FEATURED STORY
You've Come a Long Way, Bobcat!
125 Years of Frostburg State University
COMPILED BY MIA CROSS M’03 AND TY DEMARTINO ’90
The official term is “quasquicentennial” – the marking of a period of 125 years.
It was the year 1898 when the Maryland General Assembly and Gov. Lloyd Lowndes authorized State Normal School No. 2 to be constructed in Western Maryland. The people of the small town of Frostburg, most of them local coal miners, raised the funds to purchase a two-acre parcel of land.
As we looked through archival photos and read stories from the past 125 years, we noted the obvious changes to the look of our campus, its offerings and our students. But we also recognized how that “Frostburg spirit” has remained the same.
The editors of Profile thought it would be fun to feature a then-andnow scrapbook of images from our archives compared with photos from today. We have also included some barrier-breaking stories from our University’s history.
Join us in wishing the ’Burg a happy 125 years … with many, many more to come.
Bird’s Eye View
Old Main remains the oldest building on campus, having opened for the first class of students on Sept. 15, 1902. Views depict the campus in the 1930s, the 1950s and today, featuring the “Middle Quad” with Lane University Center, the Catherine R. Gira Center for Communications and Information Technology and the University Clock Tower.
Student Outreach
Frostburg has always given opportunities to its education students to interact with local children. A teaching major speaks to young children circa 1950, while Dr. Barbara Ornstein leads a procession of young people during the University’s popular Harry Potter Book Night in 2023.
Class Acts
The class of 1907 compared to the commencement lineups from the late 1940s and 2023.
In Fashion
Something that never goes out of style – a red Frostburg sweatshirt! Check out these designs (featuring FSC) in 1985 and FSU today.
It's Showtime
A student-designed poster for a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Opera House on Frostburg’s Main Street in June of 1916 compared to the student-designed poster for Thoughts of a Colored Man performed at FSU in April 2023.
Go, Bobcats!
The Frostburg Cheer team members may have changed their uniforms, but not their enthusiasm. The cheerleaders in 1960 vs. the team in 2023.
Learning Ways
The campus library has been located in many buildings, including Old Main, Lowndes and Framptom, before settling into the Ort Library in 1976. While technology and search engines have changed, the student intensity has stayed the same.
Women Athletes
It was referred to as Girls’ Basketball in 1917 and the young ladies’ movements were contained and limited. Today, our Women’s Basketball team does not hold anything back on the court.
Frostburg Time
The Clock Tower has been a hub on the Frostburg campus since the 1970s. Here are students passing by in 1985 and, again, in more modern times.
Scientific Advancements
Dr. John A. Jump, biology professor, works with students in a cramped lab back in 1941. Today, Dr. Tom Serfass shows students the latest equipment in Compton Science Center.
Pomp and Circumstance
State Teachers College at Frostburg’s Principal turned President John Dunkle congratulates a graduating student, circa 1938. Current FSU President Dr. Ronald Nowaczyk welcomes a 2023 graduate into our latest group of alumni.
Quad Squads
These gents from 1938 enjoyed hanging out on the Upper Quad behind Old Main. And it’s still a popular spot for students today.
Residence Hall Living
Two students pose on a top bunk in the early ’70s, while today’s students face off in a video game.
Brownsville
A postcard from the 1950s depicts FSU’s Old Main and Upper Quad. Today’s Upper Quad holds the Brownsville/Park Avenue Monument to remember the largely African American community that was displaced as the campus grew between the 1920s and 1960s.
Bookstore
A student receives service with a smile in the late ’70s. A current student is all smiles buying presents for Mom and Dad.
Bobcat Makeover
Good genes or good surgery? The Bobcat mascot has gone through many changes over the years. No matter how Bob looks, he can always be found leading fans in cheers in 1977, 1995 and even today.