Staff Editorial: Lamron History
Original Lamron E-Board photo courtesy of The Lamron archives
“Do you know what ‘Lamron’ means?”
“‘Lamron’ is merely the word ‘Normal’ spelled backwards–that’s all.”
Livingston Republican., July 28, 1921, “Wayfarer is further inspired by reading Lamron.”
One hundred years—a full century; The Lamron is now older than about 99% of the population. One cannot help but think of those who founded this publication back in 1922 when, fifty-one years after the founding of the college, a group of ambitious students along with their faculty adviser (referred to as Mr. Parry) paved the way for one of the most notable papers in all of Geneseo.
The Lamron began selling preliminary copies in the summer of 1921 during commencement week, according to the Livingston Republican. Ever since this first appearance, The Lamron has made a splash in the Geneseo community covering not only news, but opinion, Knight’s Life, sports, and arts and entertainment.
According to the 1982 edition of the New Student Record book for Geneseo, “The Geneseo Lamron has been around the longest of any of the media [on campus].” Celebrating one hundred years in Feb. 2022, The Lamron has one of the biggest readerships of the Geneseo area. It is also considered one of the most trustworthy media sources by students.
The Lamron has stood the test of time, including the State Normal School of Geneseo’s incorporation into the State University of New York higher education system in 1948. The paper’s main focus and goal has always been to provide students with accurate information written in a way they understand and enjoy, and this did not falter, even after immense change.
But one hundred years of printing were not achieved without difficulty. According to a Lamron publication from Oct. 23 1970, The Lamron budget was lowered from $23,000 to a measly $9,100 for that academic year, causing the paper to cut its printing production in half. This paper noted that the budget was cut by the Student Government due to a “general objection to The Lamron’s quality”; this “objection” turned out to be more along the lines of a conflict of interest between board members and Lamron staff. Thankfully, The Lamron retained the full support of the student body and its budget was partially restored in Feb. 1971, after a referendum allowed students to put the matter to a vote.
Thankfully, with every hardship comes triumph; in 1987, The Lamron was given the second-place certificate from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association journalism contest. During the 2011-2012 academic year, The Lamron was recognized as the “Most Likely to be Heard on Important Issues” at SA meetings.
Today, The Lamron is put together by editors on Wednesday nights, and its physical copies appear on campus every Friday. We meet in the Hunt Room every Thursday at 5 p.m. for those interested in making their mark on Geneseo history. Cheers to one hundred more years of crying in the bathroom on printing nights, celebrating an issue well done, and chaotic gatherings in the office. And remember, we don’t do mail.