100 years ago (1900)
Morning classes were canceled on January 19 as students helped move 45,000 volumes to the new Thomas Welton Stanford Library. Prominently located on the front of the Outer Quadrangle and topped with a decorative dome, the structure honored Leland Stanford's youngest brother. The library moved to new quarters east of the Quad in 1919.
A simple ceremony on January 29 marked the laying of the cornerstone for Memorial Church, Jane Stanford's tribute to her late husband. The Rev. E.L. Parsons read the 23rd and 95th psalms, and a student choir sang hymns, concluding with "Hail, Stanford, Hail."
The faculty athletic committee banned women's intercollegiate team sports. The Stanford Alumnus said the ruling was made to guard "the health of the individual player."
75 years ago (1925)
Coach Knute Rockne and his "Four Horsemen" from Notre Dame defeated Stanford, 27-10, in the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day. Stanford played a great game, gaining 316 yards to Notre Dame's 186 and completing 11 of 21 forward passes, compared to 3 of 10 for the Irish. Stanford fullback Ernie Nevers, '26, in his most famous collegiate game, played the entire 60 minutes on two broken ankles, each tightly wrapped with part of an inner tube, and set a Rose Bowl record with 34 carries for 114 yards. He also made numerous tackles on defense. Unfortunately, two of his passes were intercepted and run back for touchdowns. During his overall Stanford career, Nevers led the football team to a 22-5-1 record. He earned 11 letters -- in football, basketball, track and baseball -- and once pitched 37 consecutive scoreless innings. He later played professional football, baseball and basketball. In 1969, Nevers was named to the NCAA all-time All-America football team.
A survey of the nation's academic department heads ranked Stanford's graduate programs 14th; the University of Chicago was first.
Three Oxford students challenged a Stanford team to a campus debate on Prohibition. The witty Brits claimed that liquor does more good than harm by binding together human beings and building up civilization. The debate was not formally judged, but the audience voted to support Prohibition, 730 to 229.
50 years ago (1950)
Guy C. Bowman, '02, and his wife, Cleo, donated $20,000 toward construction of an alumni headquarters. A mathematics graduate, Bowman made his money in the heating and ventilating business. The alumni association, which had occupied cramped quarters in Building 300 on the Outer Quad, moved to Bowman House in 1952.
25 years ago (1975)
The Board of Trustees approved a tuition increase of 12.9 percent, to $3,810, beginning fall quarter. Officials said that financial aid for students would top $8 million.
The schools of Education, Business, Engineering and Medicine all ranked among the top three nationally, according to a survey of professional-school deans published in Change magazine.
Nearly two-thirds of freshman women said they planned to seek medical, legal or doctoral degrees -- twice the level of five years earlier.
Catherine Peck, '35, writes this column on behalf of the Stanford Historical Society.
