The National Defense Act in 1916 established the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps on college campuses around the country. Soon after the United States entered World War I in April 1917, Stanford’s ROTC cadets gathered in the Inner Quad. The university’s enrollment plummeted 28 percent in 1917-18 when hundreds of male students, including most of those in the senior class, enlisted. The first Stanford-related WWI veterans to die in action were honored on campus plaques.
Photo: University Archives
Trending Stories
-
Piece Work
Culture
-
The Case Against Affirmative Action
Law/Public Policy/Politics
-
A Ghost Story
Health/Wellness
-
Wealth of Information
Education
- Obituaries - Summer 2025
