Mystery Image #19

This is a photo of an athletic team, but I’m not sure which one or when it was taken (1960s?).  I think it may be the tennis team, because I’ve seen the coach in other pictures.  Do you know?  Can you identify the coach or any of the team members?

flu pandemic retrospect

It is not surprising to find that flu pandemics have impacted the RPI community in the past.  In 1918, the Spanish flu hit campus at a most inopportune time.  It was October and 650 students conscripted into the Student Army Training Corp were about to move into temporary barracks on campus.  The flu ripped through the SATC and by the end of October, six men had died of pneumonia.  Nearly 200,000 people in the U.S. died of flu complications during that month.  A quarantine of the troops at RPI was lifted in November as the number of cases declined.  The soldiers were then able to move into barracks set up in the 87 Gym, Student Clubhouse and the new dormitories.  The flu epidemic was followed by an outbreak of diphtheria and at least thirty-five cases were reported.  A total of fourteen students died as a result of these diseases.  Students were quickly immunized with diphtheria antitoxin if they tested negative to immunity. 

During the month of October in 1957, nearly 20% of the student population was suffering from the Asiatic flu.  Many of the affected students were freshmen. The Infirmary was filled to capacity and additional beds were set up in the 15th St. Lounge (now the Playhouse) to house the sick.  The IFC Ball and the RPI-Union football game were canceled, but both events were eventually rescheduled and RPI’s hopes of defeating Union were realized.

The 1968 Hong Kong flu outbreak was not as dramatic as the others, but still significant.  Most of the cases were reported in mid-December — not a good time for a student to be sick!  According to The Polytechnic, thirty-five students were confined at the Infirmary the week prior to December 18, 1968.  Additional beds were set up in the 15th St. Lounge, but were not used.  All academic, athletic and social activities were held as scheduled.

A recent update on the current outbreak of swine flu (H1N1) reports a total of 21 64 cases on campus.  At this time, we can only guess how this event will compare with past flu pandemics and how it will be viewed from the future.

vintage reunion photos

It’s busy here on campus with Reunion & Homecoming in full swing. Here are a few old reunion photographs to mark the occasion. Enjoy!

Class banners parade to the `86 Field during the 1924 commencement. Reunion used to be held the same weekend as commencement.

Alums pose in front of the Old Gymnasium during their reunion in the 1890s.

Alums show allegiance to their home city. New York had a very active alumni chapter.

sports history quiz

Reunion & Homecoming weekend is coming up and sports will be a hot topic with all the excitement surrounding the dedication of the new East Campus Athletic Village.  With this in mind, I’ve prepared a little trivia quiz to engage you in some sports history.  I’ll post the answers on Thursday, October 1st [check the comments].  Most of them can be found in the Rensselaer History section of the Archives web site.

Feel free to post your answers in a comment — I’ll give you a virtual award if they are all correct.  Have fun! 

RPI SPORTS HISTORY QUIZ

1. Which of the following was the most popular sport at RPI before 1950?  (hint: it was the first team sport)

A. hockey

B. football

C. basketball

D. baseball

2. When did intercollegiate sports officially begin at RPI?

A. 1824

B. 1886

C. 1902

D. 1912

3. Which of the following women’s sports was NOT played in 1972?

A. soccer

B. softball

C. basketball

D. field hockey

4. Rensselaer’s first gymnasium is still standing:  TRUE OR FALSE?

5. Which sports have been played on the `86 Field?

A. football

B. baseball

C. lacrosse

D. tennis

E. all of the above

6. Which of the following venues was NOT located in the `87 Gym?

A. rifle range

B. swimming pool

C. running track

D. bowling alley

E. hockey rink

7. Multiple sports venues share this name:

A. Harkness

B. Houston

C. Robison

D. Anderson

8. Which of the following buildings was NOT originally built for athletics?

A. Alumni Sports and Recreation Center

B. 87 Gymnasium

C. Houston Field House

D. A and C

E. all of the above

9. The men’s hockey team won the NCAA championship in which two years?

A. 1953 and 1984

B. 1954 and 1985

C. 1955 and 1984

D. 1954 and 1986

10. What other RPI sport has won a national championship?

A. lacrosse

B. field hockey

C. cross country

D. football

E. tennis

Mystery Image #18

If you’re new to this blog, let me explain what the mystery images are all about.  We have a large photograph collection that contains images of RPI people, subjects and events.  When photographs arrive in the Archives from various sources, we file them into the collection.  This all works great — when the photos are identified!  If the photos are not marked in any way, then it’s up to me or other Archives staff to figure out who, what or when.  If we draw a blank, the photos go into a stack of “unidentified photos” until we get some helpful information. Comments on this blog have helped identify many of these images!

Now let’s get to the next mystery image.  Just a simple shot of a man walking down a hallway.  Do you know who he is?

at the beginning of the Hockey Line

notice the brace poles in this photo

The Hockey Line is a long standing (no pun intended) tradition at RPI.  When and why did it start?  Before 1972, student tickets rotated through sections on the North and West sides during the season so that everyone had a chance to sit in the best seats on the North side.  Brace poles, in place until 1983, obstructed the view from some sections.  In 1972, about 900 seats in sections H and K were sold on a first come, first served basis.  The remaining sections continued to rotate.  Students lined up in the Rathskellar about 12 hours in advance to purchase these tickets.  I suppose you could call this a prequel to the Hockey Line.

A huge controversy ensued the following year, 1973, when several different season ticket plans were proposed and shot down in one way or another.  A proposal was finally approved by the Student Senate and E-board in late October.  The plan included an “unlimited sale of season tickets in the North Grandstand and the elimination of the rotation system.” [see Poly article, left]  This opened up 2100 season seats to students on a first come, first serve basis.  Tickets went on sale at 9 a.m. on October 29th in the Rathskellar.  Students began lining up on October 25th — waiting in line in the Rath during the day and sleeping outside the Union at night.

The line was officially moved to the outside of the Union in 1975 and a sign-up sheet was kept by the GM and PU to ensure that groups were maintaining their place in line.  The line could not technically begin until the Student Senate approved the sale date and guidelines, but that didn’t stop groups from forming the line earlier and earlier each year.  The competition to be the first in line (and thus start the line) was fierce.  An independent group attempted to start the line early one morning in 1976 and were allegedly attacked by some frat brothers who threw eggs and hosed water at them.  Eventually, rules were instituted to govern the formation of the line, registration of groups, ID requirements, temporary shelters, etc.

George Low visited the hockey line during his first semester as president in 1976 and in subsequent years he began the practice of serving breakfast to participants.

Memories? Questions? Reactions? — Leave a comment!!

college bound

Getting students to college usually involves parents with cars packed to capacity.  The cars line up in front of residence halls and multiple trips are made to haul in the accouterments that make a dorm room comfy.  The admissions process and student orientation sessions are in the past; room assignments, meal plans and registration for classes are taken care of.  After the unpacking and final farewells, first year students are launched into Navigating Rensselaer and Beyond programs — some fun stuff before the real work begins.

Flash back about 150 years and the scene was quite different.  The parents said good-bye at the front door or the stage coach stop or the train station.  The students packed a carpet bag and a trunk (or maybe two) with clothing and personal necessities.  They traveled alone and often used several modes of transportation to reach their destination.

Ambrose Powell, class of 1868, traveled from Laurens, NY.  In his diary he noted that he took the stage coach to Cooperstown and stayed over to visit friends.  He then “took the stage for Fort Plain, arrived there at 4 in the afternoon, took the [train] cars from there for Troy at 8:30, arrived in Troy at midnight.”

It took Charles Martin more than a day to travel from Wellsburg, NY to Troy in September 1854.  “I took the cars at Wellsburg at 9 a.m. on Friday…at 4:30 p.m. I took the cars for Gerham 12 miles from Canandaigua and then the stage for Geneva (9 miles) where I arrived at 9:00 p.m.  I here took the Central R.R. for Albany and rode all night sleeping and waking by turns.  I reached Albany at 3 a.m. on Saturday – my trunks went direct to Troy.” [written in a letter to Lucian Bird, Oct. 8, 1954]

When they arrived in Troy, the students had to find their own accommodations at boarding houses around the city.  Arthur Bower, class of 1871, “went and found Mr. Gager that I might get the address of Miss Malinda Gager who I thought might be pleased to assist me in getting me a boarding place, but Mr. Gager very kindly took it upon himself to aid me and found me a place at No. 17 Grand Div. St.  The room is a back room, though of good size and well enough furnished with the exception of a stove which I shall have to get, as I furnish my own fire and light.” [1867 diary]

Their first order of business at the Institute was to be examined for admission.  Candidates were examined in arithmetic, geography, English grammar, and algebra.  If they passed the entrance exams, they could register for classes.  Charles Martin remarked that “there are lots and lots of students compared to the whole number who came here who fail to enter.”  They were allowed some conditions, which in most cases had to be cleared before the end of the term.  Martin was allowed to postpone the algebra exam so that he could review the material.  Arthur Bower failed spelling – “I had passed all right on everything but spelling upon which I was conditioned as was everyone else of whom I know anything about.”  He goes on to remark that the test was unfair and consisted of 150 very difficult words.  Some students continued to retake the spelling exam into their senior year.  Engineering students who couldn’t spell — go figure!

a walking status symbol

The cane, a fashion accessory popular in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, was also a college status symbol.  Canes or walking sticks were once commonly “worn” by men during this time period.  At many colleges, freshmen had to earn the right to carry a cane on campus.  Cane rushes or cane contests involved a game of sport or wit between the freshmen and sophomores to win this right.  If the RPI freshmen lost, they could not carry canes until Washington’s birthday.  Check out this web page to learn more about the contest at RPI:  Cane Rush.

Presented to Grand Marshal H.B. Pomeroy by the Students of Rens. Poly. Inst. May 27, 1887

Canes were commonly given as symbolic awards or gifts.  The outgoing Grand Marshal received a cane as a gift for his service.  An RPI alum owns a handsome Grand Marshal cane — pictured on the right.

The names of the founders and early members of Theta Xi were carved into a cane, which was displayed at the Alpha house for many years.  Canes used at the cane rush were carved with the year of the winning class.  They were stored at the Chi Phi house.  If anyone knows where these canes are today, I would LOVE to know!

J.F. Winslow Cane

Merrimack Cane

In the Archives, there is a cane that was given to John F. Winslow by the employees of the Albany Iron Works upon his retirement from the company in 1867.   A cane made from the wood of  the Merrimack or the U.S.S. Virgina was created by Messrs. Tilley and Co. after the timbers were recovered in 1876.  It’s ironic that we have a cane with origins at the Albany Iron Works where parts of the Monitor were manufactured and a cane from the Merrimack, it’s counterpart.

Canes or walking sticks are highly collectible.  If you have a cane with a connection to RPI, please leave a comment and tell us about it!

Mystery Image #17

The mystery of this image is not what is it or who is it, but when is it?    The photograph pictures a parking lot east of Blaw-Knox and north of the academic campus.  The location looks more like a military base than a college campus!  The paved area is only half the size of what is now referred to as the North Lot — that’s where I park every working day.

My best guess at dating this photo is the early 1950s.  The Blaw-Knox buildings were moved to RPI in 1949.  Are there any car enthusiasts who can identify the cars in this photo and provide a date range?

Ask AmytheArchivist

One of my primary duties is answering people’s questions — we call this reference.  They may be quick questions — when did my great-grandfather attend RPI? — or they may be in-depth research questions — what were the origins of American human space flight? For in-depth research, I help people access collections where they search for the answers they seek.

Reference activity tends to slow down in the summer so I thought I would try to drum up some business.  Here is your chance to ask anything about RPI history — people, places or things!  Leave your question in a comment to this post and I’ll do my best to respond with an answer.  There are limits to what any human archivist can do so keep it within reason!