The objects, customs, and traditions that make Purdue’s commencement ceremony special for its graduates The university’s first commencement was held in May 1875 to honor a class of one. John Harper, a transfer student from Northwestern Christian University, now Butler University, received a bachelor’s of science in chemistry. Early ceremonies were held in Military Hall […]
More ills than its 6,500 patients bring every month to the Polyclinic of Lidia Saavedra de Ortega in Managua, Nicaragua, once plagued the country’s only pay-as-you-can healthcare site for the elderly. For years, the clinic faced frequent electrical outages, unreliable service, and power fluctuations that damaged X-ray machines, MRIs, and other expensive medical equipment. What […]
Running a microbrewery in Milwaukee, a city purportedly made famous by beers produced at larger breweries, might sound daunting. Jeff Hamilton (T’79), president of Sprecher Brewing Company, however, believes the niche market of catering to diverse tastes is vital to the company’s success. “People are a lot more concerned about what they put in their […]
When Elizabeth Carter (HHS’12) landed her job at Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health in Indianapolis, she didn’t just fulfill her dream, she actually was returning to where her life began. As a quadruplet born at 30 weeks, she started life in the Riley Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU); and now, all grown up, […]
The last ‘Fire Sculpture’ by the late Nina Hole ignites campus The sun is setting on the lawn next to Pao Hall. Spectators surround a burning, house-like sculpture created as its own kiln — the last Fire Sculpture designed by the late, world-renowned ceramic artist Nina Hole. An orange luminescence reflects on the faces in […]
In the early 1900s, to coincide with the end of classes each May, Purdue’s student body staged a day of elaborate events that included the Purdue Circus and May Day activities. Two committees of seniors traditionally coordinated the festivities, which were first held in 1913 and were open for anyone to attend. The day began […]
Almost from the moment of its founding, Purdue University was home to tales so strange that they seemed to be the stuff of legend, not real life. Was founder John Purdue really so particular about the appearance of campus that he insisted that no building be taller than University Hall? Did he demand that no […]
Timing can be everything. Especially in the high-speed world of technological startups. Working at Google before it got gigantic, then in on the ground floor at Yelp, Michael Stoppelman (S’03) has been in the right place at some very opportune times. From a childhood in Great Falls, Virginia, to a Midwestern stop at Purdue, the […]
It’s been nearly 20 years since two aviation technology students and their instructor — all experienced pilots — died in a plane crash at the Purdue Airport, but Tom Carney (T’71, MS A’77, PhD S’84) recalls the morning of September 12, 1997, vividly. Carney was one of two administrators who waited near the crash site […]
