Harvard Alumni - Class of 1961

Diorama Video Documentary Campaign Completed!

Dear 1961 Classmates,

Congratulations!  We did it!  When we paused the Diorama Video Fundraising in March, we had reached $106,321.  Our goal was $130,000.  I am extremely pleased to report that since we restarted the Campaign on August 1^st, we have raised an additional $40,550, bringing our total to $146,871.  Once the Video is completed in March or April 2022, we should have approximately $26,871 toward the budget for Video Streaming for those Class members who are unable to join us in person for our 2022 Celebration on June 8-10. 

The In-Person Celebration is now scheduled to begin with a June 8^th Reception, followed by two jam-packed days of activities, including the Memorial Church Service, the Diorama Video premier, a joint Dinner with the Class of 1971, who will hopefully collaborate in a concert of Glee Club and Choral Society singers on June 9^th.  Then on June 10^th, we will try to rediscover the meaning of life in panels and table discussion, have a Radcliffe-only lunch, and a joyous final Dinner including dancing, and a Saturday morning Farewell Breakfast. 

We hope as many of you will be coming as possible.  Please plan accordingly. In our recent survey, 160 people replied that they plan to come, which likely means we can expect well over 200.  If you are sure you cannot come, please enjoy the Video Streaming of the goings-on back at Cambridge.   

Our thanks to the 22 donors who stepped forward in the month of August to help us exceed our Video goal.  To the 87 of you who had already contributed to the Video Production, we thank you profusely.  What a great way to finish!   

With warm regards,  

Who Will be Looking Over BDP’s Shoulder?

The Diorama Video Production Team consists of Todd Lee, Executive Director, John Hancock, Technical Director, and Joel Henning. 

The Compliance and Oversight Team for the Diorama Video Production pro0ject consists of Josh Young, Carmen Gentile, and Jane Hoeffel Otte. 

Signoff for The Harvard-Radcliffe Class of 1961 Treasury payments is provided by Dave Larkin, Harvard Class Treasurer, Greg Downes, and Newell Flather. 

A Closer Look at the Diorama Video Project

The following descriptions and pictures provide some more details on the history of the Pitman Dioramas. 

Theodore Pitman ’14, a sculptor, wanted to create a tangible expression of the University’s history as a permanent memorial of the Tercentenary.  He partnered with Samuel Guernsey, formerly of the University Museum.  A team of ten researched and worked on the Dioramas, including students from the Harvard School of Design and nearby art schools.  Henry Brooks ’22, painted the backgrounds. 

For the terrain, a preliminary model of plastilene, based on a specially prepared contour map of Cambridge, was first formed.  From this a negative mold of plaster of Paris was cast, which in turn gave a positive mold representing the terrain in its final form.  University buildings were cast from savogran, similar to plaster of Paris, but stronger. Towers, balustrades, ornamental cornices, and ornaments were made of brass.  Private buildings were constructed of wood, and all were painstakingly painted with historical accuracy.  

Each of the models required a large amount of preliminary research.  Those buildings, usually among the older ones, for which no plans could be found, were systematically photographed, with a stadia rod included in each photograph for full-size scale. The same procedure was carried out for all privately-owned buildings within the area, block by block, including all types of architecture, from churches to garages.  Tree maps were made, block by block. 

The 1677 and 1775 models used a scale of one inch to thirty feet, to more satisfactorily show the architectural detail of buildings, which in general were smaller than those of the twentieth century.  Installation of the Dioramas in the Widener began in the fall of 1947. 

The Harvard of 1677 marked the move from college construction along Braintree Street (now Massachusetts Avenue) to the beginning of construction overlooking Cambridge Common in the winter, of 1677.  The Diorama shows the original Harvard Hall , Harvard's first brick building, before it burned down on January 24, 1764.  The fire destroyed  4,500 of the College Library's 5,000 books.  Also depicted is the Old College, that until 1863 stood where Grays Hall (the first building to have running water) is now.  The smallest of the three Dioramas, it stood in the embrasure of the central window in the west corridor of Widener. 

The 1947 photo on the left of the 1775 Diorama looks down from Cambridge Common.  Harvard Yard had only a dotting of colonial buildings and Harvard Square was just a triangular patch of grass, with two trees on either side.  In the restoration of the 1775 Diorama, 80% of its nearly 2,000 trees, and about 80 of the buildings needed significant repairs. 

The most realistic material for trees and hedges was found to be sea algae.  Quantities, gathered at Nahant, were dried in the studio.  The completed trees were positioned according to aerial maps and photos.  Extreme care was required of the restorers to preserve the miniature pedestrian and animal figurines, often as small as the tip of a fingernail. 

The Diorama of 1775 was originally placed in the angle of Widener’s west corridor.  It depicts Harvard in the autumn, on the eve of the Revolution.  In 1776, the college buildings were used to house Washington’s Continental Army, and Cambridge Common was their training ground.  Cambridge was bereft of its orchards in order to meet the increased demand for fuel.  

It is fascinating to follow the evolution of  Harvard University's campus through these snapshots in history, serving as a repository of Harvard's  institutional memory.  Theodore Pitman truly made a unique contribution to Harvard, that deserves to be appreciated by future generations.  

Diorama Video Production Donors

Your generosity will greatly extend the reach and significance of our Class Gift, and enhance our Class Legacy.  We hope each of you will make at least some contribution to join the 87 donors below.  Please make your check payable to The Harvard-Radcliffe Class of 1961, note Diorama Video on the memo line, and mail it to Greg Downes, 203 Adams Street, Milton, MA  02186.   Please make your check payable to The Harvard-Radcliffe Class of 1961, note Diorama Video on the memo line, and mail it to Greg Downes, 203 Adams Street, Milton, MA  02186.  The Class of 1961 Treasury is a 501(c)(3), and we have the Tax ID if your tax preparer needs it .  Therefore, your donation is fully tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. 

As of today, our Diorama Video Production donors include: