The Nuremberg Trials: Coe's Connection

In 1917, Benjamin DeWayne Silliman graduated from Coe College. Little did he know his remarkable career was just beginning. 

Silliman served in WWI for a short time before he returned to Cedar Rapids and taught debate at Washington High School. He received a degree in 1923 from the University of Iowa College of Law and then practiced law in Cedar Rapids and instructed at Coe part time.
He served shortly in WWII but was then assigned as Judge Advocate to Justice Robert Jackson and assistted with interrogations and prisoner transfer during the Nuremberg Trials. 
He returned to Cedar Rapids after the trials but brought many related artifacts with him. This included interrogations, prisoner information, trial notes, and even some Nazi passports and military insignia. Silliman left these items to Coe College when he passed away in 1988. To celebrate 100 years from his graduation and 85 years of the library's place on campus, we are happy to announce an exhibition running from February 16, 2017 to March 16, 2017 in the Cone Galleries on the main floor of the library. Come take a look at these items and learn more about Coe's Connection to the historical Nuremberg Trials. 


To learn more about the collection, visit the Silliman Finding Aid or stop by the George T Henry Archives in the lower level of the library. 

Alumni Spotlight: Clement Pierce Wilson

Since Coe graduated her first class, Kohawks have been doing pretty impressive things. Today's find is a brochure from the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden. A graduate from Coe, Clement Pierce Wilson, class of 1912, ran in these games. 

Front cover of the 1912 Olympic Games program

He ran in the 4 X 100 meter relay race, the 100 meter race and the 200 meter race. Coe did offer the Clem Wilson Award for track for 50 years after his performance at the Olympics.

Excerpt from the 1913 yearbook

He broke the Iowa state record for the 440 yard race in 49 seconds and then tied the world record in the 100 yard dash (91.44 meters) by running it in only 9.35 seconds! Today that title is held by Asafa Powell, a Jamaican who can run it in 9.07 seconds.

Clem's senior photo

Clem was the captain for the track team his senior year and was also a member of Delta Phi Epsilon. Come and see the whole brochure and other amazing Coe related artifacts down in the archives!

"Libraries are becoming museums," says curator Michael Basinki. "Everything is going digital, but we remain tied to the physical objects."

If you ever find yourself at the University of Buffalo, make sure to check out the 2,500 year old Greek and Roman coins.

Top to bottom: a gold aureus of the Roman emperor Otho; a tetradrachm of Athens, showing the busyt of the goddess Athena; a tetradrachm of Alexander the Great, showing Alexander dressed as the god Herakles; a silver tetradrachm of Sicily showing the nymph Arethusa; a gold aureus of the emperor Nero; and a gold otcodrachm of Arsinoe II.
Photo credit: Douglas Levere

The coins were donated to the UB library in 1935 by Thomas Lockwood as part of a larger collection of rare books. However, it wasn't until a professor that focused his research on currency and antiquities checked out the library's rare coin collection that the treasures were really discovered.

The professor, Philip Kiernan, is now developing a graduate course to examine the items' history. It is the first time the coins will be studied specifically.

To view more photographs and for more information about this awesome collection, check out this article from the UB libraries. Want to see even more cool historical artifacts? Stop by the George T Henry archives in the Stewart Memorial Library basement - we may not have Roman coins (or do we?) but we've got some interesting artifacts detailing Coe's history.