In 1968, Appalachian State University officially evolved from a teachers college into a multidisciplinary state university with three undergraduate colleges: Arts and Sciences, Fine and Applied Arts and Education. Enrollment was close to 5,000, and full-time faculty had grown to more than 300.
Across the country, students were engaged in the civil rights movement and protesting the Vietnam War. At home, Doc Watson was making music, the Mountaineers were dominating in basketball and the Volkswagen van was a hot ride. Ice cream sundaes were 19 cents at the Boone Tastee Freez.
More facts from 1968:
- The price of gas was 34 cents a gallon.
- Lyndon B. Johnson was president.
- Varsity Gymnasium and Sanford Hall were just opening, as more expansion and improvement projects were underway.
- Field hockey became the first women’s intercollegiate sport at Appalachian.
- A new courthouse opened in downtown Boone.
- The public transportation system in Watauga County was known as Big Sam.
- A total of 739 degrees were awarded to Appalachian’s Class of 1968 — the first official graduating class of the university; 624 undergraduate and 115 master’s degrees were conferred.
Students walk by a fence positioned around the site of the former College Bookstore, built in 1934, at Appalachian State Teachers College (1929–1967) after its demolition in 1967. The Education Building, built in 1925, can be seen in the background. In addition to renting and selling textbooks, the College Bookstore also provided Appalachian merchandise, supplies and refreshments, while the second floor provided space for three apartments. A snack bar was added in 1955. In 1967, the building was demolished to make way for the current University Bookstore, which was completed in 1969. Photo and historical information courtesy of the Appalachian State University Historical Photographs Collection
Professor Ray Derrick holds an Erlenmeyer flask during an outdoor biology class at Appalachian State University in June 1968. Students are seen crouching around Derrick, and a box with additional lab equipment is resting in the center of the group. Appalachian's Department of Biology is housed in the College of Arts and Sciences and maintains a greenhouse, an herbarium and several land tracts located on and off campus. The department offers the F. Ray Derrick Scholarship, which was established in honor of Derrick and provides scholarships for qualified biology majors. Photo and historical information courtesy of the Appalachian State University Historical Photographs Collection
This photo displays the sign that greeted faculty, staff, students and visitors to Appalachian State University’s campus in 1968. The sign, which was erected in 1967, was located at the main entrance of campus, off Blowing Rock Road (U.S. 321). It includes the university seal, reading “Appalachian State University 1899, esse quam videri.” The sign consisted of three painted wooden boards suspended between two stone columns. Part of Founders Hall, built 1932, can be seen between and below the boards. Photo and historical information courtesy of the Appalachian State University Historical Photographs Collection
Varsity cheerleaders march along Appalachian Street in front of the B.B. Dougherty Administration Building during the Homecoming parade at Appalachian State Teachers College (1929–1967) in 1968. Buses can be seen following behind them. Homecoming was an annual event at Appalachian State Teachers College that included plays, a parade, a dance, a football game, reunion activities and the crowning of the Homecoming queen. Photo and historical information courtesy of the Appalachian State University Historical Photographs Collection
A student walks along Locust Street after a snowstorm at Appalachian State University in January 1968. D.D. Dougherty Library, built 1935, and parked cars can be seen on the right, and Plemmons Student Union, built 1968, is visible in the background. Photo and historical information courtesy of the Appalachian State University Historical Photographs Collection
Appalachian alumni from the classes of 1968 and prior return to campus June 22–23 for the annual Black & Gold Reunion.
This is a year of celebration — for Appalachian’s tradition of academic excellence and its commitment to community, faculty collegiality and a beautiful mountain setting. Over the course of the year, Appalachian is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Fine and Applied Arts, the Reich College of Education, the Hayes School of Music’s Cannon Music Camp and women’s athletics.
About the Black and Gold Society
The Appalachian State University Black and Gold Society honors alumni who celebrate their 50th year reunion from their beloved alma mater. The Black and Gold Society exists to commemorate Appalachian’s rich traditions of pride, excellence and the commitment to leaving an indelible mark on the hearts and lives of each student who makes Appalachian their home. This society also provides an invaluable historic perspective of the institution through the living legacies of alumni, and accentuates the significance of remaining an engaged member of the Appalachian Family.
About Alumni Affairs
The Office of Alumni Affairs provides networking opportunities, affinity program discounts, alumni chapter gatherings and special events, merchandise and travel tour options to Appalachian State University alumni.
The Appalachian State University Alumni Association consists of more than 130,000 living Appalachian alumni. Membership is free and open to all graduates of Appalachian. The association’s mission is to help alumni remember their Appalachian Experience and stay connected with current Mountaineers, and to work to ensure that those experiences are available for future Appalachian alumni by raising support for the Alumni Memorial Scholarship and The Appalachian Fund.
About Appalachian State University
As the premier public undergraduate institution in the state of North Carolina, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The Appalachian Experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and to embrace diversity and difference. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System. Appalachian enrolls more than 19,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.
What do you think?
Share your feedback on this story.
