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 […]
Category: Columbia University Archives
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 […]
NYPL Library School Records: A Student Project
At the Rare Book and Manuscript Library (RBML), we are fortunate to have dedicated and curious students who help us maintain and provide access to our collections. Just this past year, Itzel Franco (CC 2026) and Sarah Noon (GS 2024) helped us improve the condition and description of a brittle but valuable collection of records […]
President Barnard’s Other Legacy
Columbia College’s tenth president, Frederick A.P. Barnard, is best known for paving the way for the College to become a University and for his unsuccessful campaign in support of coeducation. But he has another legacy which is not as well remembered: Barnard made significant contributions in the education of deaf students and he was a […]
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 […]