The calendar begins in January 1996 and extends the full 18 months of the university's Sesquicentennial celebration. It is modeled on one published by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York to showcase important works from that collection.

Consisting of nine cards placed in an attractive Plexiglas holder, the calendar was designed by Scott Fricker, Publications art director. Working with University Archivist Shonnie Finnegan, Fricker tried to create a sense of the university's history by selecting the most visually appealing photographs and drawings.

The calendar opens with a stylized photo of a female student that appeared in the 1898 Iris, the university's first true yearbook. It closes with a restful photo of Baird Point, which has become the de facto symbol of the modern North Campus.

Also included are a period painting used to convey the feeling of campus life in the late 1920s; a photograph of a late 1960s Hayes Hall protest during the height of ideological fervor, and a group of World War II servicemen/students gathered in front of the former medical school building at 24 High Street. In another, pharmacy students in the early 1920s consider the camera in Foster Hall, the first new building on the Main Street Campus.

"Most of these images have never before been published," Finnegan points out. "The photo of the 1921 Foster Hall cornerstone laying has certainly never been published before. We have many photos of that ceremony, but not from that particular angle. It's an offbeat view, one not normally used for that occasion. I think it's so striking with those beams in the background. There's a lot going on with (Acting Chancellor) Walter Cooke speaking, a woman at right shielding her eyes from the sunƒScott had a great eye in choosing this and other images."

Another point of interest in this photo, says Finnegan, is that construction of Foster Hall "was a direct result of the 1920 endowment campaign that raised $5 million. Walter Cooke had chaired that campaign while chairman of the council."

Fricker presented the older photos and drawings in a sepia tone and used mostly full-color inset photographs of modern settings for a "now and then" contrast. In the last three panels, the pattern is reversed and the older photos become the inset image. Text is minimal and was arranged to create a sense of narrative throughout the piece. "Images were selected with an eye both toward historical accuracy and visual interest," Finnegan adds.

"The imperfections in some of the very old photos added to the sense of nostalgia," said Fricker, who was careful to preserve the integrity of the images. "When we did add color in some of the photos, we tried to keep it in the style of the period. Also, in order to maintain the integrity of the photos, we worked hard to ensure high-quality printing."

Many of the these photographs have their own story. The image of Dr. Roswell Park in surgery, c. 1895-98, came from the estate of a UB graduate of the period who may be in the photograph. The photo of the original Townsend Hall at Niagara Square-first home to the College of Arts and Sciences-was adapted from a color postcard mailed from Quebec. The correspondent had found it among an elderly lady's accumulations.

Cecil B. Wiener and Helen Z. M. Rodgers, Class of 1899, the Law School's first female graduates, are seen in a small one-of-a kind photo found in Helen Rodgers' papers.

"These images have been selected from a very large collection which has been assembled over a long period of time," says Finnegan. "Most of them were gifts. These rich holdings have depended on the generosity of many people who have given or presented them to the university.

"These are highlights of the university's visual heritage. We're just delighted that people who perhaps would never come and look at all these photographs in the Archives can now have an opportunity to enjoy these images."