Headlines from Harvard’s history

“Vagabonding,” Harvard Student Agencies, and more from the Harvard Alumni Bulletin and Harvard Magazine

Illustration by Mark Steele

1927

“To vagabond,” i.e. “to rove around classrooms where one does not belong,” has entered the undergraduate vernacular. The Bulletin reports a noticeable increase in the practice during the fall, in part because Crimson editors have begun printing daily lists of lectures deemed to be of general interest.

1942

Thirty-nine members of the Harvard Auxiliary Fire Department, organized to supplement the regular Cambridge department in case of fire from enemy air attack, receive their badges at a special dinner with University officials and Cambridge firemen.

1947

The Band expresses student opinion on a suitable World War II memorial by spelling out “Harvard Needs a Student Activity Center” during half time at the Princeton game.

1952

Oliver Bolton ’39 (R-Ohio) is elected to Congress, joining his mother, Frances Payne Bolton (re-elected for a seventh term), as the first mother-and-son representatives in U.S. history.

1957

Harvard Student Agencies Inc. has been chartered as a private nonprofit Massachusetts corporation. HAS plans to work closely with Harvard financial-aid officers to assist needy students by encouraging and helping to organize student-conducted business enterprises.

1962

A bequest from bacteriologist and immunologist William A. Hinton ’05, M.D. ’12, Harvard’s first black professor, has set up a Dwight D. Eisenhower Scholarship Fund for graduate students, to recognize that administration’s accomplishments toward acceptance of the principle of equal opportunity for all.

1967

Meeting at Harvard, the National Association of Graduate School Deans unanimously proposes scrapping existing selective-service laws in favor of a lottery.

1992

Tommy’s Lunch, “a Mount Auburn hangout for generations of Harvardians,” closes its doors on Thanksgiving weekend, without fanfare, after 35 years of feeding hungry undergraduates.

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

Harvard’s Epstein Probe Widened

The University investigates ties to donors, following revelations in newly released files.

Harvard’s Hasty Pudding Honors Rose Byrne

The Bridesmaids actress celebrated her 2026 Woman of the Year Award with a roast and a parade.

Martin Nowak Sanctioned for Jeffrey Epstein Involvement

The Faculty of Arts and Sciences announces disciplinary actions.

Explore More From Current Issue

Black and white photo of a large mushroom cloud rising above the horizon.

Open Book: A New Nuclear Age

Harvard historian Serhii Plokhy’s latest book looks at the rising danger of a new arms race.

A silhouette of a person stands before glowing domes in a red, rocky landscape at sunset.

Getting to Mars (for Real)

Humans have been dreaming of living on the Red Planet for decades. Harvard researchers are on the case.

Historic church steeple framed by bare tree branches against a clear sky.

Harvard’s Financial Challenges Lead to Difficult Choices

The University faces the consequences of the Trump administration—and its own bureaucracy.