Photo by Genevieve Humphreys
Trinity University Press and the University Committee unveiled “Trinity University: Honoring the Past, Shaping the Future,” Trinity’s commemorative book for the University’s sesquicentennial on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2019.
Featuring 150 years of history through archival photos and stories the book celebrates Trinity as a visual time capsule and honors its past and future. Through Trinity’s journey — from its founding in Tehuacana to its transition to San Antonio — the university has changed dramatically and the book documents the inspirational power of its vision.
Beverly Morabito, senior and assistant editor of the book, said that the substance provided by a book as compared to other methods of commemoration is important because it adds longevity to the celebration; this is one of the reasons why Trinity wrote a book for its sesquicentennial.
“A book is a good way of celebrating the anniversary because it can be used for many years to come. This is a tangible object that faculty, staff, students and alumni can all enjoy,” Morabito said.
Sarah Cooper, Trinity University alum, designed the book and agrees with Morabito that the creation of a book is an important way to connect different groups with relationships to Trinity.
“By creating a book, current and future students, staff and alumni of all ages can immerse themselves in the history and story of Trinity in a thorough and accessible way,” Cooper said.
In “Honoring the Past, Shaping the Future,” one can find achievements, discoveries, various locations, the quintessential Trinity red brick along with contrasting historical and contemporary stories. The design — which combines old and new — doesn’t present Trinity’s growth as linear. Rather, the book aims to magnify moments that capture specific elements of Trinity’s virtues. The book tells the story of Trinity through snapshots of the university’s everyday richness. Cooper noted that, overall, the book is about Trinity’s students and values.
“Throughout the book … you will find elements to create a holistic view of the university,” Cooper said. “We knew right away that we wanted the designs throughout the book to represent the liveliness of the Trinity community.”
The emphasis on the community was especially honored during the book’s creative process by collaboration with a variety of Trinity’s departments — including Athletics, Academic Affairs, Stategic Communication and Marketing, the library’s archives and members on the Board of Trustees, among others.
Burgin Streetman, TU Press’s marketing manager, valued the collectivity in the process of making “Trinity University: Honoring the Past, Shaping the Future.”
“The best part is that Trinity University Press involved so many in the Trinity community in shaping the book,” Streetman said.
Starting in September 2018, the production of the commemorative book took over a year.
“After months of ideation and talking through what we wanted the book to be and what we wanted it to represent, we began working on the design in September 2018,” Cooper said.
Even then, Morabito alluded to, a year is a very small time frame to assemble a book.
A feature of the book for students to look forward to is the extensive series of historical photographs in its last section, offering a glimpse into what Trinity used to be. The section honors the legacy of Trinity student life and their collective moments over 150 years.
“I really love the last section of the book about Community,” Cooper said. “The content in this last section was the content I enjoyed the most as it touches on life on campus then and now as well as Trinity’s place within the San Antonio community throughout the years. I found this really interesting as I considered my own experiences at Trinity.”
