Photograph, Summer School, 1950s. Villanova University Archives, Villanova University.

Summer sessions are in full swing on campus! This week’s Throwback Thursday (#TBT) features a photograph from summer school at Villanova College in the 1950s. Notice the backdrop? That was the Reference/Reading Room (Villanova College Library), known today as the Dugan Polk Family Reading Room (Falvey Library). Photo courtesy of the Villanova University Digital Library.

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Library. 

Happy Friday, Wildcats! Falvey Library is delivering you another semester of Weekend Recs, a blog dedicated to filling you in on what to read, listen to, and watch over the weekend. Annie, a graduate assistant from the Communication department, scours the internet, peruses the news, and digs through book stacks to find new, relevant, and thought-provoking content that will challenge you and prepare you for the upcoming week.

With Daisy Jones & The Six making a splash, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret getting a new film adaptation, and flared pants continuing their reign, the 70s are becoming relevant again (if they ever weren’t). Every few years, a different decade gets its time in the vintage spotlight, and it looks like the 70s are currently getting the spotlight. This weekend’s recs will share some ways to incorporate the 70s into your summer.

Photo by Dane Deaner on Unsplash

If you have 4 minutes and 30 seconds…and want to listen to my personal favorite song to come out of the ’70s, listen to “The Ocean” by Led Zeppelin. This song always makes me want to take a road trip to the beach.

Bonus: if you’re looking for more ’70s music, listen to this ’70s summer playlist.

If you have 10 minutes…and love vintage fashion, check out this article about women’s fashion in the 1970s. The bell-bottoms of the 70s have turned into today’s flared jeans.

If you have 25 minutes…and enjoy poetry, read some of Shel Silverstein’s poems from the Where the Sidewalk Ends, available at Falvey for those on campus. This book was an iconic staple for decades. (Don’t believe me, just look at the cover).

If you have 2 hours…and want to watch (or rewatch) a movie that started one of the biggest franchises in Hollywood, watch Star Wars: Episode 4–A New Hope. Although the other two films in the original trilogy arguably pack more of a punch, this film still deserves credit for setting up a multi-billion dollar franchise. Plus, Carrie Fisher’s in it.

Bonus: for more ’70s movies recs, check out Rolling Stone’s Top 100 ranking.

A Pride March in the 70s, Photo by Ian Sanderson on Unsplash

If you have 8 hours and 24 minutes…and like dramas, watch Daisy Jones & The Six. Based off a novel that was based on the complicated romance between Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham, this series follows the rise and fall of the fictional rock band Daisy Jones & The Six. If you like Fleetwood Mac and characters who make poor decisions (but look cool while doing it), this is totally for you.

Bonus: if you dig the music from the show, listen to the Aurora album on Spotify.

If you have 9 hours…and need a book with a little bit of everything, read The Princess Bride by William Goldman. It’s funny, it’s romantic, it’s action-packed, and it has an iconic film adaption.

Annie Stockmal is a graduate student in the Communication Department and Graduate Assistant at Falvey Library.

Photo courtesy of the Villanova University Digital Library.

We’re officially in the “dog days” of summer!

Spanning July 3 to Aug. 11, the “dog days” of summer are usually the hottest days of the year. According to Merriam-Webster, the term is in reference to a star, not our furry friends…“In the ancient Greek constellation system, this star (called Seirios in Greek) was considered the hound of the hunter Orion and was given the epithet Kyon, meaning ‘dog.’ The Greek writer Plutarch referred to the hot days of summer as hēmerai kynades (literally, ‘dog days’), and a Latin translation of this expression as dies caniculares is the source of our English phrase.”

Stay cool, ’Cats!

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Library. Her favorite “dog day” is Aug. 1 (her birthday). 

By Kallie Stahl

Reunion 2023 begins tomorrow! This week’s Throwback Thursday (TBT) features the official reservation form from the 1956 Alumni Reunion. View the full schedule of events for Reunion 2023 here. Graduates from class years ending in 3 or 8 will celebrate milestone reunions with exclusive activities, though all alumni are welcome to attend. Have a fun weekend, Wildcats!

Photo courtesy of the Villanova University Digital Library.

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Library.

Hang in there, Wildcats! Midterms are almost over. Falvey Library has plenty of study space (and a few spots to grab a quick nap). Image courtesy of the 1959 Belle Air Yearbook (page 12).

Read the full yearbook on the Villanova University Digital Library.

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Memorial Library.

Image courtesy of the Villanova University Digital Library.

For this week’s Throwback Thursday (TBT), check out this fall image of Vasey Hall from 1993! The inscription on the side of Vasey Hall reads, “Originally known as the Commerce and Finance Building, this structure was later named for the Augustinian Provincial, Rev. Nicholas J. Vasey, O.S.A., 1918-1926.” Many theater productions were held in Vasey Hall before the new John and Joan Mullen Center for the Performing Arts opened in 2020. Villanova Theatre’s newest show, Men On Boats will be running from Sept. 22 through Oct. 2, so be sure to get your tickets for this comedic satire!

Anna Jankowski ’23 CLAS is a senior Communication Major from just outside Baltimore who ​​works as a Communication & Marketing Assistant in Falvey.

Anyone watch the “House of the Dragon” series premiere on Sunday? This image from the 1929 Belle Air (page 19) is giving us some “Game of Thrones” vibes. It doesn’t matter which house you root for, read the full yearbook here. Photo courtesy of the Villanova University Digital Library.

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Memorial Library. Her favorite house: Stark.

Photo courtesy of the Villanova University Digital Library.

Sunday, July 17 is National Ice Cream Day! Try some homemade ice cream this weekend with recipes from Fannie Merritt Farmer. The tasty treats were published in the August 1910 edition of Woman’s Home Companion (page 32). We suggest trying the Philadelphia Vanilla Ice Cream! Read the full magazine here.

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Memorial Library.

Photo courtesy of the Villanova University Digital Library.

It’s World Chocolate Day! Searching for some delicious recipes? Look no further than this handbook by Frank Tousey published in 1891. How to Make Candy: A Complete Hand Book for Making All Kinds of Candy, Ice Cream Syrups, Essences, Etc. Etc. features some tasty chocolate dishes (beginning on page 10), including vanilla chocolate, chocolate drops with nonpareils, cinnamon chocolate, chocolate harlequin pistachios, and many more! Explore additional recipes in the Villanova University Digital Library.

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Memorial Library.

Image courtesy of the Villanova University Digital Library.

Image courtesy of the Villanova University Digital Library.

This week’s Throwback Thursday (TBT) is an excerpt from the book How to Entertain a Social Party: A Complete Guide to Home Amusement and Entertainment by Nellie Greenway. Published in 1890 by the J.S. Ogilvie Publishing Co. (New York), the book describes numerous magic tricks people can partake in to amuse their party guests. The images above (pp. 105-106) provide directions for producing beautiful fireworks in a miniature. With the Fourth of July holiday only a few days away, we advise against trying this particular trick at home. Instead of lighting fireworks, the book lists many fun illusions to entertain partygoers. Check them out here. Have a safe and fun Independence Day, Wildcats!

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Memorial Library.