This article was originally published in the 2023 edition of Bluefield University’s Spire magazine.
Since the Baptist General Association of Virginia formed its Committee on a School for Southwest Virginia and received a visit from dozens of Bluefield citizens offering land and funds, the story of Bluefield University has been heavily rooted in faith and community.
Over the years – as Dr. Rinaldo Addison Lansdell served as the institution’s first president from 1922 to 1926, Dr. Charles Lee Harman took a stand for Christian values and watched the campus grow from 1946 to 1971, and Rev. David M. Armbrister faithfully recorded it all – the story has developed in ways our founders could have never anticipated. From Dr. Dan MacMillan’s announcement of a tuition reduction in 1997 to Dr. David Olive’s reveal of the institution’s new name in 2021, the Rams family has celebrated several milestones worth remembering.
These memories are captured on various photo slides, cassettes, and film reels that the average household is not equipped to view or play. Those parts of our stories do not have to be lost to legacy formats, however. Bluefield University is launching a new initiative to digitize its archives and has already begun scanning pictures, converting video home system (VHS) tapes, and reconstructing its yearbooks as PDFs.
With this new initiative, we are committed to not only preserving BU’s history but also making it accessible to the alumni and friends we have welcomed over the years.
Some audio and video content are already available on our YouTube channel, and a portal will soon be launched on our website that will feature historical magazines and yearbooks.
As one may suppose, our archives are not comprehensive. Several of the formats in our possession are prone to deteriorate, and members of our community have captured moments we do not have on file.
If you have any media related to Bluefield University you are willing to give or loan to the institution for inclusion in our archives, please contact [email protected]. Submissions may be mailed to the Office of Public Relations & Marketing at 3000 College Avenue, Bluefield, VA 24605.
While there are third-party services available to convert some of these formats, our goal is to digitize as much media as possible in-house to ensure your contributions are handled with care. Some items, however, cannot be returned in their original condition, such as yearbooks that must be removed from their binding. Additionally, we want to offer our graphic communication students the opportunity to not only study these formats but experience them. If you are looking to discard a video reel or video cassette player or another type of legacy media device, please consider donating that equipment to Bluefield University.
