Lincoln Memorial University
Tennessee
1897
When Lincoln Memorial University was founded in 1897, blue and gray were adopted as the school’s colors to symbolize the unification of the nation after the War Between the States. During the war, the uniforms of the Federal troops were dark blue, so this became the shade of blue used at Lincoln Memorial. Confederate uniforms varied in shade and hue, but the “average” color was a medium gray.
Academic hood lists published by the Intercollegiate Bureau of Academic Costume (IBAC) in 1927, 1948, and 1972 described Lincoln Memorial University as having a hood lined navy blue with a gray chevron. A list compiled by Kevin Sheard in Academic Heraldry in America (1962) described the university’s hood lining as blue with a gray chevron.
Citations in the World Almanac (listed by cover date; color information is from the previous year): blue/gray (1912-1935)
