Harvard History & Traditions

Stories that explore the institution’s rich history, from archival moments to evolving traditions.

Jack Reardon waves

A Look at Harvard’s Distinctive Doctoral Regalia

On regalia, a Jack-of-all-trades retirement, and a Bok’s office bon mot.

by Primus VI

Illustration of Lewis and Clark Expedition artifacts at Peabody Museum

Short Headlines from Harvard History Spring 2025

From the pages of the Harvard Alumni Bulletin and Harvard Magazine

Jimmy Carter and James Agee ’32

Why this “sovereign prince of the English language” touched the president’s heart

by Lincoln Caplan

Bronze weight shaped as a bust of an empress, featuring intricate details and a hook for hanging.

David Gordon Mitten, Harvard Classicist, Professor, and Curator

An archaeologist/curator/hands-on humanist, and an artifact from the era of typewritten term papers

by Primus VI

Barbara Lawrence seated, wearing a textured blouse, in a portrait from the late 1930s.

Harvard Pioneering Mammalogist Barbara Lawrence

Brief life of an intrepid mammalogist: 1909-1997

by Jonathan Shaw

Illustration of a career consultant reading from a paper while seated on a statue pedestal, with a long line of students waiting nearby.

Short Headlines from Harvard History

From the pages of the Harvard Alumni Bulletin and Harvard Magazine

President Alan M. Garber sitting in historic Holyoke Chair during his installation

President Garber installed as president of Harvard

A private ceremony celebrated Garber’s appointment as president.

by Jonathan Shaw

Harvard President Alan Garber at a podium in Memorial Church

Harvard President Alan Garber Speaks at Morning Prayers

President Garber’s Morning Prayers

by John S. Rosenberg

Matthews students pose for picture before Convocation procession

Convocation 2024: The New Crew Redux

Welcoming the class of 2028 to a challenged Harvard

by John S. Rosenberg

Covers of Harvard and Radcliffe College class of 1954 seventieth reunion class reports

How Harvard Has Evolved

Alumni perspectives on Harvard in crisis, and signs of a changed community

by Primus VI

A perfect match of poet and critic: Seamus Heaney and Helen Vendler at Sligo Town Hall for the Yeats International Summer School, 1987

The Friendship of Helen Vendler and Seamus Heaney

Seamus Heaney writes to Helen Vendler.