Category Archives: People

Captain Horatio Wood

Horatio Wood was born in Butler, Wayne County, New York on August 23, 1869. In the late 1890s, as a member of the Coast Guard, he became captain of the U.S. Cutter “Bear” that patrolled Alaskan waters helping commercial fishing … Continue reading

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Simpler Speling

Best known for developing the Dewey Decimal System, Melvil Dewey was also interested in the movement to simplify the spelling of the English language (as evidenced in this letter written to Alfred University president Boothe C. Davis in 1922). Dewey … Continue reading

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Hannah Simpson Spencer

Hannah Simpson Spencer (born in 1838) graduated from Alfred University in 1864 and was recently honored by the Kanisteo Valley chapter of the DAR with a “Women in American History Award.” The University Archives recently received the laser-carved wooden plaque … Continue reading

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Susan B. Anthony & Alfred

“To Mrs. A.A. Allen — For the Library’s Reading Room of Alfred University — From her sincere friend & admirer — Susan B. Anthony, Rochester — July 9, 1888” This inscription is found in Anthony’s “History of Woman Suffrage” found … Continue reading

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Arthur H. Crapsey

Arthur H. Crapsey, II was a ceramic design major at Alfred University, graduating in 1942. The University Archives recently received a framed charcoal drawing he completed in 1940. Arthur enjoyed creating original stage settings for the university’s performing arts theater … Continue reading

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Operation Santa Claus

(Airlift photo courtesy of Wikipedia) In response to a Soviet blockade of land routes into West Berlin following World War II, in June 1948 the United States began a massive airlift to assist the citizens of the besieged city. It … Continue reading

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Veterans Day

On November 11th we take a moment to thank our veterans for their dedicated service to our country. This photo shows members of the Army Specialized Training Program chatting with some of the women students in the fall, 1943. The … Continue reading

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John Wilkes Booth

One of the curious artifacts in the University Archives & Special Collections is this theater eyeglass, part of the Howells-Frechette Collection. William D. Howells, a major figure in the late 19th-century literary circles, was a known associate of Edwin Booth, … Continue reading

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Erie Railroad

The Erie Railroad, opened in 1851, played an important part in the life of mid-19th through mid-20th century people in Western New York. For Alfred farmers, it meant that agricultural goods could be shipped and sold more broadly. For the … Continue reading

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Samuel Ray Scholes, Sr.

Samuel R. Scholes, Jr. (1884-1974) was a world authority in the field of glass science and established the department of glass technology at Alfred University in 1932, where he remained a professor (and later Dean of the College of Ceramics) … Continue reading

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