Marquette University celebrates 125 years by looking at the big picture of the university… actually, 42 pictures to be exact. “Marquette Then and Now: Images Celebrating 125 Years of Faith and Learning in Action” pays tribute to the achievements and overall growth of Marquette throughout the years.

The exhibit runs until April 1 at the Haggerty Museum of Art. Contributors to the exhibit include the Department of Special Collections, University Archives, the Instructional Media Center and the Haggerty Museum of Art.

The display features historic pictures that have been digitally reprinted alongside recent pictures that capture the same component of campus. With an emphasis on the “then and now” aspect, photographers retook the pictures from the same angles.

“Originally, the idea was take an archive picture and try and recreate it,” said Dan Johnson, official university photographer. Instead, Johnson decided to first find themes that are relevant on campus today, and then match them with older pictures.

One such example of this striking similarity is a picture of a Peace Corps student in the 1960s, which was then matched with a current picture of a student’s service trip to Honduras.

“This pair reflects especially the Cura Personalis that Marquette wishes to be known,” said Annemarie Sawkins, associate curator at the Haggerty Museum of Art.

Johnson, who has photographed Marquette for the past 30 years, collaborated on the project with Matt Blessing, director of Marquette’s Special Archives and member of the 125th committee. Blessing approached Johnson with the idea for the exhibit a year ago.

For the past year, Johnson and other photographers took pictures of the aspects of Marquette that still capture its early beginnings. The photos document many different features of Marquette’s campus, including its evolution throughout the years.

The physical makeup of Marquette’s university grounds was captured with pictures of Schroeder Hall, first as a busy street and now a part of Marquette’s greening campus.

Pictures of women’s sports at Marquette also displayed the changes prior to Title IX of the Education Amendment, which allowed women’s sports teams. The most prominent change reflected in the photo display is the advancement of technology on campus. In one example, an archive photo shows a crowded Memorial Library filled with students studying. In a current photo, however, a student studies on the bridge of Raynor Librarywhile listening to her iPod, using her BlackBerry and working on her laptop.

“The photographs reflect the various acts of Marquette students have and continue to participate in throughout the years,” said Sawkins.

The Haggerty Museum of Art is privileged to display this historic exhibit.

“Haggerty is one of many collaborating on Marquette’s campus and using it as an opportunity to celebrate,” said Sawkins.

Others see the exhibit as an opportunity not only for the museum, but also for students and faculty as well.

“I think it’ll be interesting for anyone not affiliated with Marquette,” said Lynne Shumow, Curator of Education at the Haggerty. “It’s a great opportunity for faculty and students to learn about Marquette what they didn’t know before.”

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Marquette is celebrating its 125th year of higher education, and many of the historical highlights deserve our admiration. Among MU’s many achievements are some amazing feats in the field of athletics. Rather than trying to account for all of Marquette’s sports victories, here is a snapshot of the five most important athletic events in Marquette’s history.

#5: In 1996, Marquette was fortunate enough to be named the national champions in Pizza Hut’s Intramural Basketball Championship. I firmly believe that intramural basketball is perhaps the most underrated and underappreciated sport in the world. Think about it this way: In what sport can you somewhat realistically pretend to have a shot at claiming a national title? That’s right; it’s hot dog eating or intramural basketball.

#4: At the 1932 Olympics, Ralph Metcalfe won a bronze and silver medal in the 200-meter and 100-meter dashes, respectively. In the 100-meter, Metcalfe tied the world record and was declared the runner up in what was literally a “photo finish” against Eddie Tolan. Tolan would also be on hand for Jesse Owens’ famous 1936 Olympic performance, placing second to Owens in the 100-meter and teaming with him to win the gold in the 4×100 relay.

#3: In 1982, the Marquette women’s cross country team won the team NAIA National Championship and had the individual national champion with Katie Webb. Diane Held, Mary Kay VanEss, Laurie Hottinger and Kara Hughes all earned All-American honors of some type, too. That’s five runners earning All-American honors in one season!

#2: Marquette’s run to the Final Four in 2003 was important for three primary reasons. First, it put Marquette basketball back on the map. It was the first time since 1977 that Marquette made it to the Final Four. Second, this run made Dwyane Wade a big deal. Here we are three years later, and Wade has done pretty well for himself. Entering the NBA as the 5th overall pick in the 2003 draft, he then propelled the Miami Heat to an NBA championship this past summer where he was named MVP of the finals. Third, as much as you hate to admit it, the run to the Final Four is the reason you are here reading this. This event is the reason many of us heard of Marquette for the first time. It is really about the only time I remember even knowing Marquette existed during my childhood, and I grew up a mere 90-minute drive from Milwaukee. So let’s say you don’t care about basketball and you think I am exaggerating the importance of this run. Go ahead and round up five friends who care about sports and ask them if Marquette’s basketball team was a major influence on their decision to attend Marquette.

#1: Lacking a Division I football team, men’s hoops is the biggest game on campus. Winning the 1977 National Championship in men’s basketball naturally guarantees it as the most important event in a MU’s athletic history. The Final Four is a magical event, and Marquette is part of that legacy. On the road to their title, Marquette played some of the great traditions in NCAA basketball: Cincinnati, Wake Forest and the UNC Tar Heels. The title game was the last one Al McGuire coached. For the magnitude of this accomplishment and its place in the history of March Madness, failing to rank the 1977 National Championship as the greatest accomplishment in Marquette’s athletic history would be blasphemous.

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