A Visit to the Churchyard

In honor of “spooky season”, we take a visit to the graves at Trinity churchyard. Columbians may know this churchyard as the final resting place of King’s College alumnus Alexander Hamilton (1804) and his wife Eliza Hamilton (1854). But there is a much earlier grave that dates back to the British colonial times and the […]

Read More…

Louise Nevelson at 125

Sculptor Louise Nevelson was born September 23, 1899 in Pereiaslav, Ukraine. To mark what would be her 125th birthday, we take a look at the connections between Nevelson and Columbia, now and then.  Did you know that Louise Nevelson received an honorary degree from Columbia at the 1977 Commencement? In 1977, Louise Nevelson was awarded […]

Read More…

First Commencement

The current exhibition of King’s College Diplomas in RBML’s Chang Octagon features reproductions of diplomas awarded by what we now know as Columbia from 1763 to 1773.  King’s College’s first President Samuel Johnson did not award diplomas at Commencement. His ceremonies included a more intimate ritual between the President, the graduate, and Johnson’s own Hebrew […]

Read More…

King’s College Diplomas and John B. Pine

At the RBML, we recently installed a small exhibition on diplomas awarded by King’s College, as Columbia was known from 1754 to 1784. The exhibition in the Chang Octagon includes reproductions of diplomas awarded from 1763 to 1773. How did these materials make it to the University Archives? For some, we are indebted to the […]

Read More…