Monthly Archives: April 2014

Our Friend, The Physics Amphitheater

Although I often walk across campus with my mind drifting around in years other than the one in which I happen to live, sometimes I forget big things about how we used to operate around here. I was reminded of … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments

Then and Now: Three Views

All of these were inspired by the batch of slides that Alex Dessler brought in a couple of weeks ago. The growth of the tree canopy is amazing. I think the most startling example is the view of the North … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

“Birds Flock to Rice to Die”

I’ve heard some wild tales about the years when the campus was seasonally overrun with huge flocks of birds. We apparently tried cannons, nets, noisemakers, bird whisperers, etc. to drive them off, all to no avail. And then one year … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 30 Comments

Friday Afternoon Follies: Let’s raise a glass to the end of classes!

Summer’s almost here. Here’s Bill Martin, c1971: And Alex Dessler and Jim Sims c1974:  

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The Kidnapping of Sammy, 1917

In yesterday’s comments section, someone asked about the story of the dastardly kidnapping of Sammy by some sorry A&M cadets after a basketball game in 1917 and his subsequent rescue by a group of Rice students. By today’s standards this … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 8 Comments

You Know What’s Always Fun?

A three-legged race. Today another significant group of slides I’d never seen before quite unexpectedly fell into my lap. As I looked through them I was surprised to discover a clear link back to the glass plate negatives from the … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 5 Comments

Rice Fight Never Dies: Kyle Field, 1930

I heard we have a baseball game against Texas A&M this afternoon. It reminded me of this bit of youthful high spirits: I’m pretty sure it was taken in 1930 and the note on the back says we had to … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 7 Comments

Nixon Resigns, 1974

This dunking booth at the Baker Shakespeare Festival in the spring of that year may have been the last straw: Bonus:

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

A Change of Mind, 1955

I was looking at a file of old RMC stuff earlier this week in preparation for a meeting when I came across this fund-raising brochure for the building. Here’s the cover: As you can see, there’s only a resemblance, and … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Two Presidents

There are many, many photographs in the archives that I’ve never seen because they’re difficult to look at. Some are oddly shaped or sized and therefore awkwardly stored, so it’s a hassle to get them out. Others are tiny slides … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 5 Comments