1960
John F. Kennedy was elected president. During the year, the US launched 17 space satellites
and probes, including the first ones for telecommunications and for weather. An atomic-
powered submarine launched a Polaris missile when submerged. Joseph Walker set a world
speed record of 2,196 mph in the X-15 rocket plane. The Peace Corps was established. The US
Army issued M14 rifles, which shot faster than a machine gun. The 23rd Amendment banned
the poll tax. Students protesting racial segregation and the use of nerve gas picketed the White
House. An American U-2 spy plane was shot down over the USSR, and its pilot, Gary Powers,
was indicted for being a spy. Floyd Patterson became the first heavyweight boxer to regain the
world heavyweight title. Wilma Rudolph won three gold medals in sprinting at the Rome
Olympics. Ted Williams ended his baseball career by hitting his 521st home run at his last time
at bat. Called the worst ever, hurricane Donna devastated the East Coast.
Ben Hur
won a
record 10 Oscars; other motion pictures included Hitchcock's
Exodus, Psycho, Elmer Gantry
,
and
Spartacus
. Best sellers included Shirer's
Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
and Updike's
Rabbit, Run
. TV viewers were watching
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
,
Rawhide
, and
The
Untouchables
.
Blythe Reynolds
Advanced Degrees
Distinguished Teaching Award
Frank Cubley
Sleigh Ride
Spring Registration
Washing Machines
Chemistry Moved
Fraternity Bids
Pershing Rifles
Lacrosse
Students Expelled
BA-Arts Split
New Faculty
Tuition Raised
Nuclear Reactor
Conroy’s Grading Policy
Students at Fire
Scabbard and Blade
Student Wives
Blythe Reynolds
. A Clarkson graduate of 1916 became chairman of the Board of Trustees, and
later had a dormitory wing named for him. Born in 1894, Blythe Reynolds served in World War
I as a lieutenant in the Marine Corps. After earning a second degree, a master of science degree
in chemical engineering from MIT in 1920, he worked for 10 years with General Chemical
