Book is filled with engaging photos and history
Open to any page of the Adams State University Adams100 History Book and time travel to the very beginning of the great story or return to a few short months or years ago. All proceeds will benefit the Alumni Scholarship, supporting legacy students of Adams State alumni. Order your book now at Alumni Relations.
Readers will instantly engage with the quality printing, presentation of photographs and diversity of individual voices telling the story of Adams State. From the forward, by legendary Coach Joe I. Vigil, to the final pages, listing award recipients and presidents, the Adams100 History Book is a feast for nearly all the senses.
“The University was both affordable and easily accessible to all residents of the San Luis Valley,” pens Vigil, Class of 1953 and 1959, and emeritus professor of health, physical education and recreation. “In the past 100 years, Adams State has enjoyed a period of great growth and academic accomplishments.” His sentiment is echoed throughout the book from past presidents, faculty, students, and alumni.
The first 100 years at Adams State are captured in this beautifully bound coffee-table book with cloth cover and 200 pages of photos and historic moments. The significance of this limited edition, commemorative book makes a perfect addition to any personal library or collection.
A well-preserved blueprint of the first building, now known as Richardson Hall, by famed architect William Bowman, contrasts with the image of the same building in a 2021 photograph. Memories will flood back as readers witness the passage of decades through photographs and text. Ten-speed bicycles of the 1970s and 1980s give way to skateboards and scooters for transportation across the 90-acre campus – that started as a single building in the midst of brush and sand.
The Adams State great story began with the tenacity of then Colorado State Senator Billy Adams, who later became governor, to pass a bill establishing the college in the remote and isolated San Luis Valley. The bill was signed into legislation May 4, 1921.
The first president Ira Richardson, Ph.D., stepped off the train and into his leadership role with passion and vision, in 1923. “President Richardson came to Alamosa with the express purpose of training teachers, and he brought with him a conviction that students should not only learn theories of education but also practice their chosen profession and put theory into action.”
The following ten leaders, including the 11th Adams State president, Cheryl D. Lovell, Ph.D., built buildings and programs, weathered financial challenges to bring the institution back to a solid foundation, kept pace with current professional demands, and always maintained the ideal of students first.
“Although my great Adams State story began just a few years ago, in 2018, I have the same sense of pride and connection to the institution as President Richardson, who served for 25 years,” Lovell said. “As I read through this book, a great sense of what Adams State really means to those with a relationship to the University comes through as vividly as the full-color spreads of our beautiful campus.”
Pages of photos document the decades of homecomings, commencement ceremonies, notable athletes, theatre and musical performances, student life, classrooms, and campus scenery. The visual imagery is supported through meaningful testimonials.
Above a black-and-white photo of the 1952 El Parnaso Pan American Day, Marisol Cristobal-Lucas, Class of 2018, says: “If Adams State wasn’t here in the Valley, there would be less opportunity for our youth to get a higher education and less opportunity for them to come back to the Valley and contribute.”
Ivory Joe Hunt, Class of 1980 and a four-time All-American and nine-time NCAA Division II Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference champion, says: “The people of Alamosa welcomed this loud-mouthed Texas kid with open arms, and Coach Vigil was the best example of that.”
In a section dedicated to the activism and identity of Adams State in the 1970s, Marguerite Salazar, Class of 1975 and 1976, says: “We grew up in an era where whatever we did, we knew had to be good for the entire community. It was always about, how are we going to bring everybody else up so that we’re all standing even, because we saw the injustices.”
Emeritus professor of business and past president Thomas J. Gilmore, Class of 1967 and 1968, shares his thoughts about commencement: “One of the good things about ASC is that we looked at every student as important. Every year at graduation, there were always a couple of students for whom you felt you really made a difference. Despite their early struggles, they had succeeded, and it made me realize what Adams State does for the individual. I can’t think of anything better than an education to help people better their lives.”
Sidebars highlight the achievements of key individuals including Governor Billy Adams, Harriet Dalzell Hester, Luther Bean, Damon Martin, William Porter, John E. McDaniel, Ph.D., and Donna Griego.
These examples weave through the Adams100 History Book thanks to the excellent writing by professionals Andrew Brown and Darin Painter. They spent hours studying, reading, and conducting research, including reading the Adams State books by English emeriti: Beryl McAdow, “From Crested Peaks,” and “Our Voices Raised;” Don Stegman, “Mostly Marvelous;” and Rick Baker, Ph.D., “The Adams State Story Part IV: 1982-2010.” In addition, Brown and Painter interviewed key figures and collected additional information from raw footage in the Adams100 Documentary created by Open Media Foundation.
Book Designer Amy Kucera is indebted to Mary Walsh, former librarian with the Nielsen Library, for her skills at finding obscure references and historic photos.
The large type book with photos and illustrations captures the rich history of Adams State and its meaningful mission. To order a book visit Alumni Relations or call 719-587-8110.
