Olde Centre

Olde Centre was the name of the annual yearbook published by the students of Centre College. The first surviving volume, titled The Eccentric, is dated 1897, and there is some evidence that this was the first annual published. The title page notes that the yearbook was "Published by the Senior Class of the Academical Department of Centre College." A second volume was published in 1898, also titled The Eccentric. After the 1898 volume, the next surviving issue is 1903. There isn't any evidence if issues weren't published during that five year period, or that none have survived. The 1903 volume, following the consolidation of Centre College and Central University, was renamed Cardinal and Blue. The 1916 volume was retitled Old Centre. No yearbook was published in 1918 because of World War I. The title page of the 1920 volume indicated that it was now being published by the Junior Class. In 1931 the name changed to Olde Centre, a title that, except for occassional volumes, would be retained for the remaining life of the publication. In 1936 the designation of being published by the Junior Class was dropped. By the early years of the twenty-first century, plagued with declining student interest, raising costs, and difficulties in finding students willing to devote time to publishing a yearbook, the future of Olde Centre was problematic. The last annual volume was published in 2006.