1955
America's economy had full employment and high production. Americans bought over a billion
"comic" books. Scientists at the University of California discovered anti-proton, a new atomic
particle. Marian Anderson became the first black to sing at the Metropolitan Opera House.
DuPont produced Dacron, a wrinkle-resistant fabric. Salk polio vaccine proved effective.
Disneyland opened in California. Brooklyn Dodgers won their first World Series by defeating
the New York Yankees four games to three. Best sellers included
Lolita, Eloise, Marjorie
Morningstar, The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit,
and
Andersonville.
Albert Einstein died at age
76. The AFL and CIO labor unions merged under George Meany.
Davey Crockett
films on TV
popularized coonskin caps. Tennessee Williams'
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
opened on Broadway.
Henry Fonda and James Cagney starred in the film hit,
Mister Roberts
. Seven-foot, two inch
Wilt Chamberlain enrolled at the University of Kansas.
• Enrollment
• Hat-trick Record
• Campus Buildings
• Humanities I
• Personnel
• Omega Epsilon
• ROTC Band
• Rifle Team
Enrollment.
With tuition set at $725 for engineers and slightly less for others, fall enrollment
was 1,218: 470 freshmen, 342 sophomores, 214 juniors, 185 seniors, two graduate students, and
two special students. By departments, this enrollment revealed ME to be the biggest department
with 304 majors. Other department enrollments were: 156 in chemical engineering, 185 in civil
engineering, 278 in electrical engineering, 167 in business administration, 29 in chemistry, 79
in industrial distribution, and 17 in physics.
Campus Buildings.
President Van Note's office was located in Newcomen House, a small
house on the corner of Main and Pierrepont. The business office operated in a small building
behind Lewis House and the offices of dean and admissions were in "Smith" House across
Pierrepont Avenue. Even though students were using the new Alumni Gymnasium on the hill
by early December, it was not dedicated until spring.
Peyton Hall, the chemical engineering building, was first occupied in the fall of 1948,
but was not dedicated until October 15, 1955. It was named in memory of William Charles
Peyton, father of Bernard Peyton, chairman of the board of the New York Air Brake Company,
for his engineering work with chemical and explosives industries until 1937.
At the time it opened, Peyton Hall contained classrooms and chemical engineering labs
and some labs for civil and mechanical engineering; the third floor housed the college library
until it could be moved to the old gymnasium in 1956. In 1992 when chemical engineering
moved into CAMP, Peyton was rented to small private enterprises such as CITTEC and a
Cornell University mastitis laboratory.
Personnel.
Ralph Damon resigned and was succeeded as president of the Board of Trustees by
Lewis Sillcox who took the title of "chairman" instead of "president."
Prof. Fred Piper retired after 35 years of service. He remembered that when someone
called Clarkson in 1920 to learn the names of new faculty and was told "Piper and Hamlin," the
