I've been working on a compilation of big-name concerts held at RPI.  People occasionally ask questions about bands that played here, and it's useful to have a quick reference to that information. So far, I've covered the 1960s, 70s and 80s.  I thought I would share some interesting tidbits from my research.

Here is another mystery image for your consideration.  The record is now 13-1.  Mystery Image #14 still lacks identification -- and I had such high hopes.  :-( Can you identify this gentleman?  Do you know where the photo was taken?

The  "Engineers" moniker for athletic teams goes back to the 1920s. It was a good idea when the name summed up RPI quite well and an "image" of athletics was unnecessary. Marketing athletics can be tricky and fan support fickle, however, when there is no mascot to relate to. An attempt to fix this problem came about in 1953 when the Student Council announced a mascot contest. The five finalists were:  Bachelors, Scorpions, Falcons, Red Devils and Cardinals. Students voted for their favorite during the Grand Marshal Week elections. The winner?

I've mentioned my fondness for happenstance before, but I must tell you again that I get pretty excited when I stumble upon an answer! Today, I was browsing through Alumni News from 1969 and there on the front page of the February issue was Mystery Image #10!  The photo pictures the Henry Sage Estate or "Fernbrook" located in Menands, NY.

There were no Grand Marshals elected from 1890-1893 -- an unexplained gap in a long history of Grand Marshals. There were no wars, no national crises and no apparent upheavals at the Institute.  Published histories do not provide an explanation and references to it merely mention that the office was suspended during this time period.

Did you know that March 21st , 1974 was proclaimed "RPI Day" in New York State? Resolved, That Governor Malcolm Wilson be and hereby is respectfully memorialized to publish and declare by appropriate proclamation to the people of the state designating for observance this year the twenty-first day of March as "RPI Day", since it was on this day in 1826 that the Legislature passed an act incorporating what was then the Rensselaer School.

Bill Criss sent along the picture from the Troy Record that he mentioned in his comment regarding Winter Carnival.  Do you know what year this took place?

I feel a little embarrassed when I post an image of a professor that I can't identify -- especially when the prof is still active on campus. The photos in my mystery file tend to be 15-25 years old and since I don't cross paths with faculty on a regular basis, it's not surprising that my knowledge is limited. The ability to reach out to the Rensselaer community through this blog has been very helpful. Keep the comments coming! Readership has increased significantly this week (thank you alumni ;)), so I expect a quick ID on this mystery image!

Image

Here we have another professor at the blackboard pose to ponder.  Please identify this prof and leave a comment.  If you happen to recognize the formula(s), feel free to share that information as well.