| |
1957 |
May
30: The Memorial Entranceway, flanked by a pylon reading
"Western Kentucky State College - The Spirit Makes the
Master" is dedicated.
|
|
| |
1962 |
January
6: E. A. Diddle becomes the first person to coach 1,000
games at a single school.
|
|
| |
1963 |
April
7: Mike and Robert Redd are the first African Americans
to sign basketball scholarships at Western.
June 1: The Bowling
Green College of Commerce merges with Western.
September 14: Vincent Shelby becomes the first African
American to play for Western in intercollegiate competition.
|
|
| |
1966 |
February
26: Governor Ned Breathitt signs legislation authorizing
Western's name change to "Western Kentucky University."
April 1: President Kelly Thompson approves the first
constitution for the Associated Students of Western Kentucky
University (now Student
Government Association).
|
|
| |
1969 |
September
12: Dero
G. Downing becomes Western's fourth president. |
|
| |
1971 |
March
18: The Hilltoppers defeat the University of Kentucky
107-83 in the first round of the NCAA Mideast Regional Final.
UK coach Adolph Rupp calls it "my most humiliating defeat
in basketball."
April 6: Linda Jones, the first female president of
the Associated Students of Western Kentucky University, is
elected.
|
|
| |
1972 |
November
4: Sophomore Alice Gatewood is crowned Western's first
African American Homecoming Queen. |
|
| |
1974 |
June
19: Gregory L. McKinney is sworn in as Western's first
African American student regent.
|
|
| |
1979 |
January
8: John
D. Minton becomes Western's fifth president.
August
1: Donald
W. Zacharias becomes Western's sixth president.
December
1: Western's mascot, Big Red, debuts.
|
|
| |
1980 |
November
8: WKYU-FM
signs on the air. |
|
| |
1981 |
May
23: Julius Price, Western's first African American member
of the Board of Regents, is sworn in.
|
|
| |
1982 |
April
20: Margaret K. Ragan is the first African American elected
president of the Associated Students of Western Kentucky University. |
|
| |
1985 |
September
1: Paul B. Cook becomes Western's interim president. |
|
| |
1986 |
January
25: Samuel
Kern Alexander becomes Western's seventh president. |
|
| |
1988 |
February
7: Western's Glasgow
Campus is opened.
August
31: Thomas
C. Meredith becomes Western's eighth president.
|
|
| |
1989 |
January
17: WKYU-PBS
signs on the air.
September
6: Western's logo, a representation of the Cherry Hall
cupola, is first used. |
|
| |
1996 |
December
14: The first December commencement is held. |
|
| |
1997 |
May
8: Western's Creed Monument is dedicated.
May 12: Barbara
G. Burch becomes Western's interim president.
October 31: Gary
A. Ransdell becomes Western's ninth president. |
|
| |
1998 |
May
16: The University mace is first used at commencement.
|
|
| |
2000 |
June
22: wku.sports.com,
Western's official sports web site, debuts. |
|
| |
2002 |
May
6: The Guthrie Bell Tower is dedicated.
December 20: Western wins its first national team championship
when the Hilltoppers claim the NCAA I-AA football title. |
|
| |
2003 |
May
10: The first students to complete their degrees online
graduate. |
|
