Series III: Annual Commencement scrapbooks, 1758-1937
This series contains a number of scrapbooks put together by the Columbiana curators. During the tenure of Robert Arrowsmith CC 1882 as Columbiana curator (1917-1927), he envisioned a collection of scrapbooks documenting different aspects of Columbia: athletics, literary societies, alumni associations, schools, etc. One series of scrapbooks, which was continued by Arrowsmith's successor, Milton Halsey Thomas, collected materials related to the Annual Commencement ceremony. In these scrapbooks, there are Photostat copies and transcriptions of newspaper accounts, programs, tickets, published addresses, invitations and some photographs. The scrapbooks include materials related to other Commencement events (Class Day, Baccalaureate Service, Alumni Luncheon, Campus Night, etc.) and cover the various schools at Columbia (Engineering, Journalism, Barnard, etc.). At the 1811 Commencement ceremony, the refusal of a diploma to one of the graduates led to a riot. There is a supplemental 1811 volume with the transcription of the newspaper accounts about the incident, the legal procedures and the subsequent sentencing of those involved.
