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This Week in Princeton History for May 15-21


In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, a former president dies in a car accident, graduates can look one another up online, and more.

May 15, 1963—Princeton mails preliminary acceptance letters to 17 students from eight different colleges for the new Critical Languages Program, which will bring female undergraduates to campus for intensive language study. The program still awaits official approval from the Board of Trustees. The Daily Princetonian will report that one of the “major problems” not yet resolved is where women might live and eat among the all-male undergraduate student body.

May 17, 1933—John Grier Hibben of the Class of 1882, who served as president of Princeton University 1912-1932, dies in a car accident when the Packard sedan given to him as a retirement present collides with a truck on Route 25 near Rahway, New Jersey.

John Grier Hibben’s Packard sedan following the May 17, 1933 crash. Elliot Service photo, Office of the President Records (AC117), Box 66, Folder 6.

May 18, 1898—Former U.S. president Benjamin Harrison and his new wife, Mary, are guests at the wedding of Augustine Minshall Hopper of the Class of 1897 and Jessie Miller.

May 21, 1995—A new searchable electronic directory called “TigerNet” becomes available for Princeton alumni. Rather than employing a web form, it generates automatic replies to emails using special commands.

Opening paragraphs of an email welcoming a new user to TigerNet, May 1995. Princeton University 250th Anniversary Celebration Collection (AC180), Box 10.

For last week’s installment in this series, click here.

Fact check: We always strive for accuracy, but if you believe you see an error, please contact us.


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