From the first yearbook published in 1924 to the new podcast established this September, the Talisman has been a primary source of information on student life at Western Kentucky University and an archive of its history.
A blog post by My Social Book states that before the 20th century, students lacked ways to document their collegiate experiences. The mid-19th century saw advancements in photography and printing, leading to the first traditional college yearbook at Colby University in 1885. After World War I, yearbook production surged due to a post-war economic boom and technological improvements, but the Great Depression led many colleges to discontinue their yearbooks.
However, a midwestern university’s yearbook managed to survive the economic challenges of the 1930s and World War II.
In 1906, WKU formed as well as its first yearbook, the Potter College Talisman, and only operated until 1909. Fifteen years and two yearbook titles later, the university established a new, permanent annual, Talisman.
The introduction of the Talisman in 1924 gave the Western Kentucky State Normal School and Teachers College a modern way to document the first class of teaching students enrolled in 1922. As of this year, the Talisman is a century old and has many alumni who still recount their experiences.
A lot has changed since the days of the Western Kentucky State Normal School and its Talisman yearbook. Now, the Talisman has transitioned to a website and has a magazine that started in 2016. Additionally, those who were once bright-eyed students are now alumni with memories of their time on the Hill.
The Talisman has a rich history spanning over a century, during which it produced an array of alumni. Many former members have gone on to have successful careers, each leaving their mark on the world.
Former Talisman editor-in-chief Lisa Cornwell said she started at WKU in 1972 and then joined the Talisman staff in 1973.
“I didn’t join Talisman my first year because I had been burned by a bad experience I’d had with a high school yearbook,” Cornwell said. “I was afraid it was going to be a similar situation.”
After joining the Talisman in 1973, Cornwell said she was the lifestyle editor, and the next year she took the position of editor-in-chief for the 1974-1975 book. Cornwell said her time at Talisman was also a time when the awards were “fruitful”.
“We won the Trendsetter Award for the first time for our 1973 yearbook and this award was given in ‘74, and we just kept winning them,” Cornwell said.
According to WKU Student Publications, “The award was retired after five years with no winners other than Talisman.”
During her time at Talisman, Cornwell said she wanted the book to be more lifestyle-focused, so in 1975, the theme of the book shifted toward student lifestyle.
“We decided that our 1975 theme should be ‘Check it Out,’ meaning that we gave insight to students more than regular class photos,” Cornwell said, “That year we had a first insert which was essentially a magazine.”
When Cornwell graduated in 1976 with a double major in mass communication and government and minors in Russian and French, she said she became a broadcaster on Bowling Green’s radio station WCKT.
“In 1980, I made it to their television station, and I was a newscaster for their morning local cut-in of Good Morning America,” Cornwell said. “From there, I went to the weekend reporter, then I was promoted to the 6:00 p.m. newscaster.”
A few years after leaving the TV station and a job in Nashville, Cornwell said she took a test to see if she qualified for a job at the Associated Press.
“They didn’t have any openings at the Associated Press, but there was an opening in Columbus, Ohio,” Cornwell said. “It was supposed to be 18 months, but there ended up being an opening in the Cleveland bureau, so I went there after 12 months in Columbus.”
After working for the Cleveland bureau for seven years, Cornwell said she noticed her father’s poor health and decided to transfer to the Cincinnati bureau to be closer to her father in Bowling Green.
“I started at the Cincy bureau in ‘98 and retired in 2020,” Cornwell said. “It was a very interesting time there.”
Cornwell said her job entailed writing about local and global events, including the Jeffrey Dahmer case.
“Jeffrey Dahmer grew up a few hours away from Cincinnati in Akron, Ohio,” Cornwell said. “That is also where his first murder occurred, so we called and interviewed lots of people up there who had known him and the victim.”
Cornwell said she also covered the John Demjanjuk case. Demjanjuk was a Nazi death camp guard who moved to the States after WWII. He ultimately settled in Cincinnati, Ohio, according to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement,
Nine years before Cornwell’s time at the Talisman, Louisville resident Dottie Hild Geoghegan joined the Talisman. Geoghegan said she was the editor for the high school section of Talisman’s yearbook in the mid-’60s. This section of the Talisman covered WKU’s former high school, WKU College High.
“I helped out in high school, but I didn’t join the real college Talisman until my freshman year in ‘65,” Geoghegan said.
In her junior year, Geoghegan said she became the assistant editor. In 68-69, her senior year, at Talisman she took the job as chief editor.
Initially hesitant to join Talisman in college after her high school experience, Geoghegan said she was encouraged by a WKU “icon”.
“My sister attended Kentucky Wesleyan College with Jody Richards, so I knew him fairly well,” Geoghegan said. “Jody convinced me to join staff and thought it would be a great opportunity for me as an English major.”
Richards is a former Democratic speaker of the house and is also Kentucky’s longest-serving speaker of the house. Additionally, what was once Mass Media and Technology Hall became Jody Richards Hall in 2017. According to WKU’s official website, Richards was “instrumental” in the funding of Mass Media and Technology Hall. In return, this played a role in the building being named after him.
Even after her time at Talisman, Geoghegan said the people she spent her time with there are still an important part of her life.
“Back when I was in Talisman, we only had one photographer and his name was Bill Muster, and he had to do everything photography-wise,” Geoghegan said. “Bill even ended up photographing my wedding a few years later.”
In 1969, Geoghegan said she graduated from WKU. After this, she moved to Okinawa, Japan, with her husband who was in the Air Force.
When they moved, Geoghegan was teaching at the University of Maryland’s extension office in Okinawa. Here, she covered various subjects, including driver’s education.
In 1971, after relocating to North Carolina, she became the secretary to the president of Putt-Putt Golf. Later, she and her husband moved to Louisville, where she had her sons.
“I didn’t have a full-time job until the boys had gotten older,” Geoghegan said. “Then, I taught at Eastern High as a substitute because my boys went there.”
Even in her career of varying roles, Geohegan said she believes her time at Talisman helped her career.
“It made me very organized, and it certainly taught me how to work on a tight schedule,” Geoghegan said. “I felt like I experienced a tight schedule the most during my senior year because I was the editor in addition to being the president of Alpha Delta Pi, planning my wedding, and being a student teacher.”
A few years after Geoghegan’s time at the Talisman, Reba Shoulders said she also joined the team in 1973.
“I started as a student contributor in 1973,” Shoulders said. “Then I became a section editor for the 1974 and 1975 books.”
Shoulders said the Talisman played a role in preparing her for her career.
“The Talisman experience showed me what it’s like to work in a positive and productive team,” Shoulders said. “I learned how to meet and interview all kinds of people, and I learned how to write for deadlines.”
In 1977, Shoulders said she graduated with her undergraduate degree in mass communication, psychology, and a secondary teaching certificate. In the years following, she studied for her graduate degree in school counseling and graduated in 1983 with her Master’s.
Her first job was as a reporter/staff writer for a daily newspaper in Clarksville, Tennessee, the Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle. Following that, Shoulders did freelance writing and photography for the News-Democrat and Logan Leader newspapers in Russellville, Kentucky. Shoulders said she also worked as a school social worker before being a newsletter editor for the General Electric plant in Scottsville, Kentucky.
After working in Scottsville, Shoulders said she moved to Atlanta to pursue a career in writing.
“I moved to Atlanta where I produced sales proposals and then moved on to writing software documentation,” Shoulders said. “I completed a graduate degree in technical writing in Atlanta, but still used the basic skills I learned at Western.”
Even after her full career, Shoulders said she still misses Talisman and the friendships.
“I miss the camaraderie and formation of new friendships,” Shoulders said. “I made some of my closest friends while working on the Talisman.”
Shoulders said she urges young journalists and photographers to join Talisman so they can have an experience they love just as she loved hers.
“It’s a great journalism workshop and a great way to learn teamwork,” Shoulders said. “Most of all, it’s a way to meet all kinds of other students and employees on campus.”
Nearly 50 years after Shoulders joined the Talisman yearbook, in 2022, Cailyn Richer said via email she joined the Talisman.
Richer said she graduated in May 2024 with her undergraduate degree in English, a concentration in professional writing and a minor in journalism.
She began as a magazine writer but also wrote a few web stories. After her first semester on staff, Richer said she moved to the editorial board as the copy editor. She then spent her junior year in that position, while still writing for the magazine. In her senior year, she took the position of a magazine writing editor.
When Richer arrived on campus, she said she initially felt lost.
“When I arrived on WKU’s campus, I felt very lost and in lack of identity,” Richer said. “I knew I wanted to write for a living but didn’t know how I could achieve that.”
However, Richer said the Talisman helped her find her identity and direction as a writer. Now, she works for a Bowling Green news station.
“I am a digital content producer/news producer at WBKO News, Bowling Green’s television news station,” Richer said.“I am also responsible for our social media and much of our website content, and I produce our 4:00 p.m. newscast daily.”
Richer said she believes that her time at the Talisman gave her an advantage in her current position.
“Talisman gave me an edge over job candidates through providing a foundational understanding of journalistic practices and ethics,” Richer said. “More importantly, the Talisman was the means through which I learned to work collaboratively and delegate tasks.”
Richer said her journey with the Talisman shaped her technical skills but also fostered personal growth.
“Overall, Talisman instilled in me purpose and pride and I owe this publication for so much,” Richer said. “I know I wouldn’t be where I am without it.”