Skip to main content

Class History

Memories of our arrival on campus in September, 1960 were documented in 143 photos by acclaimed LIFE Magazine photographer Peter Stackpole. Classmate Susie Lamme Laessig recalls being stopped by the photographer and a journalist on Triphammer Bridge, asking if they could follow along for an hour or two that day for their story. That turned out to be most of the day. The pictures never made it to the pages of LIFE, but they're viewable here. This snapshot in time is incredibly evocative. Even if you were never near Risley Hall that day, they will bring back strong and poignant memories of that exciting time when we said goodbye to our parents and embarked on our Cornell careers.


What happened during our four years at Cornell? Here's how the Cornell Daily Sun reported on those years, with a sampling of world and local news, plus Cornell academics, athletics and socializing.

These items are from the Cornell Daily Sun archives, complied by the Cornell University Library. Browse or search the full Sun archive here.

This is a work in progress -- more to come.

Year: Freshman  Sophomore  Junior  Senior

 Freshman year - 1960-61 (33 items)
8/1/60 Summer Freshman Issue (5 MB)
9/19/60 Front page (first issue as CU students)
9/19/60 Familiarizing the Freshmen
10/19/60 Thousands Hear Rockefeller Talk
10/26/60 Physician, Professors Debate Plan of Health Aid for Aged
10/28/60 Mrs. Goldsen Offers Talk on American Woman's Role
11/1/60 Machooka, Sims Set Records
11/3/60 For President... John F. Kennedy (editorial)
11/7/60 Five Judges to Select Fall Weekend Queen
11/8/60 Frosh Print 'Dialogue'
11/9/60 Kennedy Leads Ballot Carrying Pivotal States
11/11/60 University to Reduce Power... (Fall Weekend issue)
11/14/60 M L King Jr. Visits Campus
11/21/60 Big Red Freshmen Beat Penn as Wood Picks up 252 Yards
11/22/60 'Cornell Bear' Makes Debut as Class of '64 Newspaper
12/15/60 Kahn Pursues Varied Interests in Economics
12/19/60 Students, Faculty Participate in Rally Urging Ban on Tests
1/4/61 Ike Terminates Ties with Cuba
1/6/61 Dedication Ceremony to Mark Suspension Bridge Opening
2/6/61 New Olin Library Opens
2/13/61 Panhel Releases Names of New Pledges
2/13/61 Pledge Total Tops Number of Last Year
2/23/60 Frosh Class Plans to Aid Chilean Univ.
3/7/61 Limeliters to Perform Here
3/16/61 Educating the Girls (editorial)
3/21/61 Ivy Inferiority (editorial)
4/13/61 Russians Put Man in Space; Returns Alive
4/17/61 Reverend King Speaks [at Cornell]
4/17/61 All Contests Snowed Out
4/19/61 Group Plans Spring Fete
4/28/61 Univ. Offers Full Weekend for Parents
4/28/61 Israel's 13th Birthday
5/12/61 Spring Weekend issue
6/9/61 1960-61: a Busy Year at Cornell
Back to top

Sophomore year - 1961-62 (48 items)
9/18/61 CU to Use Permanent ID Cards
9/18/61 Owner Plans Opening Day for Zinck's
9/20/61 Long Delays Characterize Registration
9/20/61 Professor Einaudi to Direct International Studies Center
9/22/61 Women's New SportsCenter to Open in Fall
9/25/61 Hacker Predicts Rockefeller to Take Nomination in 1964
9/25/61 SCLC Show to Feature Harry Belafonte
10/02/61 Maris Blasts 61st Homer as Yanks Win Final Game
10/03/61 Ravi Shankar to Perform at Concert
10/03/61 The Middle East: Bleak Prospects (editorial)
10/11/61 WSGA Upholds Ban on Women in Apts.
10/13/61 Kennedy Sends Viet Nam Envoy
10/16/61 No U. S. Troops for Viet Nam
10/23/61 Rossiter Warns Against Possible Trend
11/03/61 Straight Board Puts Limit on Rock'n' Roll in Ivy Room
11/06/61 Who'll Wear the Crown?
11/10/61 C. M. Curtis '56 Named Cornell President (Fall Weekend issue)
11/13/61 Machooka Leads Red Squad to 1961 Heptagonal Crown
11/30/61 Perspective: Powder Keg in Iran - Part I
12/04/61 Hans Bethe Singular Honor
12/12/61 Eichmann Convicted on Genocide Charge
1/10/62 Sophomores Print Newspaper
1/11/62 Lowi Views Growth of Kennedy's Power
2/07/62 Folk Singer Seeger to Give Performance
2/08/62 The Calendar: Advance it
2/09/62 Perspective: Earliest Dorm Met Protests
2/12/62 Fraternities Take 897 Pledges
2/12/62 Sorority Pledges
2/14/62 Commentary: Coeds, Cash, and Curfews
2/16/62 Cornell Lore: 3,000 University Students Protest Social Limitations
2/21/62 Rocket Takes Astronaut Glenn on Record Flight into Space
2/28/62 Spring Party to Feature Twist Star
2/28/62 Women Favor Ending Senior Curfew Rules
3/01/62 Focus on the New Negro
3/05/62 Inside Out: Leave it to the Girls
3/09/62 Reds Attack Govt. Forces in Viet Nam
3/23/62 U. S. Predicts Turn in Viet Nam Battle
4/02/62 ILR School Moves Classes into New Ives Quadrangle
4/04/62 Michael Olatunji Musician, Composer, Student
4/27/62 'Rites of Spring' University Awaits Weekend
5/04/62 Baez Concert to Mark Start of Freedom Week Activities
5/09/62 South Vietnam: Operation Sunrise
5/10/62 Hacker Terms American Reds Nuisance Rather than Threat
5/10/62 WSGA Bans Casual Wear While Dining
5/11/62 University Bankrupt (Spring Weekend issue)
5/14/62 Shields Calls Spring Rites 'Successful'
5/17/62 Medicare: A Moderate Step Forward
6/08/62 The 50th Reunion Class: Why Do They Come Back?
Back to top