Issue date: 4/21/08 Section: News

Susan Rugh, a professor of history at Brigham Young University, reads from her notes during her lecture titled "Pilgrimage: Heritage Travel in Cold War America" Saturday afternoon at the Tarble Arts Center. The lecture was presented as part of the exhibition, "The Aesthetics of Travel in the Rural Midwest." (Nora Maberry/The Daily Eastern News)

Susan Rugh believes nothing is more important than family.

Rugh, a history professor at Brigham Young University, gave a lecture titled "Pilgrimage: Heritage Travel in Cold War America" at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Tarble Arts Center.

Rugh's lecture began with a "National Lampoon's Vacation" reference because she said it shows that things go wrong on family vacations, but it doesn't stop families from taking vacations.

She said vacations are a mark of middle-class life and family vacations took place in the Cold War for three reasons: it was an era when blue-collar workers started getting two-week vacations, highways were being built, and car ownership rose.

Rugh said car dealers began promoting vacations for educational reasons.

Rugh talked about a family that visited Lincoln historical sites in 1951 and said heritage travel boomed in that time for many reasons.

"Tourists strengthened their sense of nationalism," Rugh said.

She also said that tourists could imagine themselves being back in time while they visited the different historical sites.

Many families took trips to Washington, D.C. while their kids were still young, Rugh said. She still remembers her family's trip to Washington, D.C., as well as going to the Washington Monument.

"I still remember getting to the top and finding it was much warmer," Rugh said.

She showed pictures of families on vacations in the 1950s and '60s. She displayed a picture of a family in 1963 standing in front of the zero-mile marker and White House. The children were dressed respectably, showing their culture at the time.

"Parents were making kids more patriotic with these historic vacations," Rugh said.

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Students, parents take to campus for open house

Kelly Johnson likes Eastern's small campus.

Johnson, from New Lennox, was one of several students and parents who toured campus on Saturday as part of Eastern's Open House.

The program, which began with check-in at 7:30 a.m. in Lantz Arena, included lunch for the students and their parents. During the open house, students and parents were able to take both guided and self-tours, attend panels on topics like financial aid and what to do after being admitted, and even learn more about the majors offered at Eastern during the informational fair.

"I like the smaller campus," Johnson said. "It's nice because the teachers really seem to care about you."

Rita Pearson, the transfer coordinator for the office of admissions, said she thought the students attending the open house students seemed positive about the events.

"We had a graduation game show and we were able to put a transfer focus on it," Pearson said.

Students were also able to meet with academic advisors during the open house to determine what they need for transfer to Eastern.

Josh Billingsley, of Goreville, has already been accepted and was visiting campus for the third time, but said he was enjoying his tours and the programs he attended.

"I went to the housing seminar and they covered a lot of information," Billingsley said. "I also went to the student panel. They answered questions and it was funny."


-Compiled by Campus Reporter Sara Cuadrado and Staff Reporter Erin Matheny