Photo of the Senior Class of 1922. Image courtesy of the Villanova University Digital Library.

“’22 will never forget the days of the “flu.’” Classes were suspended because those that were not sick were required for different kinds of necessary detail work. Guard Duty (at the gates with wooden guns), K.P., and hospital duty alternated rapidly. Charles A. Belz, class of 1922, reflects back on the impact of the Spanish Flu in the 1922 Belle Air. 

The same way the classes of the early 2020s will speak of how COVID-19 impacted their college experience, so did the classes of the 1920s when thinking about the Spanish Flu.

Consider contributing to the “Documenting COVID-19” collection effort so that future generations can look back the same way we are on this throwback Thursday. Find more information on this collection effort here.

Jenna Newman is a graduate assistant in Falvey Memorial Library and a graduate student in the Communication Department.