The students formed the R.P.I. Union in the fall of 1890 stemming from a desire to be taken more seriously for their athletic endeavors, to be more competitive with rival colleges, and to create social ties with Troy citizens (The Poly Dec. 20, 1890).

In January 2014 I announced that back issues of the Rensselaer Polytechnic were available online. There was a hitch, though. For copyright reasons, off-campus access to issues published after 1977 was limited to current members of the Rensselaer community. That left out alumni, who don’t have Rensselaer Computing System (RCS) login credentials. But at long last RPI alums can see the online collection in its entirety, thanks to our intrepid Systems Administrator, George Biggar, RPI ’77.

In our efforts to bridge the gap between the past and present, we share with the Class of 2015 a look back 100 years to Wednesday, June 16, 1915, when Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute graduated 87 men, one of the largest classes on record at that time for the Institute.

It’s no secret that the Grand Marshal is symbolized by a top hat – the GM even writes a column by that title in the Polytechnic.

In our last “Continuing up the Hill” post we described the acquisition of the Warren property in 1905 following the fire which destroyed the Main Building. Along with a house and stable, the property contained 10.5 acres. During the next two years the Institute purchased more land.

This Friday is RPI's 4th annual Spirit Day, in which member's of the Rensselaer community are encouraged to show their pride by wearing or displaying RPI gear. We consider spirit everyday here in the Archives where it pervades the memorabilia collections that we house. We have certain items because they say Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute but we don't know who owned them, wore them, or touched them. We simply know that at some point in history certain items had particular significance to someone!

During Rensselaer’s recent Family Weekend, the Institute Archives held a “show & tell” for campus visitors.  We displayed an assortment of items documenting the student experience at Rensselaer, focusing on the changing campus landscape, housing over the years, Grand Marshall history and activities, and RPI hockey.

November 1 is the 250th anniversary of Stephen Van Rensselaer’s birthday. Fifth in direct descent from Kiliaen Van Rensselaer, the first Patroon, Stephen Van Rensselaer III (1764-1839) inherited a vast landed estate in Rensselaer and Albany counties at age 5.

Political Strategy  In 1900 the United States was planning for a Nicaraguan canal. Meanwhile, the French were desperate to sell their Panama Canal Zone rights to the U.S. for $109,000,000.

The construction of the Panama Canal begins with the French. In 1875, while the United States was conducting surveys across Mexico and Nicaragua, trying to find the right canal route, France became very active and ambitious, eager to make their mark. The French spirit had been so greatly aroused by Ferdinand de Lesseps’s completion of the Suez Canal in 1869, that France decided to take the lead and attempt to conquer the Isthmus of Panama. Again, RPI Engineers were involved, in varying capacities.