March 2001
Special Tercentennial Edition
Volume 64, Number 5
Feature stories:
300: A Serious Number
In recognition of the university’s 300th anniversary, the Yale Alumni Magazine offers a survey of Yale’s achievements since its founding in 1701.
Quarrels with Providence
by Lewis Lapham ’56
One of the nation’s premier essayists, Harper’s Magazine editor Lewis Lapham, embarks on a personal journey in search of what Yale means. In the process, he follows a path of dissent that leads from Jonathan Edwards to the present.
Thirty Decades of Distinguished Graduates
No selection of outstanding alumni could satisfy all the criteria of worthiness, but the Yale Alumni Magazine has taken its chances, picking one for every ten years of Yale’s history.
Eloquent Elis
Who said that? Often, it was someone with a Yale connection. From Jonathan Edwards to George W. Bush, alumni are rarely at a loss for words—forceful, articulate, and otherwise.
Who’s Been Blue
Frederic Remington, Levi Jackson, Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney, Meryl Streep, Cyrus Vance, Henry Luce, Jodie Foster, Aldo Leopold—you know the names. Along with them, here are some other alumni who have made a difference.
Distinguished Dropouts
Students may leave Yale ahead of schedule, but Yale likes to think she has had some impact on those who have passed through her gates, no matter how prematurely they passed out again.
The Power of Print
Founded with a gift of books, Yale has ever since produced a steady stream of wordsmiths. Some have written what amounts to required reading.
Yale’s Lost Landmarks
Students come and go. Buildings last longer, but not forever. Here are some that have served their time and passed on.
Highs and Lows of Town and Gown
More than most universities, Yale has been intimately involved in its host city. The relationship has swung from affectionate to aggressive.
An Irrepressible Urge to Join
Like to sing? Argue? Pray? Publish? The typical Yale response is to organize a group and go for it.
Presidential Pronouncements
Yale’s earliest leaders were clerics, and the preaching impulse has been transmitted down the centuries. On topics sublime and mundane, Yale presidents have usually had something to say worth hearing.
Great Moments in Yale Sports
You can’t win them all, but Yale has had more than its share of victories. Even some of the defeats have become the stuff of athletic legend.
Highlights of the Collections
From fossils and pots, to paintings and manuscripts, the University has accumulated some of the finest teaching aids under lock and key.
Secrets of the Seal
Every graduate has at least glanced at the imprint on that diploma. Few know what the book is, or why a similar legend appears in both Latin and Hebrew.
Answers to a Quiz You Never Took
It seems that nobody is a sole practitioner anymore, but Yale alumni have had at least a hand in developing a surprising number of things we take for granted, from Frisbees to Palm Pilots.
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