Headlines from Harvard history, July-August 1930-1970

From the pages of the Harvard Alumni Bulletin and Harvard Magazine

 1930

The Peabody Museum has sponsored two summer expeditions: the first will make a thorough archaeological survey of a large portion of Utah; the second will continue archaeological explorations in Czechoslovakia and the Balkans.

 

 1930

Dunster and Lowell, the first two Houses to be built with funds provided by Edward Harkness, are under construction, as are new biology and physics labs, a faculty club, and Dillon Field House.

 

 1935 

Two Alumni Association representatives travel to the Wedgwood Potteries in England to oversee the final stage in the production of commemorative Harvard Tercentenary chinaware.

 

 1935 

Massachusetts governor James Michael Curley, addressing the Alumni Association on Commencement Day afternoon, stresses the obligation of universities to solve pressing economic problems; their failure to answer the question of work and wages, he declares, “constitute[s] an indictment of our edu­ca­tion­­al system.” 

 

 1945

World War II ends on August 14 with more than 2,800 undergraduates on leave of absence for war service and only 400 attending a special summer session in Cambridge. 


 1950 

The “nation’s oldest summer school” proudly reports a first: students in attendance from all 48 states and the District of Columbia, as well as representatives of 46 foreign countries, from Austria to Venezuela.

 

 1960 

Three cooperative houses, “the first units of contemporary design to be built at Radcliffe,” are under construction, thanks in large part to a gift from Susan Morse Hilles.

 

 1970

The University switches to a Centrex telephone system, installed during a two-year period at a cost of $10.5 million, that allows incoming and outgoing calls to be dialed direct.

 *     *     *   

Five hardy and hearty members of the College class of 1900—the “Naughty-naughts”—celebrate the first seventieth reunion.

Related topics

You might also like

Highlights from Harvard’s Past

The rise of Cambridge cyclists, a lettuce boycott, and Julia Child’s cookbooks

Wadsworth House Nears 300

The building is a microcosm of Harvard’s history—and the history of the United States.

In Sermon, Garber Urges Harvard Community to ‘Defend and Protect’ Institutions

Harvard’s president uses traditional Memorial Church address to encourage divergent views.

Most popular

The Puppet Showplace Theater keeps an ancient art form alive.

Contemporary takes on puppetry in Brookline, Massachusetts

Harvard Divinity School Sets New Priorities

After two years of turmoil, Dean Marla Frederick describes a more pluralistic future for the institution’s culture and curriculum.

Yale Chief Will Lead Harvard Police Department

Anthony Campbell will take up his new post in January.

Explore More From Current Issue

Illustration of tiny doctors working inside a large nose against a turquoise background.

A Flu Vaccine That Actually Works

Next-gen vaccines delivered directly to the site of infection are far more effective than existing shots.

A woman (Julia Child) struggles to carry a tall stack of books while approaching a building.

Highlights from Harvard’s Past

The rise of Cambridge cyclists, a lettuce boycott, and Julia Child’s cookbooks