By Emily Murray, Archives Coordinator 

Happy Presidents Day! To celebrate, the University Archives and Special Collections looks back at the visionary leaders who have shaped Florida Gulf Coast University. From its founding to today, FGCU’s presidents have guided the university’s growth, innovation, and commitment to excellence. Join us as we honor their contributions and the lasting impact they’ve made on our students, faculty, community, and future generations to come. 

First President:

In April 1993, Dr. Roy E. McTarnaghan was appointed as the founding university president, and shortly thereafter, the Florida Legislature named the institution “Florida Gulf Coast University.” On November 28, 1995, more than 600 people gathered for the university’s groundbreaking ceremony. However, it wasn’t until August 1997 that FGCU welcomed students. Approximately 2,584 students started that semester. Dr. McTarnaghan served as president for six years, playing a pivotal role in planning, shaping, and launching Florida’s 10th public university before retiring in May 1999.

Second President:

William C. Merwin served as Florida Gulf Coast University’s second president from July 1999 until his resignation in January 2007. Under his leadership, FGCU saw significant growth, including the development of its athletics program, an increase in enrollment to over 8,300 students, the expansion of campus housing, and the successful raising of more than $175 million in private gifts and donations. 

Third President:

In August 2007, Scott Lutgert, chair of the FGCU Board of Trustees, announced that Dr. Wilson G. Bradshaw would be the University’s third president. During his tenure, enrollment increased by 60% to nearly 15,000 students, the number of degrees granted annually doubled, several new campus buildings were constructed and he helped launch FGCU’s first doctoral program. Dr. Bradshaw served as president until his retirement in 2017.  

Fourth President:

Dr. Michael V. Martin served as the fourth President of Florida Gulf Coast University from 2017 to 2023. During his presidency, he secured over 23.7 million dollars in funding for FGCU, led the institution through a global pandemic, increased four-year graduation rates to 19%, increased six-year graduation rates by 4.6%, and officially launched the Water School in 2019.  

Fifth President:

Dr. Aysegul Timur was selected to become Florida Gulf Coast University's fifth president on May 4, 2023. Prior to serving as president, she was the Assistant Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, Strategy, and Program Innovation. Overall, she’s been a part of the FGCU community since 2019. Dr. Timur is widely known for building collaborative teams of university and community stakeholders to implement strategic initiatives, including workforce alignments.

Find out more information about the past Florida Gulf Coast University Presidents in their collections: 

Before we begin discussing tips for using archives, it is important to understand what archives are. One definition for archives is, “collections of records which have been selected for permanent preservation because of their historical value.” We use the word record as a catch-all term to describe all the different types of materials that archives may house like letters, books, cassette tapes, film, maps, film, etc.  

Archival research can be a fun and rewarding process. Here are five tips for beginners just getting started: 

1.  Preparing for a Visit

The best place to begin your archives research journey is our website! Unlike libraries, materials in archives are not openly available in the stacks. Instead, they are held in secure locations and brought to researchers upon request. That means that visitors need to have an idea of what they would like to see before they visit. Researchers can use the archives’ website to access our digital primary sources, our collection guide, and our finding aids. 

2.  Handling Archival Material

The first time that a researcher handles archival material can be nerve-wracking. Records housed in archives are rare and unique and patrons often share that they are worried about damaging the items. To prevent the likelihood of that happening, users can expect to follow these guidelines in the Reading Room: 

• Go slow and use items one at a time in order to keep records in the correct order. 

---

3. Take Good Notes

Since archives material cannot be checked out, taking good notes can make or break a visit to the archives. As you go through your material make sure to write down interesting quotes and questions that you have. Also, make sure that you take note of the citation information – the collection, box, and folder number – so you can remember where you got your information.  

4. Ask Questions

Never be afraid to ask questions! Archival collections can be difficult to fully understand, but archivists are accustomed to the organization of the materials. Researchers should feel comfortable using archives staff as a resource. Ask us questions about specific materials or collections. We are always happy to help! You can ask questions by calling us at 239-745-4476, emailing us at libarchives@fgcu.edu , or scheduling a research consultation.  

5. Attend Archives Workshops

Archives research gets easier and better with practice! One way to improve your primary source research skills is to attend Archives Workshop. We offer a session that focuses on a specific skill or tool related to archives each month. This semester, we will offer four workshops. This month’s workshop, Treasure Maps of the Archives: Learn to Navigate Finding Aids, will teach attendees how to navigate finding aids to locate primary sources. It will be held on Tuesday, January 21, at 3 p.m. in the University Archives and Special Collections on the third floor. Keep up to date with our monthly workshops on the Library Calendar. 

Archives research shouldn’t be intimidating. It can be a fun and illuminating process, but the most important part is getting started. We hope to see you as you perfect your practice and work towards becoming an expert archives researcher! 

Why Keep Cookbooks? 

While it may seem unusual for us to collect cookbooks, there is a reason! Historic cookbooks can serve as small, delicious time capsules. They highlight the way that agriculture and our relationship with food has changed in a particular area based on the ingredients within the recipe. Vintage cookbooks can also tell the story of technological innovation by documenting the introduction and accessibility to tools like electric stoves, hand mixers and even air fryers. A lot about a community can be understood from what food its members eat, how they eat, and when they eat it. 

Try Some Vintage Recipes 

Below are two traditional recipes from Evelyn Luettich Horne. Born on Mound Key in 1922, Evelyn grew up in Lee County. Her grandmother was a member of the Koreshan Unity, and she lived through and saw the rapid changes to Southwest Florida before her death in 2007. Be sure to let us know if you try one and what you think of it. You can also visit University Archives and Special Collections on the third floor of the Wilson G. Bradshaw Library for more historic cookbooks and vintage recipes! 

Combine sauerkraut and undrained apples with brown sugar, vinegar, and onion. Dot with butter. Lay Kielbasa on top and cover with brown sugar and mustard. Bake uncovered at 400 for 40 minutes. Serves 6. 

 

 

Perfect Pecan Pie 

3 eggs 

2/3 cup sugar 

1/3 cup melted butter 

½ teaspoon salt 

1 cup light corn syrup 

1 cup pecans, shelled and halved (or chopped) 

 

Instructions 

Beat together all ingredients except the pecans with a hand mixer. Stir in pecans. Pour into pie crust and bake at 375 for 40 – 45 minutes until set.

 

Young children in Halloween costumes from the Lee County Black History Society Collection. The collection consists of photographs, news articles, and various high school memorabilia commemorating Black history in Lee County. The items were digitized as part of the partnership between the FGCU University Archives and Special Collections and the Lee County Black Historical Society. 

Physical materials included in the Lee County Black History Society digital collection can be found at the Lee County Black History Society, Fort Myers, FL. 

Photojournalist Charles Ray documented the drama of presidential campaigns, the passion of the civil rights movement, and the adventure and tragedy of NASA's race for space, our nation's growing pains, including the bloody clashes between police and journalists covering the civil rights protests of the 1960s and the tragic end of Camelot. 

---

 

A newspaper comic depicts trick-or-treaters with different types of candy/treats and two parents holding trash bags full of "roadside recyclables, trash and debris" from Doug MacGregor’s Southwest Florida Cartoon Collection. 

 

Doug MacGregor has been a cartoonist for over 40 years and has created cartoons for the Fort Myers News-Press from 1988 - 2011. The collection contains sketches spanning MacGregor's career with the Fort Myers News-Press. 

---

 

Volume 5, Issue 10 of Eagle News “Fright Night” article showing FGCU students in costume at Junkanoo’s published on November 3, 2006. Student newspaper from the Eagle News Collection, which contains digitized issues of The Eagle, Eagle News, and special editions including new student guides. Publication dates range from 2001 to 2020. 

---

Claude Rahn, Imogene Bubbett (Rahn), and Laurence Bubbet in costumes from the Koreshan Unity Collection. The Koreshan Unity Settlement was a faith-based group founded by Dr. Cyrus Teed, who later translated his name to the Hebrew version, Koresh. 

This collection consists of publications (notably The Flaming Sword and American Eagle), Koreshan Unity members’ records/personal papers, photographs, correspondence, sheet music, musical instruments, etc. The Koreshan State Park is open to the public and provides guided tours with volunteers and ranger staff. 

---

Dr. William R. Maples (1937-1997) was a prominent forensic anthropologist, specializing in bones, who oversaw the C.A. Pound Human Identification Laboratory at the Florida Museum of Natural History. In addition to helping with local cases, he was often sought after by various institutions to assist with high-profile investigations across the globe. 

 

The Maples' Forensic Anthropology Collection includes images and documents pertaining to the Pizarro, Taylor, Merrick, and Romanov cases, as well as field notes, audio/visual material, and administrative records documenting Maples' career as a forensic anthropologist between 1960 and 1997.  

---

Zombie Fest: The End Is Near Poster from the Office of University Advancement Collection. The collection consists of documents, photographs, and ephemera regarding Advancement and Communications and Marketing between 1997 to 2020. 

 

By Alejandra Velez, Archives Assistant

Oof, archival work is no joke! I spent a full year processing a collection that completely changed my view on academic institutions like Florida Gulf Coast University. Throughout this experience of processing and learning the ins and outs of archival work, I’ve come to realize one thing… I really like it. Dealing with such a long and extensive collection was both rewarding and frustrating. I’d come to work and spend eight hours a day processing an extensive paper and photograph collection. I often found myself repeating the same tasks daily: coffee, then processing, another coffee break, and more processing. Some days I would have to take a step back and remind myself why I was sorting through thousands of letters, photographs, newspapers, university policies, and materials. The answer was the same every time: no matter how long it took me to complete a box, the sense of relief I felt when finished was better than the sense of frustration. I also rewarded myself with a treat sometimes!  

I learned so much about FGCU and its amazing past while scouring through the material. Like this project, the University has had its ups and downs in its relatively short history. Despite our academic institution being only 27 years old, it is filled with a rich history that brought together all members of the Southwest Florida Community. Working on the Susan Evans Papers Collection made me realize that the people in our own communities have the potential to be the biggest influence in our lives. I’ll be the first to admit this was no easy task for me to complete and sometimes I felt like I was in over my head, but the sweet reward was well worth it in the end. For me, this brought me one step closer to achieving my goal of becoming an archivist.