Honoring Bert Atkinson
The Atkinson Collection honors Bert Atkinson, who served as director of Coffman Memorial Union from 1963 to 1983 and played an instrumental role in initiating the collection for the University community.
The collection includes a variety of photographs, documents, scrapbooks, Gopher Yearbooks, and other items collected by students, staff and alumni over the years.The entire collection was cataloged and organized in 2020 by Elizabeth DeGrenier, a Master of Heritage Studies and Public History graduate. In 2022, it was moved to University Archives in Elmer L. Andersen Library where it can be accessed for public viewing.
Several research papers have been created over time about the history of the student unions on campus and how they have contributed to student life. This website highlights several written materials by Caitlin Cohn, a 2016 doctorate graduate of the College of Design. Caitlin spent two years carefully combining her research and creative writing skills to build this online exhibit. It also highlights research by Jeremiah Mason, a former Board of Governors member and history graduate.
Introduction
During the 1935-1936 academic year, student and faculty organizations brought a request to President Lotus Delta Coffman with the hope of securing a new building for a co-educational union on the Minneapolis campus. Coffman appointed a survey committee to visit unions at other Midwestern state universities. The committee determined that several universities had superior unions. Coffman was a major supporter of the new union and insisted that the building needed to be large enough to meet the university’s needs. The university received federal funding in September 1938, right around the time that Coffman died at the age of 63. Coffman thus did not live to see the union that bore his name. Construction for Coffman Memorial Union began in January, 1939 and was completed in time for fall classes in 1940.
This online exhibition tells the story of student life at Coffman Memorial Union dating back to its inception. Since it first opened, Coffman has been a central gathering place for students at the U. While the average student’s daily life has changed dramatically since 1940, certain aspects of student life have remained constant. Students continue to need places to gather for social activities, to relax between classes, to grab a bite to eat, and to meet with student groups.