Cartoonist KAL (Kevin Patrick Kallaugher '77) draws special Commencement cartoon

A Commencement cartoon by KAL

The normally sober and strait-laced Harvard Gazette, the University's official news publication, had a little fun with the cover of its Commencement issue, celebrating Harvard's 375th anniversary. Editorial cartoonist Kevin Patrick Kallaugher '77 (KAL), regularly featured in The Economist and The Baltimore Sun, rendered the John Harvard statue rising from its pedestal to lead the annual alumni parade, representing the infant College of 1636 (before there was, or could have been, a graduating class). This is, of course, his thirty-fifth reunion year.

The theme might be "John Harvard Walks the Yard!"—appropriately for a day in which 1995 Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney, Litt.D. '98, a former faculty member, returned to Tercentenary Theatre to read his 350th anniversary poem, "Villanelle for an Anniversary," for Harvard's 375th. Its resonant refrain is, "John Harvard walked the yard." (The poem was also set to music, in a composition premiered during the Morning Exercises.)

Read more about KAL in “Where the Eyeballs Are,” from this magazine's archives, and see more of his work at his Kaltoons website.

Related topics

You might also like

In 1954, Gregory Corso moved into Eliot House. How he stayed there is a literary legend.

A theatrical reenactment explores a 1976 clash between science and democracy.

In a sea of red brick, the Science Center and Peabody Terrace make their mark.

Most popular

Martin Nowak Placed on Leave a Second Time

Further links to Jeffrey Epstein surface in newly released files.

A former Harvard College writing tutor changes her mind on LLMs.

Harvard Weathers a Year of Turmoil

The federal government has launched unprecedented actions against the University. Here’s a guide.

Explore More From Current Issue

Three actors perform on stage, with one actor interacting closely with another, set against abstract backgrounds.

The play Spare Parts is a contemporary fable about the quest to live forever.

A football player in a white jersey evades a defender in a green uniform on the field.

Despite personnel losses, Crimson captain Xaviah Bascon is upbeat about the 2026 season.

A busy classroom filled with students working at computers, colorful decor, and a bright atmosphere.

In 2004, a frenzy spread across Harvard Yard in days. Four billion users later, we are only just catching up.