders Day, in addition to more events in April.
“In April, we’ll have a full slate of activities that will begin with All Campus Sing on April 13; and then that following week, we’ll have a luncheon honoring our 2022 Golden Horseshoe recipients,” McGinnis said. “We’ll have our distinguished Alumni Dinner and banquet.”
The Alumni Dinner will take place April 22 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The Presidential Lecture Series with special guest W. Earl Brown will kick off the celebration on Wednesday, Feb. 23, from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Brown will speak on his career as an actor and his experience as a Murray State student.
Director of Marketing and Communication Shawn Touney said individuals who want to stay updated on the University’s Centennial Celebration events should visit the Murray State website at murraystate.edu/centennial.