Guide to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Centennial Week Records
AC.0174

Summary Information

Repository
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Institute Archives and Special Collections
Creator
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Centennial Week
Title
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Centennial Week records
ID
AC.0174
Date [bulk]
Bulk, 1960-1961
Date [inclusive]
1949-1961
Extent
8.0 cubic feet (6 record cartons, 5 manuscript boxes, 1 flat box)
Location
Materials are stored off-site. Advance notice is required for use.
Language
English

Citation

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Centennial Week Records, AC 174, box X. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Institute Archives and Special Collections, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

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Historical note

MIT celebrated its 100th birthday during Centennial Week April 1-10, 1961, commemorating the granting of the Institute’s charter on April 10, 1861. The highlights of the week included a closed conference on scientific and engineering education, attended by as many as 100 international scholars, held between April 2 and April 6, followed by a three-day series of public panel discussions about world problems, which began on April 7. Topics discussed included: "How Has Science in the Last Century Changed Man’s View of Himself," "The Future of the Arts in a World of Science," "The Future in the Physical Sciences, Arms Control," "The Life of Man in Industry," and "The Future in the Life Sciences." A birthday banquet was held at the Statler Hotel in Boston on the evening of April 8, and a formal centennial convocation and academic procession on April 9, followed by a concert in Kresge auditorium.

The members of the Committee on the Centennial Celebration were Francis Bitter, Walter H. Gale, Peter R. Gray, Charles P. Kindleberger, Roy Lamson, Elting E. Morison, Philip M. Morse, Walter A. Rosenblith, Ascher H. Shapiro, and Arthur L. Singer. John E. Burchard, dean of the School of Humanities and Social Science, was the chairman. The members of the committee on the conference were Walter A. Rosenblith, Ascher H. Shapiro, Max Millikan, and Howard W. Johnson. Walter G. Whitman was the chairman.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

Records of the Committee on the Centennial Celebration include plans; correspondence; budgets; reports; publicity material; instructions to ushers; and information about procession order, transportation, and signs. The records of the Centennial Executive Assistant (Constantine Simonides) contain a few documents relating to MIT’s 1949 Mid-Century Convocation; these appear to have been included as background information for planning the Centennial celebrations.

The proceedings of the International Conference on Scientific and Engineering Education is documented in texts of speeches given on April 3 by Eric Ashby, Richard P. Feynman, Francis L. Friedman, Aldous Huxley, Robert S. Morison, and Jerrold R. Zacharias. There are also recordings of speeches by Julius A. Stratton, Jerome B. Wiesner, and Walter G. Whitman. The collection also contains a small set of papers written for the Centennial Symposium on Executive Development.

The convocations and public panel discussions are recorded on 9 sound reel tapes 7 ½ ips, 10 ½ inches; 5 sound reel tapes 3 ¾ ips, 7 inches; and 3 sound reel tapes 7 ½ ips, 7 inches. Speakers include Harold MacMillan, James R. Killian, and a message from John F. Kennedy. Panelists included George R. Harrison, Aldous Huxley, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Jerome B. Wiesner, Jonas E. Salk, Walter Rosenblith, Julius Stratton, Dean Rusk, Gordon S. Brown, and Howard W. Johnson.

The collection also contains 3 musical albums recorded for Centennial Week “to share with those away from MIT a sample of the music which has been experienced on this campus,” performed by the MIT Choral Society, Concert Band, Glee Club, and Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Klaus Liepmann, including a composition by Professor of Music Gregory Tucker.

Finally, the collection includes formal greetings from many academic institutions, an MIT publication titled A Century of Technology, and commemorative supplements published in the  Boston Globe, the  Boston Herald, and  Fortune.

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Administrative Information

Publication Information

 Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Institute Archives and Special Collections (Copyright 1995, 2004)

MIT Libraries
Building 14N-118
77 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02139-4307
617.253.5690
mithistory@mit.edu

Revision Description

  2009

Access note

The collection is open for research.

Intellectual Property Rights

Access to collections in the Institute Archives and Special Collections is not authorization to publish. Separate written application for permission to publish must be made to the Institute Archives. Copyright of some items in this collection may be held by respective creators, not by the creating office.

Conditions Governing Use

Condition of media needs to be reviewed. There may be restrictions on use.

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Related Materials

Related Materials in the Institute Archives

MIT. Office of the President (Stratton). Records, 1957-1966 (AC 134).

MIT. Office of the Senior Vice President (Simonides). Records. (AC 276).

Walter A. Rosenblith (1913-2002). Papers, 1930-1991 (MC 55).

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Controlled Access Headings

Corporate Name(s)

  • Centennial (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Centennial Week

Subject(s)

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology--History

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Collection Inventory

 Series 1. Administrative Records 

 Subseries A. Records of the Centennial Committees 
Box Folder

Alumni 

 1 16

Budget 

 1 17

Centennial Convocation Committee 

 1 1

Centennial info 

 1 2

Committee meetings and reports, 1 of 2 

 1 3

Committee meetings and reports, 2 of 2 

 1 4

Correspondence re: delegates, etc. 

 1 13

Delegates, acceptances 

 1 14

Faculty and ex officio members 

 1 11

Greetings, speeches, and exhibits 

 1 7

Invited guests, delegates from universities and associations 

 1 12

Marshals and luncheon 1961 April 9 

 1 10

Mattill 

 1 6

Miscellaneous 

 1 9

MIT Centennial Celebration, 1 of 4 

 1 24

MIT Centennial Celebration, 2 of 4 

 1 25

MIT Centennial Celebration, 3 of 4 

 1 26

MIT Centennial Celebration, 4 of 4 

 1 27

MIT Centennial Conference 

 1 23

MIT Centennial Conference, Topic C 

 1 22

Printed material instructions, etc. 

 1 21

Publications report, 1 of 3 

 1 28

Publications report, 2 of 3 

 1 29

Publications report, 3 of 3 

 1 30

Publicity, public address system and TV 

 1 15

Robing and procession, music 

 1 8

Rockwell Cage, stage planning 

 1 18

Students 

 1 19

Thank you letters 

 1 5

Topic C and topic data 

 1 20

 Subseries B. Records of the Centennial Executive Assistant 
Box Folder

Administrative miscellany 1961 

 9 1

Admission to events 1961 

 9 2

Alumni 1960 

 9 3

Arts, panel texts 1961 

 9 4

Atoms for Peace 1960 

 9 5

Budget 1960-1961 

 9 6

Burchard, Dean 1961 

 9 7

Cancellations 1961 

 9 8

Centennial professorships 1960 

 9 9

Centurion Program 1959 

 9 10

Compton Award for Student Aides 1961 

 9 11

Conferees, Aigrain, Pierre R. 1960-1961 

 9 12

Conferees, Bogolyubov, Nikolai N. 1961 

 9 13

Conferees, Kargin, Valentin N. 1961 

 9 14

Conferees, Stanton, Frank 1961 

 9 15

Conferees, Topchiev, A.V. 1960-1961 

 9 16

Conferees, Townes, Charles H. 1961 

 9 17

Conferees, Waterman, Alan T. 1961 

 9 18

Conferees, Zuckerman, Sir Solly 1960-1961 

 9 19

Conferees, Zurcher, Arnold J. 1961 

 9 20

Conferee correspondence, Abdullah - Brown 1961 

 9 21

Conferee correspondence, Calder - Foss 1961 

 9 22

Conferee correspondence, Garcia - Huxley 1961 

 9 23

Conferee correspondence, Jackson - Kothari 1961 

 9 24

Conferee correspondence, Lamson - Optiz 1961 

 9 25

Conferee correspondence, Peierls - Stanovnick 1961 

 9 26

Conferee correspondence, Thacker - Weber 1961 

 9 27

Conferees declined 1961 

 9 28

Conferees pending 1961 

 9 29

Conference chairmen and commentators 1960-1961 

 9 30

Conference correspondence 1961 

 9 31

Conference participants 1961 

 9 32

Conference reports 1961 

 9 33

Convocation, academic, foreign 1961 

 9 34

Convocation, academic, U.S. 1961 

 9 35

Convocation, correlation 1961 

 9 36

Convocation, lists 1961 

 9 37

Convocation, miscellaneous 1960-1961 

 9 38

Convocation, records 1961 

 9 39

Convocation, societies and foundations 1961 

 9 40

Convocation, speakers 1961 

 9 41

Cooper lists of participants 1961 

 9 42

Correspondence, general 1960-1961 

 9 43

Correspondence, A 1960-1961 

 9 44

Correspondence, B 1960-1961 

 9 45

Correspondence, C 1960-1961 

 9 46

Correspondence, D-F 1960-1961 

 9 47

Correspondence, G-H 1960-1961 

 10 1

Correspondence, J 1960-1961 

 10 2

Correspondence, K 1960-1961 

 10 3

Correspondence, L-M 1960-1961 

 10 4

Correspondence, N-O 1960-1961 

 10 5

Correspondence, P-R 1960-1961 

 10 6

Correspondence, S 1960-1961 

 10 7

Correspondence, T 1960-1961 

 10 8

Correspondence, U-Z 1960-1961 

 10 9

Daedalus (Journal of American Academy of Arts and Sciences) 1962 

 10 10

Delegates, academic, foreign 1961 

 10 11

Delegates, academic, U.S. 1961 

 10 12

Delegates, local government 1961 

 10 13

Delegates, MIT Corporation 1961 

 10 14

Delegates pending 1960-1961 

 10 15

Delegates, societies, foreign 1961 

 10 16

Delegates, societies, U.S. 1961 

 10 17

Dining 1961 

 10 18

Endicott House conference 1959 

 10 19

Essay 1960 

 10 20

Facilities and services 1960 

 10 21

Faculty ball 1960 

 10 22

Faculty Club 1960 

 10 23

Functional coordination 1961 

 10 24

Fund raising 1960 

 10 25

Greetings 1961 

 10 26

Greetings from other institutions list 1961 

 10 27

History 1949-1960 

 10 28

Hotels, meals, functions 1961 

 10 29

Housing 1961 

 10 30

Inquiries, miscellaneous 1961-1962 

 10 31

International Conference proposals 1959-1960 

 10 32

International Conference on Scientific and Engineering Education 1961 

 10 33

International Conference on Scientific and Engineering Education, Topic A: Scientific and Engineering Education in Newly Developing Countries, 1 of 2 1961 

 10 34

International Conference on Scientific and Engineering Education, Topic A: Scientific and Engineering Education in Newly Developing Countries, 2 of 2 1961 

 10 35

International Conference on Scientific and Engineering Education, Topic B: Scientific and Engineering Education in Countries with More Advanced Technologies 1961 

 10 36

International Conference on Scientific and Engineering Education, Topic C: Interactions of Science, Engineering, and Society, 1 of 2 1961 

 10 37

International Conference on Scientific and Engineering Education, Topic C: Interactions of Science, Engineering, and Society, 2 of 2 1961 

 10 38

International Conference on Scientific and Engineering Education, Topic D: Implications of Science and Engineering for International Relations 1961 

 10 39

Invitation acknowledgements 1961 

 11 1

Invitations declined, 1 of 3 1960-1961 

 11 2

Invitations declined, 2 of 3 1960-1961 

 11 3

Invitations declined, 3 of 3 1960-1961 

 11 4

Ladies' Committee 1960-1961 

 11 5

Life Sciences, panel texts 1961 

 11 6

Lists 1961 

 11 7

MIT Administration 1961 

 11 8

Memoranda 1961 

 11 9

Morison, Elting 1961 

 11 10

New Horizons at MIT 1961 

 11 11

Pamphlets 1961 

 11 12

Panelists 1961 

 11 13

Panel subjects and speakers 1960-1961 

 11 14

Physics, panel texts 1961 

 11 15

Plenary sessions 1960 

 11 16

Postage stamp 1960 

 11 17

Procedural matters 1960-1961 

 11 18

Progress reports 1960 

 11 19

Public 1961 

 11 20

Publications 1960-1961 

 11 21

Publication inquiries 1961-1962 

 11 22

Publicity 1960-1961 

 11 23

Publishers 1961-1962 

 11 24

Record album 1958-1960 

 11 25

Secretariat 1961 

 11 26

SIM computer lectures 1960 

 11 27

Simonides' file 1960-1961 

 11 28

Space allocation 1961 

 11 29

Space and facilities 1960-1961 

 11 30

State Department 1960-1961 

 11 31

Student help 1961 

 11 32

Student participation 1960-1961 

 11 33

Subcommittee on Selection, Policy, and Protocol 1961 

 11 34

Tech Engineering News, Centennial issue vol. XLII, no. 6 1961 

 11 35

Technology Review, Centennial issue vol. 63, no. 9 1961 

 11 36

Television series 1959-1961 

 11 37

Thank you letters, conferees 1961 

 11 38

Thank you letters, others 1961 

 11 39

Tickets 1961 

 11 40

Transportation 1961 

 11 41

Unimportant miscellany 1961 

 11 42

Visas 1961 

 11 43

Voo Doo 1960 

 11 44

Welcome speech by John E. Burchard 1961 

 11 45

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 Series 2. Text of Speeches April 3, 1961 
Box Folder

Aron, Raymond, "The Education of the Citizen in Industrial Society" 

 2 1

Ashby, Eric, "Interactions of Science, Technology, and Society" 

 2 2

Berkner, L.V., "Problems and Potentialities of International Scientific Action" 

 2 3

Bhaba, H.J., "The Role of Science and Technology in Producing an Integrated World" 

 2 4

Caldriola, P., "Some Aspects and Problems of Scientific and Engineering Education in Italy" 

 2 5

Casimir, H.B.G., "Some Aspects of the Training of Engineers in the Netherlands" 

 2 6

Chisolm, Brock, "Science and Human Relations" 

 2 7

Costa, Lucio, "The New Scientific and Technological Humanism" 

 2 8

Escobar, U.I., "Underdeveloped Countries and the Scientific Research" 

 2 9

Feynman, Richard P., untitled 

 2 10

Friedman, Francis L., "Scientific and Engineering Education in Countries with More Advanced Technologies" 

 2 11

Giger, P.A., "International or Regional Laboratories" 

 2 12

Huxley, Aldous, "Education on the Non-Verbal Level" 

 2 13

Jackson, Sir Willis, "Some Problems in the Preparation of Professional Engineers" 

 2 14

Kabir, Humayun, "Interactions of Science, Technology, and Society" 

 2 15

Kothari, D.S., "The Problem of Scientific and Technical Terminology in Science Education (with special reference to India)" 

 2 16

Kubie, Lawrence S., "The Distribution and Fostering of Creative Scientific Productivity" 

 2 17

Lewis, W. Arthur, "Education for Scientific Professions in Poorer Countries" 

 2 18

Morison, Robert S., Technical Assistance as an Experiment in Higher Education" 

 2 19

Njoku, Eric, "Scientific and Engineering Education in the Newly Developing Countries of Africa" 

 2 20

Rabinowitch, E., "Science, Scientists, and International Policy" 

 2 21

Santur, M., "Comments on Dr. W. Arthur Lewis' Paper 'Education for Scientific Professions in Poorer Countries' " 

 2 22

Santur, M., "Considerations on the Training of Engineers in Newly Developing Countries" 

 2 23

Schaff, Adam, "Science, Technology, and the Humanities" 

 2 24

Shammas, Shukri H., "Some Problems of Science and Engineering Education in the Middle East" 

 2 25

Thirring, Hans, "Scientific Thinking in Everyday Life and Public Affairs" 

 2 26

Topchiev, A.V., "The Interdependence of Science, Technology, and Society" 

 2 27

Uchida, Shun-ichi, "New Problems of Technical Education for an Intermediately Advanced Country -- The Case of Japan" 

 2 28

Zacharias, Jerrold R., "Scientific and Engineering Education in Newly Developing Countries" 

 2 29

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 Series 3. Symposium on Executive Development 
Box Folder

Andrews, Kenneth R., "The Mission and Achievement of University Executive Programs" 

 11 46

Harbison, Frederick H., "Management and Scientific Manpower" 

 11 47

Leavitt, Harold J., "Unhuman Organizations" 

 11 48

Smiddy, Harold F., "Knowledge and Skills for Tomorrow's Business" 

 11 49

Wilson, A.T.M., "The Manager and His World" 

 11 50

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 Series 4. Commemorative Materials 
Box

Greetings from institutions and societies to MIT 

 3

Gift books in honor of Centennial 

 3
Box Folder

Boston Globe articles on MIT Centennial 

 12 1

Boston Herald articles on MIT Centennial 

 12 2

Fortune articles on MIT Centennial 

 12 3

A Century of Technology... 

 12 4

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 Series 5. Recordings of Music, Speeches, and Panel Discussions 
Box

Music at MIT (3 phonograph records) 

 4

Harold MacMillan at Third General Assembly 1961 April 8 

 5

Panel, "How Has Science in the Last Century Changed Man's View of Himself," 8 April Panelists: George R. Harrison, Aldous Huxley, Paul Tillich, Jerome Bruner, J. Robert Oppenheimer Also on digital audio tape DAT & 3 audio CDs (copy on 3 audiocassette tape 1961 

 5

Panel, "The Future in the Physical Sciences," 8 April Panelists: Francis E. Low, Sir John D. Cockroft, Rudolf Peierls, Chen Ning Yang, Richard P. Feynman 1961 

 5

Panel, "The Future in the Physical Sciences," 8 April Panelists: Francis E. Low, Sir John D. Cockroft, Rudolf Peierls, Chen Ning Yang, Richard P. Feynman 1961 

 5

Panel, "Arms Control," 8 April Panelists: Jerome B. Weisner, Paul M. Doty, Herman H. Kahn, Richard S. Leghorn, Philip John Noel-Baker 1961 

 5

Panel, "The Future in the Life Sciences," 8 April Panelists: George W. Beadle, Peter B. Medawar, Hermann J. Muller, Jonas E. Salk 1961 

 6

President's Reception and Banquet for Alumni, 8 April Recorded message from President John F. Kennedy, James Rhyne Killian 1961 

 6

First General Assembly: Summary of International Conference on Education in Science and Engineering, 7 April Speakers: John Burchard, Max Millikan, Martin Deutsch 1961 

 7

First General Assembly (cont.) Speakers: Elting E. Morison, Walter Rosenblith 1961 

 7

Second General Assembly, 7 April Music: Boston Brass Ensemble Speakers: Julius A. Stratton, Dean Rusk 1961 

 7

Panel, "Life of Man in Industry," 8 April Panelists: Howard W. Johnson, Frank Pace, William O. Baker, William H. Whyte 1961 

 7

Panel, "The Future of the Arts in a World of Science," 8 April Panelists: Pietro Belluschi, Howard Mumford Jones, Lukas Foss, Richard Lippolo, Louis I. Kahn 1961 

 8

Convocation, 9 April Participants: Margaret Compton, James Rhyne Killian, Governor John A. Volpe, Harlan Hatcher, John Fleetwood Baker, MIT Concert Band, John Harrington III, Clarence Wynd, John Slater, Julius A. Stratton 1961 

 7

Student Convocation, 10 April Speakers: Julius A. Stratton, Jerome Wiesner, Max Millikan, Gordon S. Brown, Elting E. Morison, Walter Rosenblith 1961 

 7

International Conference on Scientific and Engineering Education, 3 April Speakers: Julius A. Stratton, Jerome B. Wiesner, Walter G. Whitman 1961 

 6

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