Textile Bookmark Calendar Tapes – 1980s
Professor R. Alan Donaldson continued to guide the design of annual bookmarks by soliciting designs from his students. He worked with Phil Sabio of Artistic Identification Systems, Inc. to execute the production of tapes for distribution to friends of the College through the office of the Textile Foundation, and also to faculty and staff.
The 1980 bookmark featured the strutting wolf above a shuttle with “Textiles” written on the side.
The 1981 bookmark used a triangle design with two yarn bobbins feeding the color. I believe the triangle was adapted from a university design where they wanted to identify three services: Teaching, Research and Extension. These were certainly yardsticks the university used to measure faculty when making decisions on promotion and tenure.
The 1982 Bookmark echoed the triangle design. Two bobbins or shuttles fed black yarn to spell “Textiles” below the triangle.
The 1983 included motifs of a cotton boll feeding yarn to a gripper shuttle, a cone of red yarn feeding a sewing needle, and two test tubes with red dye liquor. The design brought to mind, the interplay of yarn, fabric, apparel and coloration as key areas for the textile program.
The 1984 bookmark returned to a basketball theme as the NC State men’s basketball program won the National Championship under Coach Jim Valvano in 1983. The wolf has a basketball in his right paw with “#1” in red. The left paw has black yarn spelling out “Textiles” in script letters. “83 NCAA CHAMPS” across the bottom left no doubt about the theme.
In 1985, the winning design featured the front of the Nelson Building, home of the textile program.
The Crafted with Pride in the USA Council was formed in 1984 to strengthen the competitive position of the U. S. textile and apparel industry. An educational committee promoted a focus on the quality and value of American-made products as low-cost imports began an assault on the domestic industry. “Crafted with Pride by NCSU Textiles” echoed that theme. The textile programs at State grew as other programs around the US withered. The gold star emblem was borrowed from the national campaign.
Perhaps the most unusual bookmark was created by Artistic Identification Systems, Inc., when it came time to honor the 32 years of service of William E. (Bill) Smith. Bill was a special assistant to the Dean in charge of Recruiting and Placement. Bill graduated in Textiles and became a faculty member but was soon singled out to head the recruiting effort in 1958 when the number of students fell below the needs of the industry. (1) Bill was a colorful person who never met a stranger. If ever anyone could talk his way into the heart of a dubious mother or father, Bill was the man. It’s not known why a pig was placed at his feet. He certainly didn’t keep one under his desk!
The theme for 1987 was all about progress in the textile program. Under the capable leadership of Dean Dame Scott Hamby, a building and equipment modernization program began soon after he became Dean in 1981. The NC legislature funded a total re-equipping of the Nelson and Clark Labs buildings and a building renovation program. Governor James B. Hunt shocked the entire University community in December 1984, when he announced the gift of a portion of the Dorothea Dix property for the future expansion of the University. A new campus would take NC State into a new era. Immediately, plans were laid to move the textile program to the new campus. (2) The bookmark for 1987 emphasized the theme of progress.
Sadly or joyfully, the college of textiles made plans for the retirement of Dean Hamby on June 25, 1987. Dame served for 39 years! His persona lifted the spirits of all. A bookmark with the façade of the Nelson Building was issued in his honor. His career spanned almost the entire history of that building. He arrived in 1948 to strengthen the program during an expansion of the relatively new building and saw us through to the dram of a new home on Centennial Campus.
In 1988, two different bookmarks were issued. One celebrated the career of Dean Hamby. The other depicted the design of the new building now being planned for the Centennial Campus.
In 1989, two versions of the bookmark appeared. A simple recreation of a strutting wolf on a textile shuttle recreated the 1980 bookmark. For the second design, the various curricula were listed: Design, Management and Apparel across the top; Chemistry, Science and Engineering across the bottom. All of this surrounded a wolf’s head on a gold disc.
References:
1. Mock, Gary, N. A Century of Progress, The Textile Program, North Carolina State University, 1899-1999, North Carolina Textile Foundation, Raleigh, N.C., 2001, The Recruiting Program, page 101-103.
2. Ibid. page 182.