Lamar University Collection - Library Groundbreaking Ceremony (1973)

Duration: 19:02

Year Published: 1973

Sound: silent

Description: On September 17, 1973, Lamar University broke ground on the Mary and John Gray Library. The ceremony coincided with Lamar’s Golden Anniversary Convocation, with the institution opening as South Park Junior College exactly 50 years earlier. This silent footage captures the event, beginning with the speeches given by Lamar University President John Gray, Congressman Jack Brooks, and Governor of Texas Dolph Briscoe. Later, the gentlemen participate in the ground breaking itself, posing for photographs as they scoop dirt with gold-painted shovels. The library officially opened on April 26, 1976.