MIT is a life-changing experience.
MIT is home.
And MIT has been home for almost
all my life. Certainly ever
since the first years here.
And there are two things in the
life at MIT that stick with you
the rest of your life, and
they're not the things that
you would think.
One of the most important is
the ability to wear a brass rat
and have people know you came
from MIT.
The second, is the Cardinal
Blazer of the 50th Reunion.
One hundred years ago, in 1916
the MIT Class of 1916 graduated.
They were, of course, the very
last class to take all their
coursework in Boston.
They called themselves the,
"Last and Finest Class of Boston
Tech," and they were part and
parcel of the immense celebration
that dedicated the new campus
here in Cambridge.
This is a class that loved to
get together. They didn't wait
five years they had reunions,
it seems, almost every year down
on the Cape. But when they got
to their 50th reunion they
wanted to make it special.
I remember 1966 when I saw the
cardinal blazers for the first
time. There's really nothing
like it. It was such a wonderful
flashy, thing to see alumni
wearing their cardinal blazers.
And for me, I've looked forward
to it for 50 years.
I got to know a number of the
'14, '15, '16 Class quite well.
In fact some were of the age
that they still came and
volunteered in the Museum, and
they all took an interest in
making the history of MIT. And,
all of them were proud wearers
of the red jackets at every
instance they possibly could.
I frequently tell alumni that
the red jacket, after your 50th
reunion, is your MIT uniform
for life. You'll be able to wear
it at MIT function that you go
to ever. I know a lot of alumni
who really treat it and wear it
proudly because it will certainly
identify you, just as much as
your brass rat, as an alumnus
of MIT.
I'm Lester Gould, and we're at
Gould's Clothing in Acton, MA.
My dad began Gould's Clothing in
1934 and we're the official
source for the MIT 50th Reunion
outfits. We're very proud of
that. It's a fascinating group
of people. A group of people who
really have changed the world.
So the MIT outfit consists of a
cardinal red blazer; its
accessorized with what they call
the Freshman Tie, and the crest.
They can choose to have the MIT
buttons put on, instead of the
classic, generic blazer button
that it comes with. It's a great
momento of the occasion.
I think the do feel special when
they come in and try on the
blazer, or receive it when I
send them. I get a lot of emails
saying how great it looks and
how pleased they are.
I always tell class officers and
reunion committees that they
reject MIT tradition at their
peril. And the example that I
give them is the Class of 1923
who's class officers at their
50th reunion decided that they
wanted to be different. They
voted to wear white jackets
instead of red jackets, in spite
of the by now established
tradition of the red jacket.
Well, they looked very impressive
but, at the Commencement Luncheon
when their class meeting was held,
all of the incumbent officers
where voted out of office and a
new slate of officers put in
because people really were not
happy with a white jacket instead
of a red. There is not another
MIT class since then that has
gone to something other than
the red jacket. It really is a
very powerful tradition.
It must be important to all of
us. It certainly is to me.
At MIT we tell stories about our
past to inspire us to do great
things for the future and I have
my fingers crossed that the
graduating class of 2016 will
dream up some tradition that
50 years from now when they come
back to celebrate their 50th
reunion, when they are wearing
their cardinal blazers for the
first time, that they have
thought to start a tradition
that connects now 150 years of
students, really 200 years,
if you will, of MIT student life.