Faculty, African American
— The first African American full professor at the University of Maryland was
M. Lucia James, a member of the faculty of the College of Education from 1965 until her
death on October 18, 1977. Raymond Johnson was another early African-American faculty member,
teaching mathematics, conducting research, and mentoring minority students at the University
of Maryland from 1969 to 2009 before retuning to his alma mater, Rice University, to conclude
his teaching career.
Faculty, first — Three faculty members are listed in the first course catalog of the Maryland Agricultural College (1859):
- George C. Schaeffer, professor of the science of agriculture, including chemistry and its application to the arts, geology and mineralogy;
- H. Dorsey Gough, professor of the exact sciences, including mathematics, pure and mixed; surveying, mensuration, engineering and construction, mechanics and astronomy; and
- Battista Lorino, professor of ancient and modern languages, including Latin, Greek, French, German, spanish and Italian.
The catalog also lists vacancies for:
- professor of moral and mental philosophy, history and English literature;
- professor of physiology, comparative anatomy, and verterinary surgery; and a
- professor botany, entomology, and ornithology.
Faculty, first female — The first female faculty member at the University was Agnes Saunders, professor of home economics and acting dean of the school of home economics for the 1919-1920 academic year.
"Fear the Turtle" — University slogan first developed in 1998 by alumnus Edward Downey. It became immensely popular with the men's basketball team's 2001 trip to the NCAA Final Four. Drew Elburn, from Timonium, MD, was the first person to trademark this phrase. It is also the name of one of the five flavors of ice cream introduced at the Dairy in spring 2004.
Ferdinand the Bull — A gentle bull who liked to smell the flowers, featured in a famous children's book, The Story of Ferdinand, authored by alumnus Munro Leaf (Class of 1927) in 1936. It took Leaf less than one hour to create this tale that Mahatma Ghandi declared was his favorite book. Walt Disney adapted the book into an Academy Award winning short film.
Fiction — The first known work of fiction about the University of Maryland is The Long Gainer by William Manchester, published by Little, Brown and Company in 1961. A second work that features the university as its setting is A Higher Education by Redge Mahaffey published by Ramsgate Press in 1989.
Field hockey — The first interclass games were played in 1929, and the first official competition in 1971. The team won national championships in 1987, 1993, 1999, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2011. Coach Missy Meharg has been honored as Coach of the Year by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association eight times, most recently in 2010.
Fighter Pilot — Captain Walter Duke, who attended UM in 1940 in 1941, was the university's top fighter pilot during World War II, shooting down 14 enemy planes. The Captain Walter Duke Regional Airport in St. Mary's County, Maryland, is named for him.
Fire —
The two largest campus buildings were completely destroyed by fire over Thanksgiving
weekend in 1912. The conflagration began during a holiday dance, but the official
cause of the fire was never determined. No one was killed or injured, but most of the
classrooms, dormitory space, and administrative offices lay in ruins when the fire
was extinguished. To learn more about the Maryland Agricultural College's 1912 fire visit
The Great Fire
online exhibit.
First Ladies — Two First Ladies have visited the University of Maryland. Eleanor Roosevelt spoke on campus on April 13, 1938, to urge young people to prepare for civic involvement, and Hillary Rodham Clinton served as the commencement speaker in May 1996.
Flagship — The University of Maryland, College Park, is the largest campus of the University System of Maryland, and the Maryland General Assembly officially designated it "the flagship campus" in 1988.
Food Co-op — First opened in the Student Union in 1975.
Football —
The Maryland Agricultural College cadets began organized competitions in football in 1892.
Their successors, the Terrapins, were national champions in 1953 and have made numerous
appearances in bowl games, with victories in the Gator (1950, 1975, 2003),
Sugar (1952), Hall of Fame (1977), Sun (1984), Cherry (1985), and Peach
(2002) Bowls. More than 130 Terps have gone on to play in the NFL; in
2003 there were 21 former Terps playing for NFL teams including current
players Chad Scott and Shaun Hill. See also FridgeTV,
Quarterback Factory, and Alumni
of Note.
Football uniforms — In 1961, the University of Maryland was the first collegiate football team to place the surnames of its players on the backs of their uniforms along with their numbers, following a trend established by the professional American Football League and baseball's Chicago White Sox.
Founder — Charles Benedict Calvert, prominent planter and landowner in Prince George's County, sold the original 428 acres of land for the campus to the Maryland Agricultural College (MAC). He is considered to be the founder of the MAC, now known as the University of Maryland.
Founding date — The Maryland Agricultural College, as the University of Maryland was then known, received its charter from the Maryland General Assembly on March 6, 1856.
Fountains — Fountains burble adjacent to the Engineering Building and Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center and in Hornbake Plaza, Tawes Plaza, and McKeldin Mall.
4-H Center — This facility, dedicated on May 10, 1989, houses Maryland's 4-H education programs and the Maryland 4-H Foundation. Associated with University of Maryland Extension program.
Fraternities, African American — The first historically African American fraternity to establish a chpater on campus was Iota Phi Theta. The Nu Chpater was chartered on August 13, 1971. For information on current chapters, visit the Department of Fraternity & Sorority Life website.
Fraternities, oldest — Gamma Pi, which later became Sigma Nu, was the first official fraternity on the College Park campus, recognized on September 18, 1913. Gamma Pi was followed by Alpha Phi, recognized in October 1913, and Iota Sigma, which became Sigma Phi Sigma in 1916, in January 1914. For information on current chapters, visit the Department of Fraternity & Sorority Life website
Fraternity Row — Fraternity row was constructed between 1914 and 1963. It is now home to houses of 14 of the campus's fraternity and sorority chapters.
Frederick Hall — Dormitory constructed in 1948; designed by Edwin Wilson Booth. Named for Frederick, Maryland, county seat of Frederick County.
FridgeTV — Terps football on demand. The website produced by former Terps football player Jess Atkinson featured streaming media and audio of Terps football. It also included live chat with Coach Ralph "The Fridge" Friedgen, game highlights, and Friedgen's Forecast.
