Everybody knows the school newspaper, The Yellow Jacket. But does anyone know how The Yellow Jacket started or where it originates from? 

The Yellow Jacket has a deep history that runs back to 1891, and the unknown history of The Yellow Jacket is being kept in archives in the Eberly Library. Rea Redd, the director of the Eberly Library, has been on a mission for years trying to collect and store the history of The Yellow Jacket. He has been keeping every copy of the Yellow Jacket and wants to eventually put it on display for everyone to view in the Eberly Library. 

Redd, an alum, worked for the Yellow Jacket as a student; he said it was a start for him to get into journalism. 

“That was the way for me to get into writing, and that’s what I wanted to do.” said Redd. 

The Yellow Jacket has a vast history that many people on campus do not know. Redd said the Yellow Jacket dates back to January 1891 when The Waynesburg College Crayon was created by English students who wanted to create a student newspaper for students to read. The students who wrote all the columns were all students who wanted to become journalists in their careers after they earned their degree, along with anyone else who tried to register for the newspaper, much like today’s Yellow Jacket. The Waynesburg College Crayon also held essay contests to get published in the newspaper. 

According to Redd, the Waynesburg College Crayon was the newspaper’s name until December 1924, when the name was changed to The Collegian, and John C. Knox (whom the Knox Computer Lab is named after) was named the editor-in-chief for “The Collegian.

In 1929, The Yellow Jacket was born when Paul R. Stewart became president; He wanted to make it a more student-oriented newspaper and cover the sports teams more. Redd said the oldest version of The Yellow Jacket was found in May 1941, right before Pearl Harbor. That copy of The Yellow Jacket covers the commencement for that year and graduation. 

A great collection of old newspapers from The Collegian and ancient versions of The Yellow Jacket have found a home at the Eberly Library. Rea Redd’s mission of finding every newspaper and having a display of them has been supported by President Lee. 

Eberly Library has many historic Yellow Jacket copies and holds every yearbook in the history of Waynesburg University. There is no known date of when it will be on display, but Redd said it is coming soon.