1962
In February 20, John Glenn became the first US astronaut to orbit the earth three times. In
May, Scott Carpenter duplicated the feat, and in October, Walter Shirra orbited the earth 5 3/4
times. Telstar was orbited to aid communication. Rachel Carson's book,
Silent Spring
, warned
against indiscriminate use of pesticides. The US national debt surpassed $300 billion. For their
discovery of the molecular protein DNA, the Nobel Prize was awarded to Watson, Wilkins, and
Crick. The Cuban missile crisis was a tense period in October. President Kennedy put a
quarantine on offensive missiles in Cuba on October 24, and on October 28, Premier
Khrushchev agreed to withdraw if the US agreed not to attack Cuba. IBM introduced the
electric typewriter. Peter Snell set a mile record of 3:54.4. Jackie Kennedy displayed the
interior of the White House in a one-hour TV tour. Kennedy vowed to remain in Southeast Asia
until the Vietcong were defeated. Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in the Warriors' 169-147
defeat of the Knicks basketball team. The US Supreme Court banned prayer in public schools.
• Van Note Resigned • Gibbons Phalanx Award
• Herron Acting President • Placement Statistics
• Dormitories Named • Inter-College Radio Network
• No More Hazing • Golden Knight Award
• Champion Bed Pushers • Faculty Fellowships
• Clarkson Hall • Hockey
• Religious Groups . • AGO Auction
• Equal Tuition • Wrestlers Undefeated
• Scholastic Trends
Van Note Resigned.
William Gardner Van Note, president of Clarkson since 1952, resigned to
take the post of president of Monmouth College, New Jersey. Lowell Herron was named acting
president.
Holding a bachelor's degree from RPI, a master's from the University of Vermont, and a
PhD from Pennsylvania State, Van Note also was awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree
from St. Lawrence in 1957, and a doctor of science degree from North Carolina State College in
1958. He was vice president of the Association of Colleges and Universities of the State of
New York, a member of the Commission of Institutions of Higher Education of the Middle
States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools, and Governor Rockefeller's Advisory
Council for the Advancement of Industrial Development and Research.
For his 10 years as president, his list of accomplishments was impressive:
Physical Plant
Lewis House erected
Burnap Memorial Library opened
Snell Hall renovations including:
College Computing Center
Management Simulation Laboratory
Auditorium renovation
