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| Two unidentified members of the Prospectus press, ca. September 1969 |
Parkland’s student-run newspaper began publication in
December 1968. Without a name, it was known simply as Parkland Press, but a
naming contest was held, and by the third issue, it was officially named
Prospectus. From page 6 of the January
24, 1969 issue, here is a little insight into how Prospectus came into being:
The need for an official name for
the college newspaper combined with Bob King’s dire need of money produced the
name “Prospectus” – a name of Latin origin.
The $10 reward for the capture of
an appropriate college newspaper appellation goes, therefore, to our very own
photo editor, Bob King.
The name was one of six chosen from
a condensed list of numerous suggestions and was finally accepted after careful
examination by our most competent team.
Bob King consulted many books, a
“Glossary of Literary Terms,” “Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionarey” (sic),
“Roget’s Thesaurus,” and a Superman comic book. His decision came from page 685
of Mr. Webster’s monumental work.
“Prospectus is defined as “a
preliminary printed statement that describes an enterprise.” Bob thought that
this was appropriate because it wasn't just a summary of an enterprise, but a compiling
of facts relevant to the students’ environment, “Besides that, it sounds like
something Clark Kent would call it,” he said.
The staff sincerely appreciates all
suggestions submitted by students, and expresses regret that all could not be
financially rewarded. Some of the more humorous or elaborate names suggested
were: The Fang, Snake’s Nest, The Parkland Prism, The Post, Paladin, Precusor
(sic), Pandemic, Proselyte, Purveyor, Picayune Peal, the Parasite, the Parkland
Peeper, the Parkland Gazette, the Snakeskin, the Falling Leaves, the Grass
Roots, the Mind Bender, the Mind Release, De Press, Parkland Messenger, the
Venom, the Cobra Beat, the Parkland Cryer, the Peeping Parklander.
Get the latest issue of Prospectus News
online or in print here on campus.
If you have a question about Parkland's history that you'd like to see
featured, email us at
archives@parkland.edu.
