Prism: University of Maine Yearbook

Maine Precaution 1997.

The emblem for the Maine Precaution, a student organization made up of volunteers who promoted peer education through theatrical skits. Performances ranged from everyday aspects of student life to deeper issues such as sexuality, eating...

Umaine School Spirit 1985.

A Umaine student wears a hat displaying the school mascot, the Black Bear, at a sporting event.

Studying Under a Tree 1973.

A female Umaine student studying under a tree on a nice day. Still a common sight around campus today.

Seniors 1961.

Seniors sitting on Fogler Library's steps with the iconic Steven's Hall cupola behind.

University of Maine Stein 1955.

This photograph, included in the Stein Song segment of the 1955 Prism, was captured by Jack B. Mitchell of Chidnoff Studios, New York.

The New Library 1944.

"When finished the new Library will relieve one of the most critical needs of the University. Thanks to the successful Library Fund Campaign and gifts of alumni, the new Library is now completed on the exterior, and read within for the...

Commencement 1924.

This pen and ink illustration captures the culmination of four years of student life in the University of Maine Prism yearbook. F. Gilbert Hills was the artist for the 1924 Prism.

Frosh 1933.

The Umaine freshman track team in 1933.

Social Events 1921.

Pen and ink drawings were popular before photography was widely used in capturing student life in the yearbook. This one is signed Osbourne, class of 1923.

University of Maine Regiment 1919

Photo of the University of Maine's Girls' Mandolin Club in the 1919 Prism. Instruments included were the First and Second Mandolin, First and Second Violin, Guitar, Banjo and the Cello.

Athletics at Maine 1901.

"There is no better preventative of nervous exhaustion than regular, unhurried, muscular exercise. If we could moderate our hurry, lessen our worry and increase our open-air exercise a large portion of our bodily troubles would...

University of Maine Class of 1895

"Maine State! Maine State! Taneranerive! HUTTER coax! HUTTER coax! Nine-ty-five!" The class yell and photograph of the Class of 1895 are included in the 1896 Prism yearbook.

The Prism, the University of Maine’s yearbook, was published for the years 1895 to 1997. In 2004, a University of Maine yearbook with the title Dirigamus was published. No yearbooks have been published since then.

Issues of The Prism vary in content and layout, but seniors are always highlighted. Individual photographs of seniors are arranged in alphabetical order by last name (within each college), and accompanied by information about hometown, major, and fraternity or sorority. Some books also contain photos of members of other classes. Also included are sections on the faculty and administration, campus organizations, athletic teams, Greek societies, and events.

The Prism provides a fascinating peek into the history of the University and the wider world. The 1919 Prism was “Dedicated…To the absent brothers in Arms.” In the WWII years, special sections focused on servicemen, courses on welding and nursing, and defense-related campus activities. Photos of the 1906 Carnegie Library and the just-completed exterior shell of the new library building, later dedicated as the Raymond H. Fogler Library, appeared side by side in the 1944 Prism. In 1955 students armed with shovels and pickaxes gathered “to scratch a path to the Union,” which opened that year.

Yearbooks from the late 1960s on often presented multiple pages of images without any captions. Concerts in 1974 included Chicago, Canned Heat, and Blood, Sweat and Tears. In 1982, the student walkout from classes protesting the low salaries of faculty and staff is highlighted at the front. The penultimate Prism began with the statement “Yearbooks are old-fashioned”!

The yearbook digitization project is sponsored by Fogler Library in partnership with the University of Maine Alumni Association.