The feature “On this day in Stanford history” details events that occurred on the same date in past years at Stanford.
According to The Stanford Daily’s archives, on April 19 in…
1906 — In the wake of the San Francisco earthquake on April 16, University President David Starr Jordan announced that “all class work in Stanford University shall be suspended for the rest of the college year.”
1949— The Daily reported an escalation in a dispute involving Stanford’s fraternities and a California milk law. Protesting the law’s requirement that fraternities serve milk in individual containers, members of Theta Delta borrowed a cow from the Peninsula Creamery. The cow was photographed with fraternity members by Life Magazine.
1962 — Over 1,200 students signed a petition in support of a referendum that would allow students over 21 to purchase, consume and transport alcoholic beverages on campus without facing disciplinary action.
1968 — The Legislature of the Associated Students of Stanford University (LASSU) proposed a resolution urging the University to use its power to encourage local businesses to “adopt more positive policies toward recruitment and training of minority group members.”
1977 — In a particularly lively Undergraduate Senate meeting, one senator set fire to another senator’s petition and the Senate voted to adopt a resolution stating: “Be it resolved that the ASSU Senate believes Stanford University needs a return of cheerleaders about as much as it needs more nerds, and asks the Athletic Department and others pushing for the return of this convention to let this sleeping dog lie.”
1989 — The Daily reported that a Stanford research team, led by material sciences professor Robert Huggins, successfully produced energy in a jar at room temperature, lending support to the case for “cold fusion.”
2006 — University President John Hennessy and Law School Dean Larry Kramer issued statements criticizing the U.S. military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which prohibited military personnel from discriminating against closeted gay, lesbian or bisexual service members while excluding openly gay, lesbian or bisexual people from military service.
2007 — On the eighth day of a hunger strike, representatives of the Stanford Labor Action Committee met with administrators to demand reform to the University’s living wage policy.
A few days earlier, on April 15, 1991 — The Daily reported on First Lady Barbara Bush’s visit to the gala opening of the Lucile Salter Packard Children’s Hospital. Following a morning tour of the facilities, Bush played a game of cards with young patients and then attended the gala as the guest of honor.
Contact Michal Leibowitz at michalgl ‘at’ stanford.edu.