at the beginning of the Hockey Line

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 [...]

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big name concerts

I’ve been working on a compilation of big name concerts held at RPI.  People occasionally ask questions about bands that played here and it’s useful to have a quick reference to that information. So far, I’ve covered the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s.  I thought I would share some interesting tidbits from my research.

Peter, Paul & [...]

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Campus Carols

The annual Campus Carols holiday concert was a Rensselaer tradition for many years.  The genesis of the event dates back to 1944 when it was called the “Christmas Candlelight Program.”  In early December, the RPI Glee Club led the campus community in the singing of Christmas carols at the RPI Clubhouse.  In 1948, the event [...]

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presidential campaign stops

On October 8, 1952, ten thousand people gathered to hear Dwight D. Eisenhower, Republican candidate for president, give a campaign speech that blamed the Truman administration for leading the nation into a “policy of inflation.”  Two days later, 8,500 people gathered in the same place to hear the Democratic candidate for president, Adlai Stevenson.  Stevenson [...]

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