Morse, Stiles beat out Taft and Webster
Some of the letters were addressed to “Whit,” others to “President Griswold.” They came from offices just a floor away in Woodbridge Hall, summer homes on Jupiter Island and even a table at the Links Club in Manhattan.
But the missives, now part of Yale’s archives, all shared a common purpose. The year was 1958, and influential Yalies were weighing in on what the University’s two new residential colleges should be called.
Augustus Silliman Blagden 1901 and Betty Hotchkiss wanted a college named Webster, after Noah Webster 1778 — “the speller.” Richard Dwight Hills would...
Could Yale not honor its Nobelists in one of the new colleges? Perhaps with an "Onsager Gateway" or a "Sinclair Lewis courtyard"? Other than that, I throw my vote to honoring Kingman Brewster, the President who did more to transform Yale in the 20th century (as President Levin may well for the 21st), from a white, rich, New England prep school to a co-ed, diverse and global presence today. Besides, as anyone from my era knows, when he couldn't be bothered to get off the can to be tapped by Skull & Bones, he cemented his legend forever. That, and when Spiro Agnew called him "dangerous." Who better?
Boring or not, Taft would be a great choice for one of the new colleges.