Elmira College - Trivia

Trivia

• The college alma mater was composed by George McKnight and its lyrics were written by Frances Squire Potter from the class of 1887.

• In 1947, St. Anthony's Church and School were devastated by fire. These buildings were located to the old Alumnae Hall. Elmira College allowed the Roman Catholic congregation to worship in the school's chapel, built by its Protestant founders.

• Dr. Ford was once given an alligator as a gift. It lived in the Puddle until the following spring, when it was discovered by Simon Scanlan. Scanlan, one of the college's yard workers, killed it.

• There was a period of time when Greek societies existed at Elmira College, from 1865 until 1925. The first two societies, Callisophia and Philomathea, were literary in nature. They met in the west wing of Cowles Hall, and were well-attended by the public. They changed their names to Kappa Sigma and Phi Mu in 1883, and in December 1911 they disbanded. They, along with the class sororities, broke up because the administration wanted a more unified student body. Several students who had not been admitted to the Greek societies had chosen to transfer. However, not all students were in favor of the change; in fact, several alumni expressed nostalgic feelings for them.

• Professor Farrar once had a large model of the Earth. It was suspended in Cowles Hall until 1928 and contained many letters from students. There was also a well in Cowles Hall, located in the basement of the North wing.

• The college yearbook is named Iris, for the flower that once grew in great abundance near Cowles Hall.

• In October 1917, Elmira College gained a student-run newspaper called the Weekly. Later, it became known by its modern-day moniker, the Octagon.

• Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain), whose study was moved to Elmira’s campus in 1952, was married to Olivia Langdon. Langdon was an alumna of Elmira College and the daughter of Jervis Langdon, one of the college’s founding trustees.

• In January 1973, construction on the Murray Athletic Center was completed. Located a few miles off campus, the center is situated on two hundred thirty-five acres. Consisting of three geodesic domes, the Murray Athletic Center is the first geodesic-domed athletic complex in the world.

• The college run radio station call letters are an acronym for Elmira College of Women. It broadcast at 88.1 on the FM dial before moving, in 1982, to 95.5. Currently, the station is broadcast at 107.7 FM.