ASU: Then and now
The 1919 freshman class (a total of 40 students), from The Sahuaro yearbook. Photo courtesy of ASU Library
You've come a long way, SparkySparky was not the university's original mascot. Former mascots include an owl and a bulldog — in case you're wondering where the building name "Bulldog Hall" came from. Sparky was created in 1948 by alumnus and Disney illustrator Bert Anthony, who was rumored to have based Sparky's facial features on those of his former boss, Walt Disney..
Arizona State University is quite different from the four-classroom school that began in 1886 with 33 students (and a different name — Territorial Normal School).
Today, the university's locations span the globe. Its student body has passed 100,000, hailing from more than 130 nations. Its research has gone into space, beneath the sea and deep into the human psyche.
But some things don't change. Families still unload piles of dorm supplies, first-year students still make a year-launching trek up "A" Mountain and students still take photos on the steps of Old Main on the Tempe campus.
Here we've rounded up a few photos from the archives and compared them with modern images.
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THEN: The senior women's basketball team, pictured in the 1911 El Picadillo yearbook.
Photo courtesy of ASU Library
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NOW: Just as intense on the court ... with a slightly less cumbersome uniform. The Sun Devil women’s basketball team lines up for the national anthem before ASU’s game vs. Arizona on Feb. 1 in Tempe.
Photo by Sun Devil Athletics
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THEN: The Cottage dorm, undated (but we're guessing pretty old).
Photo courtesy of ASU Library
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NOW: The residence halls have gone coed and high-tech. Tooker House opened in August 2017 and was designed to immerse students in an engineering education experience.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU Now
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THEN: Cadet officers in 1914.
Photo courtesy of ASU Library
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NOW: In addition to branch-specific commissioning ceremonies, ASU features a veterans stole commencement ceremony, where veterans such as (from left) David Kline, Asha Dozithee and Jimmy Dennis of the Army receive stoles to mark their service. Learn more about support for veterans and military students at veterans.asu.edu.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU Now
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THEN: Families and friends help students unload cars during move-in on the Tempe campus in 1970.
Photo courtesy of ASU Library
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NOW: Move-in is a well-oiled machine these days, with crews of helpers on hand to get belongings quickly unloaded and into the residence halls. Here, exploratory health and life sciences first-year student Nicco Iannetto gets help as he moves into Taylor Place on the Downtown Phoenix campus on Friday.
Photo by Lynn French/ASU
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THEN: The A. J. Matthews Hall dormitory for male students — with open-air sleeping porches — is shown in the 1920–1921 General Catalogue. It was named in honor of Tempe Normal School President Arthur John Matthews. Ten years later, it was renamed to honor his wife, allowing the new library (now Matthews Center) to bear his name.
Photo courtesy of ASU Library
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NOW: The former sleeping porches have been enclosed and equipped with air conditioning. Carrie Matthews Hall (photographed on July 15) houses the offices of the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts photography faculty. The Center for the Study of Institutional Diversity, under the School of Human Evolution and Social Change, is also located there.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU Now
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THEN: The steps of Old Main have long been a favorite spot for group photos. Here, the junior class in 1914 is featured.
Photo courtesy of ASU Library
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NOW: A group with the Center for Advanced Studies in Global Education gathers on the steps of Old Main in 2016. The center's programs focus on educators, teacher educators and education leaders, with emphasis on best practices that help students reach their full potential across diverse cultures. Learn more at global.asu.edu.
Photo by ASU
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THEN: Time was, freshmen had to sport special beanies marking them as newbies on campus, shown in this 1960 image from The Sahuaro yearbook.
Photo courtesy of ASU Library
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NOW: These days, the only sure way to spot first-year students is to go to Wells Fargo Arena the Tuesday afternoon before classes start, where thousands of them gather with their colleges and learn the fight song, ASU traditions and how to show their school spirit — at full volume.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU Now
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THEN: A 1920 photo looking toward “N” Mountain (now “A” Mountain), also known as Tempe or Hayden Butte. The steeple of St. Mary's Church is on the left of the road. One of the main walkways through the ASU campus, a hundred years ago, was Willow Avenue.
Photo courtesy of ASU Library
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NOW: The steeple of St. Mary's — now the the All Saints Catholic Newman Center — is visible through the trees at the north end of Cady Mall, with "A" Mountain in the distance, on Aug. 19. Many more buildings and structures (including one featuring the ASU Charter) are visible on what was the road, but is now one of seven malls on the Tempe campus.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU Now
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THEN: A solar car prototype, from the 1989–1990 Spark yearbook.
Photo courtesy of ASU Library
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NOW: ASU's EcoCAR3 was part of a four-year competition to turn a 2016 Camaro into a hybrid — but keep the sports-car flavor intact. Here, Hayden Hostetler (left) and Andrew Agrusa check electrical connections at the Polytechnic campus. Read more at ASU Now.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU Now
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THEN: Freshmen sporting beanies trek up and down "A" Mountain in 1960 — that's the "A" in the bottom right of the photo, looking down the butte — continuing the tradition of painting the giant "A" white to symbolize a fresh start to the school year. (The "A" is painted gold again before the first home football game.) This photo is from The Sahuaro yearbook.
Photo courtesy of ASU Library
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NOW: The matching freshmen hats are gone, but the white-palm selfies are in. First-year students such as Chance Hanefeld and Aysia Spencer (pictured in August 2018) continue the annual tradition against a backdrop of a rapidly developing downtown Tempe.
Photo by ASU
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THEN: A 1907 archive photo of a women's basketball team at tipoff.
Photo courtesy of ASU Library
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NOW: Sun Devils guard Reili Richardson dribbles up the floor during ASU’s game vs. Arizona on Feb. 1, 2019, in Tempe. Find the schedules and rosters for all teams at thesundevils.com.
Photo by Sun Devil Athletics
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THEN: Staying healthy has always been a part of being a student. This 1916 image of the campus hospital was featured in the 1920–1921 General Catalogue.
Photo courtesy of ASU Library
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NOW: Health services are available on each campus; in Tempe, the Health Services Building offers acute care services, an allergy clinic, women’s health services, sports medicine and more. Learn more at Wellness Network.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU Now
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THEN: Sun Devil men's basketball takes on the University of Arizona Wildcats in this 1950 image from The Sahuaro yearbook.
Photo courtesy of ASU Library
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NOW: Guard Rob Edwards scores a layup to help the Sun Devils win over Oregon State at Corvallis in early March last season. ASU has advanced to the NCAA Tournament the past two seasons for the first time since 1980–81.
Photo by How Lau Photography
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THEN: A 1914 image of the Industrial Arts Building, now the School of Human Evolution and Social Change.
Photo courtesy of ASU Library
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NOW: The fifth-oldest building on campus, the School of Human Evolution and Social Change also houses the Center for Global Health and the Center for Bioarchaeological Research.
Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU Now
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THEN: Three players show the 1925 Normal School football uniforms in The Sahuaro yearbook.
Photo courtesy of ASU Library
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NOW: Sun Devil football has the latest in athletic apparel tech, thanks to partner adidas.
Photo by Sun Devil Athletics
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