HSC Archives, Records & Memories

Last month Lewis Library started its large renovation project. All floors will be affected by construction. has many images from the 1980s when the Library was initially constructed, such as this one. Like EAD and RES Lewis Library was built using prefab concrete.


Image: Construction of Med Ed III (now Lewis Library), 1980s.

September is . This image from the late 1970s/early 1980s shows an aerobics class being taught to older participants. Aerobics took off as a national trend during this period and offered a wide range classes from Jazzercise to classes, such as this one, for those who were older or less mobile.

Image: Exercise class, 1970s/1980s

Classes are underway at UNTHSC, but did you know that students in the 1970s use to be bused up to Denton because of the lack of classroom space at TCOM? Thankfully that only lasted a few years and the campus grew to accommodate students needs.

Image: Osteopathic Manipulation class, North Texas State University (now UNT), 1977 John E. Galewaler instructing at table.

Welcome back! hopes everyone had a wonderful Labor Day.

Image: TCOM students having a picnic, 1974. University Archives Photography Collection.

When TCOM (now UNTHSC) began their building boom in the 1970s they chose the prefabricated method. MedEd I, II, and III (now EAD, RES, and Lewis Library respectively) were all built using prefabricated concrete. MedEd I was one of the first buildings in Texas to use this method.

Did you know that TCOM (now UNTHSC) once had a softball team? This 1974 photo shows student Roy Lowry showing off his softball t-shirt.
Want to know more about UNTHSC’s history? You can contact the at [email protected]

Drop-by the University Archives next Monday, 8/26, for “Bites of History.” Learn about the campus' unique history, get up-close with cool artifacts, and ask questions about your college. Snacks will be provided.

Monday, August 26 from 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm in LIB 310.

Congratulations to all the UNTHSC students receiving their white coats on the 23rd.

Image: Unidentified students receiving their white coats during the White Coat Ceremony, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (now SBS), 1993. University Archives Photo Collection.

Did you know that the collects materials from campus student organizations? Documenting student life is an important focus of the University Archives. We have records covering not only the governance of various organizations, such as bylaws and meeting notes, but also more lighthearted materials like photos and scrapbooks.

Image: 1992 Student Government Association reception.

From 1976 to 1986 it was a time of rapid building on campus. The increase in student enrollment demanded more classroom and lab space for the growing campus. This 1970s photo, most likely, shows the demolition during the construction of MedEd I (now EAD).

When the TCOM bowling alley classroom was torn down to build the Medical Education Building (now EAD) many of its original bricks were saved by faculty and staff as mementos. Several of the brinks have been donated to the over the years and are now part of our collection.

Image: Dr. Grainger holding a brick from the Bowling Alley, 1975

One of the many reasons TCOM (now UNTHSC) was established in Fort Worth was because of the relationship the university’s founders had with The Fort Worth Osteopathic Hospital. George Luibel and D.D. Beyer helped found the hospital in 1946. The hospital moved from Summit Ave to Montgomery Street in 1956. Early TCOM classes took place on the upper floor. In this photo you can see the hospital building in the upper center, behind Lewis Library, The MET now sits on the old site of the hospital.

Why are we wrapping the University Archives in plastic? It’s all in preparation for the upcoming Lewis Library renovation that starts August 5th. Check out our blog post to learn why the plastic is necessary. https://library.unthsc.edu/preparations-wrap-up/

From the mid-1970s through the 1980s TCOM (now UNTHSC) had a rapid building boom. In order to accommodate the growing campus EAD, RES, and Lewis Library were built in quick succession. UNTHSC could go on to expand the campus even further with IRBS and MET in the 2000s.

Image: Construction worker, 1970s

On July 26, 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed. The goal of the ADA is the elimination of discrimination against individuals with disabilities and was the world's first comprehensive civil rights law for people with disabilities.

Images: Wheelchair user participant during the first Cowtown Marathon, 1979.

The TCOM Student Wives Association acted as a support group for the spouses and significant others of TCOM students. They organized student events, social gatherings, and even gifted art to the school.

Image: Jobey & Janet Claborn look at a gift, to TCOM, from the Student Wives Association, Feb. 2, 1974.

These reception attendees had the right idea: stay inside and out of the Texas heat.

Image: People talking at a reception, 1970s

TCOM’s (now UNTHSC) first graduating class had only 18 students. Early photos in our collection, such as this one from 1974, show what a close-knit community the campus was at that time with students, faculty, and staff often gathering outside of campus for social events.

TCOM (now UNTHSC) was founded in 1970 as a private school. This meant that in the early days the campus had no access to state support and had to find funding sources elsewhere. One way that was done was through fundraising. This 1972 photograph shows Edna Stokes & Mina Reese helping with the effort.

The individuals in this 1974 photo are not identified, but they are most likely TCOM students enjoying a break from classes, on the beach.🏖️

has hundreds of photos that came to us with little or no information. If you have information about any of the photos, we post to our socials, please leave it in the comments or send us a DM.

Image: People on beach, 1974

The is closed today for the holiday.

Image: TCOM students having a picnic, 1974

We won’t tell anyone if you start your holiday a little early this week.

Image: Man holding fishing pole, 1980s.

National HIV Testing Day ( ) is observed each year on June 27th. This panel of the AIDS quilt was created by the UNTHSC community in 2005. Begun in 1985 the goal of the AIDS Memorial Quilt is to raise awareness of the size of the AIDS pandemic, and to bring support and healing to those affected by it. The Quilt has grown to consist of more than 50,000 individual memorial panels.

Some of the more eye-catching artifacts in the are these shovels from various campus groundbreakings. Plaques on the ceremonial shovels document which groundbreakings they were used in.

Build in a furniture store the Camp Bowie Central Clinic opened in the early 1970s. The Clinic was located at 3440 Camp Bowie, where the Interdisciplinary Research & Education Building (IREB) now stands.


Image: Furniture store, 1972.

The will be closed tomorrow, June 19th, in observance of the Juneteenth holiday.

The University Archive houses physical copies of many campus publications, such as Campus Connection, but did you know you can access many of our physical materials online?

Issues of newsletters, such as Dateline, TCOM Review, as well as yearbooks and finding aids to collections can be found in HSC Scholar. https://unthsc-ir.tdl.org/home

Image: Boxes containing archival materials, University Archives.

Blood drives have been hosted on UNTHSC’s campus from its early days through the present. A patient’s ability to access a safe blood products is a key component of an effective health system.

Image: TCOM celebrating Blood Donor Day, 1972.

Opened in 1978 the Institute for Human Fitness provided education in rehabilitation/sports medicine as well as an Activity Center. Faculty, staff, students and their families could join the Center for $10 a year. The Center offered individual programs to improve flexibility, muscle strength, endurance, power training, and aerobic fitness. UNTHSC Fitness Center

Image: Institute of Human Fitness shirt from the Memorabilia Collection, University Archives.

On June 6, 1993 Medical Education Building III was dedicated and renamed the Gibson D. Lewis Library. “Gib” Lewis was a strong supporter of TCOM (now UNTHSC) and sponsored the legislation that enabled TCOM to join the UNT system and become a state university. Gibson D. Lewis Health Science Library

Image: Dedication of Gibson Lewis Library, June 6, 1993. Left to Right: UNT Regent Jerry Farrington, Chancellor Alfred F. Hurley, President David M. Richards, and Representative Gibson D. Lewis.

The connection between the month of June and the wedding season has a long history. Some point to this tradition starting during Roman times, others that the Victorians popularized it. However, it has come to be ingrained in Western culture with many couples still choosing the month to hold their wedding.

Image: Wedding Party, early 20th century.