News

Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College (NEO) is commemorating its centennial year with the release of “Then and Now: A Pictorial History of NEO A&M.” The book features over 200 pages of high-quality archival photos side-by-side with their modern version. Director of Library Services Sloane Arana compiled the book as an extension of her four-volume history of NEO entitled “From Lead and Zinc to Blue and Gold.”

“We’d been working on collecting and sharing the history of the college for almost a decade and realized how powerful photographs are as a medium for telling stories,” said Arana. “NEO has such a rich tradition to draw from that it was easy to share that story by contrasting photos from the past and the present.”

In compiling the book, Arana focused on the themes of places, events, and the touchstones of the college experience for students. That meant selecting photos not only of iconic campus buildings, but also focusing on annual events, clubs and organizations, and traditions that students of any generation would recognize.

“There were also some photos that we included because they were just too wonderful not to share,” she added. “The message of this book is that NEO’s history, is a long, conversation between generations. We can see and hear people from the past when we look back and consider the legacy we’ve inherited, but I think it’s vitally important to acknowledge that people in NEO’s past were also looking forward. Those people worked and prayed for the future of the college, for the students and faculty who work here today.  They are with us now just as we were with them back then.”

Copies of “Then and Now” are available for purchase at the NEO Bookstore, the NEO Foundation Office, and off-campus at Chapters in Miami, Okla., for $36.95. For shipping, please contact the NEO Foundation at 918-540-6115. (Sloane Arana created “Then and Now” to capture the visual history of NEO)