Stony Brook Stories

Stony Brook University has fascinating stories even in its short 40 odd year history.  But what is so wonderful about our newness is that we have the opportunity to capture that history before it is lost - and better yet - put it online for the world to see.  Not that the world would want to see it - but everyone involved in Stony Brook's history would.

We're not talking about public relations history - how in those 40 years we went from a small science-oriented teaching college to a major research university. We're talking about the history that the people at Stony Brook are interested in.

And yes - some of that history is warts and dirty linen we might not want the world to see - but oh how much more interesting that makes us!

And our stories have other purposes as well.  The one we tell to prospective and entering Asian American students about C. N. Yang, Nobel physicist,  produces dropped mouths and wide eyes.  Wow, this hot shot guy taught freshmen - not even freshmen in one of his classes - just everyday freshmen - how to hula hoop and sat and ate burgers with them on the lawn!   Is that what faculty are really like!  (Well, not really, but there are some...)

Click on the photo to read the C. N. Yang hula hoop story.

 
A proposal has gone to the SB Alumni Association to have "fireside chats" - on whatever time basis is reasonable - to bring the players in SBU's history together for a public discussion of our history - to be videotaped - and archived - and put on the web - and to "pass the hat" for the University Library - which as of now does not have a University Collections archivist. 

UPDATE: We now have an archivist and as we have been telling those who are interested in this - your voice needs to be heard so please contact the Alumni office to tell the Director that you would be interested in seeing Stony Brook Stories happen, and what you would like to see or be a participant in:

Historian and alumna Dr. Edith Gordon, wife of Barry Gordon who was one of SBU's first chemistry faculty, offered to work on "The First Year at Oyster Bay."   Richard Mould, not only our first physicist but the first faculty member to ever step foot on campus and who still, at 74, teaches one course each semester for the sheer joy of teaching, will be part of the panel. 

Celia Cleland, wife of the late History professor Hugh Cleland, will work on "The First Year at Stony Brook," and "Doc" Solo, who also began that first year, is leaning towards doing it (and his wife Naomi is pushing him to say yes) - he wants to go through all of his pictures first - and admonished, "Remember, every person is going to have a completely different view of what that first year was like - and all of them will be right!"

Following that, for Homecoming 2002 - our 40th anniversary - "The First Graduation."  Edith even has films of it all.

Lenny Mell, who came as a student in 1966 and was heavily involved with campus politics, will put together "Stony Brook in the Turbulent Sixties."

Anyone who would be interested in getting involved - on these or any chat of your choosing - please email aasquared@gmail.com until, hopefully, the Alumni Association takes this over.
 

• The whole history of Oyster Bay.
• Landmark individuals - of which this list is simply samples - so no one should get offended!  John Toll.  Sandy Pond.  C.N. Yang.  Lee Koppelman.
• All faculty over the age of 70 - while they are still with us!
• The Polity Councils who were in Oyster Bay.
• All Polity Councils that ever shut down the Administration building.
• SB during the civil rights days.
• SB during the anti-war days.
• The history of EDF - how many know that this famous environmental organization began with our Marine Sciences faculty.
• Ashley Schiff.  Who was this guy we have a forever wild preserve named after?
• The stories we probably don't want to be reminded of - the library built backwards, the Bridge to Nowhere, the concrete contractors whose concrete disintegrated.
• Statesman's early days.  The Press'.  WUSB's.  ICON's.  SAB during the years when there were major concerts every month.  NYPIRG's. 
• How the University Hospital construction fiasco almost bankrupted the State of New York.  The politics of getting state funding for the hospital in the first place.
• Each department - how it came into being - the politics behind it or during its tumultuous years.  The Philosophy Department is still fighting internal battles that began in the University's ancient history.

Even tidbits of history are fascinating.  Students used to use Nichol's Road for skateboarding because it had so little traffic.  We triple students now but there was once a proposal to turn Benedict into senior citizen housing because students didn't want to live on-campus.

And how the campus has affected the community are other stories.  Stony Brook faculty being hosed down by the Centereach fire department during a civil rights march.  How the Unitarian Church on Nichol's Road was started by faculty and staff.  How 7-11 used to be a red-neck bar and students went to the Gold Coast in St. James to party - not ever in the Stony Brook college town that didn't want to be a college town.  How things have changed.

There is no limit to Stony Brook Stories other than volunteers to make it happen!