RPI History Revealed

Posted by John Dojka on May 16, 2017
The Institute’s ninety-third commencement took place on Wednesday, June 13, 1917 in the ’87 Gymnasium. Eighty-nine students received bachelor’s degrees: 53 in Civil Engineering, 19 in Electrical Engineering, 12 in Mechanical Engineering, and 5 in Chemical Engineering.
Posted by John Dojka on March 30, 2017
Student Army Training Corps, '86 Field, RPI, 1917 The first week of April 2017 marks the one hundredth anniversary of the United States entry into the Great War, or the First World War as it came to be called. On April 2, President Woodrow Wilson went before a joint session of Congress to request a declaration of war against Germany.
Posted by T. A. Gobert on February 23, 2017
We haven’t blogged about mystery images in a while, but since they’re always fun I’d like to introduce a twist on that theme. Today I want to share a couple of “mystery publications” with our readers: KITE and Student Buyer’s Guide (SBG).  I found several issues of each while organizing some old campus publications that were donated to RPI.  Now I want to know more about them!
Posted by Jenifer Monger on December 15, 2016
The end of the Fall semester is always associated with the holiday break. As for faculty and staff, we go our separate ways for awhile, and head off to enjoy a break with friends, family, and loved ones.
Posted by Jenifer Monger on October 26, 2016
October is National Cookie Month as well as American Archives Month, therefore baking powder is the perfect topic for a post. While Library and Archives staff came up with their favorite recipes to share with the Rensselaer Community, I recalled an important collection in the Archives regarding Rumford Chemical Works, thus making the unique possibility of uniting cookies and archives a reality.
Posted by T. A. Gobert on October 12, 2016
Whenever people return to Troy for reunion at least a few alumni visit the Institute Archives and Special Collections department.  It’s always fun to pull out materials and learn about their student experiences at the ‘tute.  This year an alum came in to do some research on a team he belonged to in the late 1940s and early 1950s.  While printing some pages of the Polytechnic for him I discovered what he already knew – RPI had a phenomenal cross country team 65+ years ago!
Posted by Jenifer Monger on May 24, 2016
Every year leading up to commencement, we revisit the proud heritage that we have here at Rensselaer and offer the community glimpses into our history.  To the Class of 2016, we congratulate you and wish you the best moving forward. You too are leaving a legacy behind, as did the students in 1916.
Posted by John Dojka on February 8, 2016
In our last two Continuing Up the Hill posts we described the Warren estate property purchased by the Institute after the 1904 fire that destroyed the Main Building. The first building to be erected on the newly acquired property was the Carnegie Building.
Posted by T. A. Gobert on December 22, 2015
For many years – 60 in fact – the holiday season held a special place in the hearts of devoted RPI hockey fans. Starting in 1951 Rensselaer hosted an annual invitational tournament that brought in teams from all over the United States and Canada. In fact, one team came from as far away as Sweden to compete in the 1980 event!
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