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The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 128, No. 117
MONDAY, APRIL 2, 2012
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ITHACA, NEW YORK
16 Pages – Free
DALE CORSON (1914-2012) C.U. MOURNS DEATH OF 8TH PRESIDENT ‘A remarkable American story’
By AKANE OTANI Sun News Editor
Remembered by Cornellians as the leader whose remarkably steady guidance saved the University from the upheaval of the 1970s, Dale Corson, the eighth president of Cornell, died in Ithaca Saturday morning at the age of 97 of congestive heart failure. Corson — who was days away from his 98th birthday — taught as a faculty member in the physics department before serving as the University’s president from 1969 to 1977. Born on April 5, 1914, Corson “came from a generation of American scientists who grew up before World War II,” moving “from a small town in Kansas to a Ph.D. in Berkeley,” Prof. Emeritus Kurt Gottfried, physics, said. CORSON “It’s a remarkable American story,” Gottfried said. Decades later, Corson, hundreds of miles from his hometown of Pittsburg, Kan., became the University’s president amid turmoil: Cornell was still reeling from the aftermath of the 1969 Willard Straight Hall Takeover, when 80 African American students locked down the building, protesting the lack of minority rights on campus. It was an institution where student demonstrators interrupted commencement ceremonies in 1970. See OBITUARY page 5
SUN FILE PHOTO
Speaking out | Standing outside Olin Library and speaking to a crowd of 2,500 people on the Arts Quad, President Dale Corson declares his opposition to the Vietnam War on Moratorium Day, Oct. 15, 1969.
Corson steered way after Straight Takeover By LIZ CAMUTI Sun News Editor
When Dale Corson became Cornell’s eighth president on Sept. 5, 1969, he inherited a university rife with tension, torn by new demands to include women and minorities on campus. Shortly before he accepted the position, a group of African American students took over Willard Straight Hall
in what would become known as the 1969 Takeover, the event that led to the ousting of his predecessor, President James Perkins. Eight years later, at the end of his tenure, Cornell was virtually unrecognizable, faculty and administrators said. Era-defining events — such as nationwide riots against wars in Cambodia and Vietnam and the civil rights and See PRESIDENCY page 6
Former president also leading physicist, profs say By KERRY CLOSE Sun News Editor
After the death of former University president Dale Corson
Saturday, members of the Cornell community reflected on Corson’s extensive contributions to multiple scientific disciplines. Though Corson primarily
worked as a physicist, Prof. Emeritus Donald Holcomb, physics, described his interests and research as being “all over the map.”
JESELLA ZAMBRANO / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Ahead of his time | This sundial, located on the Engineering Quad, was designed by Dale Corson in 1980, three years after he retired from his presidency.
“He made contributions to many fields,” Holcomb said. “He did everything.” Corson received his Ph.D. in physics from the University of California-Berkeley in 1938. As a postdoctoral fellow at Berkeley, he aided in the production of astatine –– the 85th element of the periodic table –– and in the discovery of its chemical and physical properties. “That element filled a gap in the periodic table,” Prof. Emeritus Roald Hoffmann, chemistry, said. “It was an important discovery.” In the early 1940s, Corson worked in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Radiation Laboratory, collaborating with the British Royal Air Force to install airborne radar technology in its fighter aircrafts. Later, during World War II, Corson also worked on nuclear research in Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory in Albuquerque, N.M. There, Corson played a pivotal role in developing the Sandia National Laboratories, which use See SCIENTIST page 4
News Alleged Burglary
A member of the Cornell wrestling team was charged with burglary, criminal menacing and criminal possession of a weapon. | Page 3
Opinion Back to Basics
As prelim season heats up, Harry DiFrancesco ’12 stops to reflect, encouraging students to take a more “entrepreneurial” approach to their lives. | Page 9
Arts A Riotous Performance
The Sun reviews jazz trio The Bad Plus’ modern take on Igor Stravinsky’s classic piece, The Rite of Spring. | Page 10
Sports All We Do Is Win
The men’s lacrosse team, defeating Dartmouth on Saturday, emerged undefeated in the Ivy League. | Page 16
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