Present Memories

During the class of 1972’s thirty-fifth reunion in June, about 80 people showed up for a talk and animated discussion spurred by this...



During the class of 1972’s thirty-fifth reunion in June, about 80 people showed up for a talk and animated discussion spurred by this April 1969 photograph of students gathered on the steps of University Hall. Daniel Gensler ’72, one of those pictured, had invited classmates and others in the image to consider getting together to reminisce; he reports: “I asked if there was interest in people identifying themselves or posing for another photo, but that went nowhere after someone joked about ‘a man going around taking names,’ a line from a song from the ’60s that referred to the political paranoia then. [But the original picture] helped to bring back and enliven all those memories, and their relevance.”

Most popular

How Philosophy at Harvard Saved Itself

As humanities shrink across higher education, one department is flourishing. Is its success a fluke, or a roadmap?

Keri Russell Calls ‘The Diplomat’ a Love Letter to Public Servants

A Harvard Kennedy School event looks behind the scenes of the Netflix drama. 

Harvard art historian Jennifer Roberts teaches the value of immersive attention

Teaching students the value of deceleration and immersive attention

Explore More From Current Issue

Illustration of a phone, book, hourglass, weights, and a hand reaching for a device on a blue background.

Your thoughts on how to regulate the platforms—and stop using them so much

Colorful illustration of a split-level house showing various activities in different rooms.

Can the College do more to prepare students for the real world?

Bronze statue of a seated figure holding a book, with a campus setting in the background.

As humanities shrink across higher education, one department is flourishing. Is its success a fluke, or a roadmap?