If you've ever wondered how Illinois State University decided its colors would be red and white, you're not alone.
ISU archivist April Anderson-Zorn has been asked that question numerous times, given her position as a sort of university historian, but she said it wasn't until this year that she was able to provide an answer.
"There's no golden document that says, 'We are red and white because of that,'" she told WGLT in an interview. "That just doesn't exist; there needed to be time for research. This homecoming gave me the perfect excuse to sit down and do it."
If you want the answer, Anderson-Zorn says you'll have to attend the virtual presentation she's giving on the topic alongside former ISU administrator and self-described "history geek" Barb Dallinger. (They'll discuss the topic during their free Zoom presentation called "Retrospective of the Red" on Wednesday at 6 p.m.)
Both Anderson-Zorn and Dallinger declined to share too many details so as to avoid spoilers, but Dallinger did say she felt quite the reaction when she learned the answer to the question.
"It was an 'aha!' moment," Dallinger said. "It was like, "Well, yeah!"
Dallinger and Anderson-Zorn have partnered up to share ISU history during homecoming week for the past five years, their enthusiasm for the 165-year-old institution's binding them together. Dallinger said prior to her retirement, she did her master's project on ISU history.
"When April came, she reached out to me and said, 'I hear you're the local history geek,' and I said 'yep,'" Dallinger said. "And then we struck up a dog-and-pony show that's been going ever since."
Added Anderson-Zorn: "It's not homecoming unless Barb and I can get together and do our shtick and talk about ISU history."
