I’ve been rushing all day and I’m still in a hurry so this will be quick! Also, in an unprecedented move I am giving the Bonus first, just in case I don’t have time to finish.
OK, here we go.
Bonus: Just another day at the Institute. (Yes, it’s a gorilla on top of the gym.)
Now back to business. There’s been a lot of talk in the comment box and in my email about rain commencements. It turns out there haven’t been very many. The first one I can find happened in 1934. It was actually quite a nice affair, held across Main Street at St. Paul’s church, which was a lovely venue for a class of that size.
I don’t find another until 1973, although as I mentioned yesterday there are many years without photos so I can’t be sure without looking them all up in the Thresher. I just didn’t have time for that today. There are only two pictures in the 1973 file. The first looks to be a pretty standard shot of the crowd, which would obviously never fit in St. Paul’s:
I’m a bit more puzzled by the second. What is the meaning of this?
The next one was 1981. There are many more pictures of this one, but they’re awfully fuzzy. Also, there is some mystery in this folder. Either the ceremony began outside and then moved into the gym or I have pictures from two different commencements mixed together. In any event, I’m grateful to whoever took them, as many of them are clever and interesting images that let us see how the thing was actually done.
There’s more, but I have to be somewhere in 45 minutes and my hair is still wet.