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This Week in Princeton History for March 5-11
In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, more than 150 people show up at a forum on sexual harassment, a Native American faculty member and an undergraduate support the occupation of Wounded Knee, and more. March 5, 1987—The Women’s Center sponsors…
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A Campus Divided: The Iraq Wars and Princeton University
This post is part of a series on education and war related to our current exhibition, “Learning to Fight, Fighting to Learn: Education in Times of War,” on display through June 2018. Please stop by to learn more. We will be hosting a panel discussion on February 28, 2018 at 1:00PM featuring Robert Rivers ’53, Bob Durkee ’69,…
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This Week in Princeton History for February 19-25
In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, Thurgood Marshall begins a lecture series, faculty and students gather for a teach-in about a pending war, and more. February 19, 1964—Thurgood Marshall begins a series of lectures on “The Constitutional Rights of the…
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Training for Love and Family: Princeton University’s Marriage Course
In 1927, Ernest R. Groves developed a groundbreaking new course at the University of North Carolina focused on comprehensive preparation for marriage and family life. By the mid-1930s, scattered colleges throughout the United States were offering similar classes to undergraduates, but Princeton joined the group a bit late. The first serious discussions of the possibility…
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This Week in Princeton History for February 12-18
In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, debates over fallout shelters are taking place, Henry Fairfax makes his last deliveries, and more. February 12, 1962—The Fallout Shelter Committee presents its recommendations to Princeton University president Robert Goheen, provoking debate over the…
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What Archival Silence Conceals—and Reveals: Recovering Princeton University’s 19th-Century African American Graduate Alumni
Archival silences distort the past, shaping our current and future self-understanding, so preserving Princeton’s history sometimes means attempting to correct the work of our predecessors. My struggle to bring 19th and early 20th-century African American graduate alumni to light illustrates one way white supremacy of that era continues to influence us today. It also supports…
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This Week in Princeton History for February 5-11
In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, the library makes a significant change in how it catalogs books, the Board of Trustees is divided over a hiring decision, and more. February 5, 1976—University Librarian Richard Boss announces that new materials will…
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This Week in Princeton History for January 29-February 4
In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, the death of a member of the Class of 1919 sparks national debate, the chess club organizes, and more. January 29, 1975—Alum Henry Pitney van Dusen (Class of 1919) enters into a suicide pact…
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This Week in Princeton History for January 22-28
In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, the Board of Trustees decides to move the institution from Newark to Princeton, a donor’s bequest causes controversy, and more. January 22, 1773—Between 3:00 and 4:00AM, students wake up and help put out a…
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