A few months ago I put up some pictures of a visit to campus in 1938 by Ray Watkin and some of her friends which included this striking photo:
Ray, the daughter of Rice architect William Ward Watkin, continued to spend a lot of time on campus all the way up until her death in 2011. Here she is (with, I believe, her stepmother) in a picture dated 1962. She would be pretty mad, by the way, that I’m showing you a picture of her with her eyes shut. I’m actually sorry about that but it’s the best I can do.
This time I know the reason for the visit. They came for the combined semi-centennial celebration and inauguration of Kenneth Pitzer as Rice’s third president:
Bonus: Roughly the same spot as the first image, roughly 52 years later.
Special Quiz: I was cleaning out some cabinets in Allen Center today. As I pulled binders off a high shelf, something amazing appeared. I knew what it was as soon as the smallest part of it came into view. Who else knows what it is?
