"UB Remembers" opens with a reception sponsored by the UB Council from 5-7 p.m.

It will be available for public viewing in the UB Libraries' Special Collection Reading Room, 420 Capen Hall, Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from March 8 through Sept. 10.

Developed by UB archivist Shonnie Finnegan, the exhibit traces the history of the university from its 1846 founding as a medical school to its present incarnation as a two-campus, nationally distinguished research university with 15 schools and faculties.

Finnegan said the exhibition has been designed "to honor and celebrate the vision and dedication of the many university and community leaders who worked throughout UB's history-often in the face of seemingly insuperable obstacles-to establish and sustain a great institution of higher learning in Western New York.

"It also pays tribute," she added, "to the many friends and alumni whose gifts of photographs, documents and memorabilia have enriched the archival collections of the university over the past three decades and made it possible to present, in vivid, human terms, the proud heritage UB enjoys as it celebrates its first 150 years."

Finnegan said the exhibit will showcase hundreds of original documents, vintage photographs, drawings and unique items of memorabilia. Many illustrate the growth and accomplishments of the university and its faculty; others offer a lively evocation of the academic, social, athletic and political life of UB students over time.

The exhibit includes campus souvenirs of the Big Band Era; songs, cheers and chants from athletic competitions of bygone days; a colorful array of student publications from 1900 onward, and relics of traditions solemn and lighthearted-convocation speeches, early faculty papers, original stock certificates, lettermen's sweaters, dance invitations and photographs, many of which have never before been placed on exhibition.

The exhibit illuminates the growing diversity of the student body over time and its response to national events, from World War I involvement to the 1960s anti-war protests and beyond.

Among the significant historical materials to be exhibited is the original university charter, contained in a handwritten volume of the laws of New York State for 1846. It will make this, its first campus visit, courtesy of the New York State Archives and Records Administration.

A subscription book bearing the signature of Millard Fillmore, UB's first chancellor and later President of the United State, also will be shown.