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UASC's Believe It or Not: Oddities, Rarities & Treasures from the Foley Vault: Case 6

Case 6

Case 6

American Flag with 49 Stars, 1959

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This American flag, one of the few flown over the U.S. Capitol between the admission of Alaska as the 49th state and Hawaii as the 50th, was given to Gonzaga’s 20th president, Father Edmund Morton, S. J., by Washington State Senator James E. Keefe, of Spokane. Keefe received the flag from U.S. Senator Warren G. Magnuson, also from Washington.

Bing Crosby’s Hat from "The Road to Hong Kong". 1962.

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Bing Crosby wore this hat in the 1962 film The Road to Hong Kong, the last of the seven-film Road to… series starring himself and his longtime friend Bob Hope.  Instead of Dorothy Lamour, Joan Collins starred in this film.  Lamour appeared in a cameo. There was to be an eighth film, Road to the Fountain of Youth, but this was derailed by Crosby’s death in 1977.

Purchased by Judy Schmid from the Crosby Estate Auction.

Bing Crosby Collection

"Bing Crosby Coloring Book". Authorized ed. Akron, Ohio: Saalfield Publishing Company, 1954.

"Bing Crosby Coloring Book". Authorized ed. Akron, Ohio: Saalfield Publishing Company, 1954.

Bing Crosby began his career in show business in 1934, and by 1954 was the leader in record sales, radio ratings, and motion pictures. Manufacturers were putting Crosby’s name on everything, since he was so widely recognized in the United States.  In 1953 Valley Farms put out one pint ice cream featuring Bing. That same year Crosby’s autobiography came out titled “Call Me Lucky”.  The following year a board game was produced with the same name.  Even children knew of the Crosby name.  In 1948 the American public could purchase a “Bing Crosby Junior Juke”, which was a child’s record player.  This coloring book is another example of the marketing of Crosby’s name towards children.                                 

Carl Maxey’s Boxing Shoes, about 1950

Carl Maxey’s Boxing Shoes from Front, about 1950

Maxey's Shoes from Front

While attending Gonzaga’s law school, Maxey went undefeated in all of his collegiate boxing matches for two years, compiling a 32-0 record. In 1950, he and his teammates gave Gonzaga its first NCAA title by co-winning the National Collegiate Boxing Championship.  After graduating from Gonzaga Law School in 1951, he became the first African American in Spokane to pass the bar exam and Spokane’s first prominent black attorney.  Write about crowds

Donated by Lou Maxey.

Gonzaga University Archives

Maxey's Shoes from Side

Maxey's Shoes from Side

Boxing Coach Joey August and Carl Maxey, 1949.

Boxing Coach Joey August and Carl Maxey, 1949.

Fr. Robert Spitzer’s 60th Birthday Bobble Head, 2012

Fr. Robert Spitzer’s 60th Birthday Bobble Head, 2012

Ten Universal Principles, with him holding up three fingers and a book of Proofs. Created in recognition of Fr. Robert Spitzer’s 60th Birthday in May 2012, the three fingers represent three points when he gave presentations. The Board of Trustees and Regents as well as Vice Presidents received one.

Donated by Sue Weitz.

Gonzaga University Archives

Fr. Robert Spitzer, SJ, c. 1999

Fr. Robert Spitzer, SJ, c. 1999

Rev. Robert J. Spitzer, S.J. was the 25th president of Gonzaga University from 1998-2009.  A 1974 GU graduate, he defined the five pillars of Jesuit education that created a clear vision for Gonzaga’s future:  faith, service, justice, ethics, and leadership.  He completed a $119 million capital campaign for buildings, student financial aid, faculty enrichment, technology, and mission programs.  He planned and oversaw the construction and renovation projects totaling for than $200 million dollars.  Furthermore, he developed a growth strategy that led to steady enrollment increases from 4,507 in 1998 to 6,900 in 2007 and championed rising the academic profile of the student body.  He fostered service learning as an academic component of the curriculum.

Gonzaga University Archives

Charred Remains from the Kennedy Apartments Fire, 2006

Charred Remains from the Kennedy Apartments Fire, 2006

On March 13, 2006, an unknown arsonist set fire to the nearly-completed Kennedy Apartments, burning the $10.3 million complex to the ground. The complex was set to open in the fall of 2006, causing a housing shortage for the 2006-2007 school year, but the complex was rebuilt and opened by the start of the 2007-2008 year.

Gonzaga University Archives