This blog reveals almost two centuries of history in the making at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Through images, artifacts, documents and memorabilia housed in the Archives we will continually highlight bits of information that pertain to the cultural and social landscape of the Institute by putting a name to a face, locating a building, describing an object or getting the full story behind events, traditions or incidents. We want you to be in the know! Better yet, you may have witnessed RPI history in the making — tell us about it! Additionally, there are many unidentified or under-identified items in our collections that you may know something about!
And if you’ve got a question, please feel free to ask the archivists!
This is great! I look forward to reading in the future. Unfortunately I won’t be of much use as a sophomore.
Thanks for stopping by and come back again!
I’m glad to see this blog, especially as a new mechanism to solve unidentified photographs for the Archives.
Thanks for the positive comment Glen!
It’s great to see that the blog has attracted some attention. I’ll be posting another unidentified photo this week.
Thanks for adding your impressive blog to the archival blogs directory! Good stuff here, and a great use of a blog as a platform to help identify people and places lost in the archives.
Cheers!
Do you have any NYC based items? We’re working on a website and need some images.
I was also wondering if we could build a map of RPI trivia: it would be a map that listed alumni contributions like the many bridges in NYC, buildings that architects designed, etc. Any volunteers interested in helping would be appreciated.
Mark
http://ameres.net
You can find images of the Brooklyn, Williamsburg and Verrazano-Narrows bridges by searching our online image database http://archives-2.lib.rpi.edu/InmagicGenie/opac.aspx. I can’t think of any other New York City images in our collection. Buildings designed or built by RPI alums that I know of off the top of my head are the Woolworth Building, Hotel St. George and the YMCA.
The map of RPI trivia is an interesting idea. I may be able to help with basic facts and images.
Hello,
I live in Seattle Wa. and i found an old calculus book at a garage sale. It is ” practical treatise on the differential and integral calculus with some of its applications to mechanics and astronomy” published in 1873. There are equations and other writings from alumni Van Wyck Hewlett. If you would like this let me know and i’ll send it to your attention.
Tom Cox
Tom, thanks for your offer. I’ll contact you by email.
Enjoyed seeing the 1952 snow scuptures.
The horse and sleigh was Theta Chi’s entry and I seem to remember we won. Graham Williams lead that effort
I just stumbled upon this blog…very neat. Enjoy trying to ID the old photos and learning some of the buried history.
Looking forward to more.
There were some great sculptures that year, but this one would have received my vote. Thanks for identifying it as Theta Chi’s.
Thanks for all of your comments Joann. The feedback from alums makes this blog so rewarding. Stay tuned!
Amy, I have heard rumors that Led Zeppelin, possibly The Who, and other big name bands played at RPI during the 70s. Can you give me some more information about this such as what bands played and when they did (specifically Zeppelin). Also if you have any of the concert posters available for scan that would be sweet, my friend’s and I would love to see that.
Thanks,
Chris
Chris, I’m so glad you asked this question! A topic like this has been in the back of my mind for a long time. I haven’t come across info. about Zeppelin, but I’ll take a closer look and get back to you. Look for a post regarding big name concerts at RPI in the near future! I can say for certain that we do NOT have concert posters — I know, too bad. A Doors poster recently came up for sale on Ebay, but it was way out of our price range!
Led Zeppelin did not appear at RPI. The closest they got was Schenectady in 1969. The Who also never made it to Troy. I think their only gig in upstate NY was Woodstock!
Hi Amy,
I have a fond recollection of the 10/16/1971 Blood, Sweat & Tears concert as this is where I met my future wife who was going to Green Mountain College at the time. The other thing that might be of interest to others is that the warm up act to BS&T was Don McLean. Nobody had heard of him and he came out alone on stage. He sang “American Pie” and the place went nuts. Two weeks later “American Pie” stated to be played on the radio and he went on to fame and fortune. We saw him first at RPI! He was the highlight of that concert.
-John ’73 (Phi Sigma Kappa)
Hail brother John ’73, fellow Phi Sig!
The concert that sticks in my mind because I missed it was the Doors’ concert in 1968, or maybe 1969? when Jim got arrested for taking a whizz onstage. I was on “Work Study” that Friday night and had to guard Russell Sage Hall during the concert. On my way walking home to Phi Sig, I took the turn left at Burdett and Fieldhouse Way, and lamented the fact that I was missing the concert up there. But it sure got a lot of press coverage in the Troy Record and of course the Poly.
As for concerts I did attend — in the 1966-70 time frame — the best of all was Simon & Garfunkel.
The Association put on a great show as did Tom Rush.
And I recall going over to Union College in Schenectady to see Judy Collins. Fabulous performance!
I’m sure I’ll recall more as I rattle the old memory bank.
I was at the Led Zeppelin concert in Schenectady in 1969 at the old Aerodrome on Route 5 (Albany-Schenectady Road). I also attended the Doors concert at RPI in 1967 at age 14 with my entire family (my youngest sib, sister was 7). My parents were passed some “funny cigarettes” which they declined and the smell was peculiar to me at the time.
My grandfather had a rent apt near RPI that he owned from the 60′s. He gave me and old jug with date of 1960 Saturnalia on it and some kind of crest. If anyone is interested in buying it please email me.