University Libraries
UD History: Hispanic & Latino Students
By Ava Merriman ’25
If you were to flip to Page 433 of the December 1909 Exponent, a monthly student publication of St. Mary’s Institute, you would be greeted with the opening words of a short story: “Methought that I was walking through the crowded streets of a large city. The cold wind whistled merrily about my ears, and the deep snow crunched under my tread.” The passage is drawn from “A Christmas Dream and Its Sequel,” the first known prose submission to the Exponent from a Hispanic and Latino student. Hailing from Mexico City, the author, George Gonzales—Class of 1914—is one of the earliest examples of a Hispanic and/or Latino student in the long history of the University.
The long history of UD is chronicled in myriad ways. Among the easiest and most intuitive to navigate are yearbooks. In the earliest yearbooks of the 20th century, the prevalence of Hispanic and Latino students, especially from other countries, is evident. Crack open a copy of the 1925 yearbook, for example, and one will see that of the 40 seniors listed in the Class of 1925, five hailed from Mexico. That’s 12.5% of the graduating class, making Mexico the class’s second-most common place of origin — the most common being UD’s home state of Ohio. Over the years, the number of countries and territories of origin would expand to include places such as Peru, Guatemala, Spain and Puerto Rico.
As the number of Hispanic and/or Latino students grew, so did the desire of said students to create a club that would “get together all the Latin-American students at the University,” “further the study of their mother tongue” and further the study of “their literature and history.” These quotes come from the 1927 yearbook, wherein the Hispano-American Club is described as having been founded on Dec. 12, 1926. This Hispano-American Club (also called the “Spanish-American Club” in other parts of the yearbook) marks the first of many Hispanic and Latin American student organizations on campus. Today, El Orgullo Latino is the Latin American student union on campus. Although the union was formed in relatively recent years, its origins can be traced back to the trailblazing of the Hispano-American Club. Today, according to El Orgullo Latino’s website, the group has 216 current members and 133 events that celebrate the very same heritage that the founders of the Hispano-American Club did.
Celebrate University of Dayton’s 175th! Visit Honoring Our History: UD at 175 in Roesch Library.
More milestones and memories
The University of Dayton is celebrating its 175th anniversary with an exhibit in Roesch Library. Plan your visit to Honoring Our History: UD at 175.
— Ava Merriman is a senior English major and student employee in the University Archives.
