Dartmouth College. Commencement Parts
Biography
Dartmouth Commencements began on the Green, the first Commencement in 1771, and take place there now, but that’s not always been the case. Over the years, graduation has been held at College Hall (1775-85), now part of Collis Center; in unfinished Dartmouth Hall (1787-89); in Webster Hall (1908-31), now Rauner Special Collections Library; at the Bema (1932-52), Dartmouth’s outdoor amphitheater; on Baker Lawn (1953-94); and, in 1995, on Memorial Field, when then-President Bill Clinton delivered the Commencement address during a soaking rain. A year later, the ceremony moved back to the Green, where it has been ever since. Speakers of note include Daniel Webster, Class of 1801, who spoke in 1806; Ralph Waldo Emerson, in 1843; Walt Whitman, in 1872; Robert Frost, Class of 1896, spoke in 1955; Nelson Rockefeller ’30, in 1969; and in 2002, graduates heard from Fred Rogers ’50. There were no Commencement ceremonies from 1943 to 1945. And from 1900 to 1942 and 1972 to 1982, none of the speakers came from outside of Dartmouth.
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Dartmouth College, Commencement Parts records
The collection contains handwritten, typescript and published copies of speeches given at Dartmouth College commencment exercises. Collected, with lacks and gaps, from various offices to cover Class Day, Commencement and Baccalaureate exercises.