1945
Fiftieth Year
In April 12, President Roosevelt died suddenly at Warm Springs, Georgia, and was succeeded
in office by Harry S. Truman. On May 7, Germany surrendered. Atlee, Truman, and Stalin met
at Potsdam, Germany, in July. On August 6, the US dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima,
and after a second one was dropped three days later on Nagasaki, Japan surrendered on
August 14. The United Nations Charter was signed on June 26. By the end of the year rationing
ended but not price and wage controls. In June, the FCC allocated 13 channels for TV
broadcasting. Ford, GM, and Chrysler rejected a union demand for a 30=% pay raise.
Tennessee Williams' play
The Glass Menagerie
was chosen best of the year. Jackie Robinson
became the first Negro to join a team in organized baseball when he signed to play for the
Montreal farm team of the Brooklyn Dodgers. George Orwell's
Animal Farm
and Richard
Wright's
Black Boy
became best sellers. Cordell Hull won the Nobel Peace Prize.
• Fiftieth Anniversary • Campus Expansion
• Pageant of Progress • Alumni Gym
• Personnel • Ron Frazer
• Gordon Lindsey
Fiftieth Anniversary.
The fiftieth anniversary of Clarkson College was celebrated on October
9, 1945. It began with a large parade. Led by the REMETC Band from Kingston, Ontario, the
academic procession into the Civic Center Auditorium was studded with college presidents,
Trustees, deans, faculty, honored guests, the student body, alumni, and friends from all over.
During the ceremonies, Dr. John A. Ross, Jr., president of Clarkson, honored five
internationally known celebrities with Clarkson degrees. Presented by Trustee W. Allan
Newell, Joseph Davies, former ambassador to the Soviet Union, was awarded the degree of
doctor of science. Presented by Dr. John P. Brooks, president emeritus, Sir William Stanier,
director of scientific research in the British Ministry of Production, was awarded a doctor of
science degree. Presented by Trustee Luther Olson '16, George J. Stanley '02, vice president of
Aluminum Company of America, was honored with the doctor of engineering degree.
Presented by Trustee Lewis Sillcox, Charles E. Wilson, president of General Electric
Company, was awarded the doctor of engineering degree; in Mr. Wilson's absence, it was
accepted by Owen D. Young, honorary chairman of the Board of Directors of the General
Electric Company. Presented by Trustee Bertrand H. Snell, Herbert C. Hoover, former
president of the United States, was awarded the degree of doctor of engineering.
After a brief history of the Clarkson family by Dr. Ross, Owen Young delivered the
speech of Mr. Charles Wilson. In the main address former president Hoover spoke on
"Economic Recovery from the War" over a national radio network. He concluded his remarks
with this tribute to Clarkson:
