In this week’s installment of our recurring series, a U.S. president visits his student son, a building gets a name, and more.

October 17, 1882—Sitting U.S. president Chester Arthur visits his son at Princeton (Chester Alan Arthur II, Class of 1885) and gives a brief address from the steps of James McCosh’s home expressing his confidence in the institution, as will be reported in the Hartford Daily Courant.

October 21, 1904—The Board of Trustees formally approves the naming of Seventy-Nine Hall in honor of the Class of 1879.

October 22, 1846—A fireworks display puts “Dickinson” and “Carnahan” in lights to celebrate Princeton’s centennial. The Spirit of the Times will report, “As the first name appeared there was considerable excitement, but as this died away, and the magic name of ‘Carnahan’ burst into view, the sky was rent with acclamations…”

October 23, 1957—On the first anniversary of the beginning of the unsuccessful Hungarian Revolution, refugee student Charles R. Legendy ’59 tells an audience of 500 at a special ceremony at Nassau Hall how the events of the previous year have impacted him. “In those days a little people which was thought by the world to be coward and communist defeated the occupation army. … Everyone was shouting loud: We are free; we are free again after more than 400 years of oppression.” As Steven Rockefeller ’58 will observe at the same event, however, the Hungarian Revolution has become “a symbol of failure and tragedy” because Hungary “was sacrificed in the name of world peace…”

For the previous installment in this series, click here.

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