railway" which helped slaves escape during the Civil War. These barns sat on the crest of the
hill in the center of the area now occupied by the Science Center.
On July 10, 1987, the building was dedicated as Clarkson's Alumni House. The flagpole
in front was erected and dedicated to R. Thomas Williamson, vice president for Academic
Affairs, for his service as acting president between 1987 and 1988, following the resignation of
Dr. Allan Clark.
Who's Who
. After hiatus of several years, students were chosen for the 1968-69 edition of &i
Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges&n: William Mark Scherer,
Ralph Conforti, Guy M. Jamesson, Arthur Scottow Jr., Wayne St. Clair, Robert Empie, Fred
Closter, Alan Gibney, and Rudolph Czandenyi. These nine were chosen for their academic
achievement, service to the community, leadership in extracurricular activities, and future
potential.
New Buildings
. Residence Hall No. 6, later to be known as Graham Hall, was nearing
completion.
AEPi
. A new fraternity appeared on campus when the Kappa Gamma local chapter was
chartered into the national Alpha Epsilon Pi. Six members began with an idea, and the fraternity
grew to 66 within just a few years. Moving into one of the most interesting houses in Potsdam,
the fraternity occupied 29 Elm Street in what began as a stagecoach station, then was a
distillery, and at one time the home of Alpha Delta Sorority.
One of their finest days was being chosen as the "Chapter of the Year" by its national
headquarters in 1978.
Borrowed Police Car
. During this time of ferment over the Vietnam war on the nation's
college campuses, three Clarkson students, appropriately unidentified here, decided on the spur
of the moment to harass a Potsdam policeman. Walking down Elm Street toward one of the
local bars, these three saw a "Barney" (current slang for the police) drive by, eyeing them
suspiciously. They were innocent of any wrongdoing, but they saw this as a great opportunity to
tease a policeman.
Instantly reacting to the patrol car's pause, they split up and began to run in the opposite
direction. The policeman fell for the ruse. He pulled his patrol car to the curb, and raced after
one of the "culprits," leaving the door open and the motor running. One of the three Clarkson
men saw the waiting car, hopped in and drove off. Realizing that this was serious business and
not just a collegiate prank, he drove it to the hill campus, and parked it in the construction area
behind Dorm. 6. It was reported by workmen early the next morning and soon was back
undamaged in police hands. No one was ever caught or charged with the prank.
Three days later, this prank was repeated by three other Clarkson men, only this time,
they left the car in an isolated area of downtown Potsdam. Again, no culprit ever was found.
Administrative Changes
. Effective in June, Herman Shulman became dean of engineering,
replacing John Russell who stepped back into the teaching ranks; Henry Domingos became
acting head of the electrical engineering department; George Maclean stepped down as the
chairman of the mechanical engineering department to become director of Corporate and
Foundation Relations in the Department of Development and Human Relations; Richard
