“Not only is [The Ohio State University: An Illustrated History] the first comprehensive history of OSU published in many years, but the book also tries to put that history into context and show why and how the university became the institution it is today.” —The Columbus Dispatch
“The history of Ohio State is in so many ways the history of modern higher education in this country. Rai Goerler’s wonderful book provides insight into one of the most remarkable universities in America—its history, its traditions, its possibilities. It is a must-read for anyone who loves Ohio State.” —E. Gordon Gee, President, The Ohio State University
“All Buckeyes who take to heart the words ‘Time and change’ will surely appreciate this book. Rai Goerler used the OSU Archives to trace the changes that over time have shaped our campus and university life. More than a chronological narrative, this history is a useful manual for understanding OSU as the continuing work of generations, including faculty, staff, students, and alumni. Particularly enjoyable are the hundreds of photographs and illustrations that accompany the text. —Jim Tressel, Football Head Coach, The Ohio State University
“Rai Goerler does a wonderful job of capturing our university’s history both through compelling storytelling and fascinating imagery. If you are an Ohio State alumnus or a friend of the university, this is a book that you must have in your personal collection. It does a tremendous job of telling Ohio State’s story.” —Archie Griffin, president and CEO of The Ohio State University Alumni Association
“Rai Goerler’s The Ohio State University: An Illustrated History, conceived, organized, and now lovingly prepared, helps document its remarkable past while opening a window to glimpse its evolving eminence. As University Archivist, Professor Goerler has had ready access and, more importantly, has amassed decades of knowledge about both the history and the million photographs his office has collected and meticulously preserved. For almost a decade, he sustained and supplied academic excellence to the course offered in Arts and Sciences entitled ‘The Ohio State University: Its History and Its World.’ Naturally, if the course is able to be continue after his retirement, this book will be better for the students than any preceding source. More relevant and more lasting, it is a book that any of the hundreds of thousands of graduates, and the millions of admirers of OSU, should consider owning or to give to loved ones for any very special occasion. It is a special book.” —George Paulson, MD, emeritus professor of neurology
Raimund E. Goerler, acclaimed archivist and historian, has written the definitive guidebook to the history of The Ohio State University, one of the world’s largest universities and a prominent land-grant institution. Using a topical strategy—ranging widely through critical events in OSU’s history, vignettes of prominent alumni, and stories of well known campus buildings, historic sites, presidents, student life, traditions, and athletics—The Ohio State University: An Illustrated History is the first one-volume history of the University to appear in more than fifty years.
Always entertaining and consistently informative, the book is lavishly illustrated with more than 300 rare photographs from the OSU Archives. The Ohio State University: An Illustrated History is a must-have for all who call themselves Buckeyes.
Professor Raimund E. Goerler has been University Archivist, The Ohio State University (1978–2010) and assistant
director for Special Collections and Archives of the OSU Libraries (2000–2010).
