Happy birthday to us

The ten-year-old Yale Alumni Weekly published a special issue—with an extra-fancy cover format that later became our regular cover design—for Yale’s bicentennial in 1901. View full image

The ten-year-old Yale Alumni Weekly published a special issue—with an extra-fancy cover format that later became our regular cover design—for Yale’s bicentennial in 1901. View full image

The magazine has introduced alumni to 11 new Yale presidents. Top, left to right: Arthur Twining Hadley, Class of 1876; James Rowland Angell; Charles Seymour ’08, ’11PhD; A. Whitney Griswold ’29, ’33PhD. Center, left to right: Kingman Brewster Jr. ’41; Hanna Holborn Gray; A. Bartlett Giamatti ’60, ’64PhD; Benno Schmidt ’63, ’66LLB. Bottom, left to right: Howard Lamar ’51PhD; Richard Levin ’74PhD; Peter Salovey ’86PhD. A. Whitney Griswold ’29, ’33PhD; and Kingman Brewster Jr. ’41. View full image

The magazine has introduced alumni to 11 new Yale presidents. Top, left to right: Arthur Twining Hadley, Class of 1876; James Rowland Angell; Charles Seymour ’08, ’11PhD; A. Whitney Griswold ’29, ’33PhD. Center, left to right: Kingman Brewster Jr. ’41; Hanna Holborn Gray; A. Bartlett Giamatti ’60, ’64PhD; Benno Schmidt ’63, ’66LLB. Bottom, left to right: Howard Lamar ’51PhD; Richard Levin ’74PhD; Peter Salovey ’86PhD. A. Whitney Griswold ’29, ’33PhD; and Kingman Brewster Jr. ’41. View full image

The first illustration to appear in our pages, in our second issue in 1891, was an engraving of soon-to-be constructed Welch Hall. View full image

The first illustration to appear in our pages, in our second issue in 1891, was an engraving of soon-to-be constructed Welch Hall. View full image

In June 1901, we published a photograph of Commons under construction. View full image

In June 1901, we published a photograph of Commons under construction. View full image

A special edition in 1931 featured photos of the many new buildings going up at the time, including Sterling Memorial Library. View full image

A special edition in 1931 featured photos of the many new buildings going up at the time, including Sterling Memorial Library. View full image

Yale sports—particularly football—took up a lot of real estate in early years; this photo of the football team appeared in 1895. View full image

Yale sports—particularly football—took up a lot of real estate in early years; this photo of the football team appeared in 1895. View full image

In 1896, we celebrated “The Prom Girl and some of the memorabilia of her” as part of our rather extensive coverage of the Prom. View full image

In 1896, we celebrated “The Prom Girl and some of the memorabilia of her” as part of our rather extensive coverage of the Prom. View full image

Today, we report regularly on Yale reunions, as we have from the beginning; in 1916, and for many years after, returning alumni still wore class costumes. View full image

Today, we report regularly on Yale reunions, as we have from the beginning; in 1916, and for many years after, returning alumni still wore class costumes. View full image

In 1932, we noted the arrival of an “aard-vark”—the first one brought to America—at the Peabody Museum. View full image

In 1932, we noted the arrival of an “aard-vark”—the first one brought to America—at the Peabody Museum. View full image

In 1936, the “ancient hat-night ceremony” at Yale’s Sheffield Scientific School was familiar enough to alumni to require little explanation. View full image

In 1936, the “ancient hat-night ceremony” at Yale’s Sheffield Scientific School was familiar enough to alumni to require little explanation. View full image

In 1937, the Weekly became the Yale Alumni Magazine, with a different format, publishing schedule, and nonprofit status, but the same mission. One of the last Weekly covers featured the Yale Bowl. View full image

In 1937, the Weekly became the Yale Alumni Magazine, with a different format, publishing schedule, and nonprofit status, but the same mission. One of the last Weekly covers featured the Yale Bowl. View full image

During World War II our pages were filled with reports of the transformation of the campus for military training and the grave sacrifices of students and alumni. We also showed the celebrations when hostilities ended: for instance, students celebrating VJ-Day on the Old Campus with a hot dog roast. View full image

During World War II our pages were filled with reports of the transformation of the campus for military training and the grave sacrifices of students and alumni. We also showed the celebrations when hostilities ended: for instance, students celebrating VJ-Day on the Old Campus with a hot dog roast. View full image

As the American Century took off, a 1951 photo brought readers the Yale Glee Club on its way to a Caribbean tour. View full image

As the American Century took off, a 1951 photo brought readers the Yale Glee Club on its way to a Caribbean tour. View full image

Our reports on new construction continued into the era of modern architecture, when the largely gothic and classical campus was punctuated with daring new buildings. We published an early model of the Beinecke Library in 1960. View full image

Our reports on new construction continued into the era of modern architecture, when the largely gothic and classical campus was punctuated with daring new buildings. We published an early model of the Beinecke Library in 1960. View full image

Coeducation was a controversial issue in 1969; we reported on it and allowed ample space for alumni letters, pro and con. View full image

Coeducation was a controversial issue in 1969; we reported on it and allowed ample space for alumni letters, pro and con. View full image

For a 1969 issue about music at Yale, we included a floppy phonograph record featuring student and faculty performers. View full image

For a 1969 issue about music at Yale, we included a floppy phonograph record featuring student and faculty performers. View full image

The magazine reported extensively on the May Day 1970, when the campus opened up to thousands protesting the Black Panther trials. In this photo from our pages, Black Student Alliance coordinator Ralph Dawson ’71 speaks as Kurt Schmoke ’71 and Senator Ted Kennedy look on. View full image

The magazine reported extensively on the May Day 1970, when the campus opened up to thousands protesting the Black Panther trials. In this photo from our pages, Black Student Alliance coordinator Ralph Dawson ’71 speaks as Kurt Schmoke ’71 and Senator Ted Kennedy look on. View full image

In 1973, we published psychology professor Irving Janis’s influential essay about “groupthink”—still frequently requested for reprinting. View full image

In 1973, we published psychology professor Irving Janis’s influential essay about “groupthink”—still frequently requested for reprinting. View full image

In 2004, we reported on physician/neuroscientists Bernard and Sally Shaywitz and their work on dyslexia. View full image

In 2004, we reported on physician/neuroscientists Bernard and Sally Shaywitz and their work on dyslexia. View full image

Our coverage of campus architecture continues into the present, as seen in this 2014 spread on the School of Management’s Evans Hall. View full image

Our coverage of campus architecture continues into the present, as seen in this 2014 spread on the School of Management’s Evans Hall. View full image

Advertisements turned up for the first time in our second issue, when establishments such as W. Baker & Company’s Breakfast Cocoa, the maker of a commemorative Yale spoon, and the Temple Bar—aka Mory’s—made their appeals to readers. Since then, advertising has always helped make it possible for us to bring you the magazine. Cigarette ads like this one from 1932 were among the first color illustrations in the publication. View full image

Advertisements turned up for the first time in our second issue, when establishments such as W. Baker & Company’s Breakfast Cocoa, the maker of a commemorative Yale spoon, and the Temple Bar—aka Mory’s—made their appeals to readers. Since then, advertising has always helped make it possible for us to bring you the magazine. Cigarette ads like this one from 1932 were among the first color illustrations in the publication. View full image

Clothing and accessories for men—including a 1927 overcoat—were frequently on offer in early years. View full image

Clothing and accessories for men—including a 1927 overcoat—were frequently on offer in early years. View full image

Products designed specifically for Yale graduates, such as an 1892 chair made from Old Campus elms, have also been a mainstay. View full image

Products designed specifically for Yale graduates, such as an 1892 chair made from Old Campus elms, have also been a mainstay. View full image

An 1895 ad appealed to the Yale man’s desire to look sharp. View full image

An 1895 ad appealed to the Yale man’s desire to look sharp. View full image

Brooks Brothers was a frequent advertiser in the 1940s; this 1946 ad celebrated a return to normalcy—and sportswear. View full image

Brooks Brothers was a frequent advertiser in the 1940s; this 1946 ad celebrated a return to normalcy—and sportswear. View full image

Companies recruiting executives, including IBM in 1960, sought out our readers in the gray-flannel postwar years. View full image

Companies recruiting executives, including IBM in 1960, sought out our readers in the gray-flannel postwar years. View full image

A 1956 ad for New England Life featured an alum earning a “five-figure income.” View full image

A 1956 ad for New England Life featured an alum earning a “five-figure income.” View full image

A 1985 ad offered a way to show your college pride at the dressing table. View full image

A 1985 ad offered a way to show your college pride at the dressing table. View full image

by the 1980s, national ad campaigns like this 1986 “Dewar’s Profile” appeared regularly. View full image

by the 1980s, national ad campaigns like this 1986 “Dewar’s Profile” appeared regularly. View full image

Besides our extensive alumni notes section, we have always reported on the doings of prominent alumni in our news and feature pages. When William Howard Taft, Class of 1878, ran for president in 1908, becoming the first Yale alumnus in the White House, he merited a special issue in the month before he was elected. View full image

Besides our extensive alumni notes section, we have always reported on the doings of prominent alumni in our news and feature pages. When William Howard Taft, Class of 1878, ran for president in 1908, becoming the first Yale alumnus in the White House, he merited a special issue in the month before he was elected. View full image

In 1915, we reported on radio pioneer Lee DeForest ’96S, whose Audion vacuum tube paved the way for radio and television. View full image

In 1915, we reported on radio pioneer Lee DeForest ’96S, whose Audion vacuum tube paved the way for radio and television. View full image

In 1935, we got in on the ground floor of Vincent Price ’33’s acting career. View full image

In 1935, we got in on the ground floor of Vincent Price ’33’s acting career. View full image

In 1936, we told the harrowing tale of Lincoln Ellsworth ’03S, a polar explorer who was stranded in Antarctica for weeks after his plane went down. View full image

In 1936, we told the harrowing tale of Lincoln Ellsworth ’03S, a polar explorer who was stranded in Antarctica for weeks after his plane went down. View full image

In 1981, we told of a newly minted alumna who had already done something extraordinary: Maya Lin ’81, ’86MArch, who won the Vietnam Veterans Memorial competition as a Yale senior. View full image

In 1981, we told of a newly minted alumna who had already done something extraordinary: Maya Lin ’81, ’86MArch, who won the Vietnam Veterans Memorial competition as a Yale senior. View full image

Alumni have also been kind enough to share their writing talents with us. In 2003, Tom Wolfe ’57PhD wrote about a children’s book called Honey Bear that awoke his interest in language. (He slips a phrase from it into every book he writes.) View full image

Alumni have also been kind enough to share their writing talents with us. In 2003, Tom Wolfe ’57PhD wrote about a children’s book called Honey Bear that awoke his interest in language. (He slips a phrase from it into every book he writes.) View full image

National Book Award winner Andrew Solomon ’85 wrote a moving, searching article in 2010 trying to make sense of the suicide of his friend Terry Kirk ’85. View full image

National Book Award winner Andrew Solomon ’85 wrote a moving, searching article in 2010 trying to make sense of the suicide of his friend Terry Kirk ’85. View full image

In 2004, John Kerry ’66 and George W. Bush ’68 vied for the presidency during what would become a 20-year run of Yale-educated presidents. View full image

In 2004, John Kerry ’66 and George W. Bush ’68 vied for the presidency during what would become a 20-year run of Yale-educated presidents. View full image

In January 1892, four months after it was launched, the Yale Alumni Weekly—now the Yale Alumni Magazine—reported that “the oldest alumnus of Yale is a graduate of the Class of 1820.” So as we celebrate our 125th anniversary this fall (our quasquicentennial, it turns out, but we won’t use that word more than once), we recognize that the alumni body we have served spans nearly 200 years. Some of our earliest readers were born in the Jefferson administration, and some of our newest in the Clinton administration.

When the Weekly was launched in September 1891, our first issue reported on a growing university—one with growing pains. We covered student complaints about overcrowding in Yale’s Sheffield Scientific School, about delays in the completion of the new gym (the one before Payne Whitney), and the tight squeeze into Battell for mandatory daily chapel. Our first issue also reported on Yale sports, the activity of the Glee and Banjo clubs, and the Law School. And it included the first-ever alumni note: “J. P. Cheney ’90S has entered a dyeing establishment in Paterson, NJ, in order to study the methods there employed.”

In 125 years, we have never strayed far from the intentions expressed in that first issue: “The paper . . . will be run exclusively for the benefit of the graduates of Yale. It will contain matter concerning the University itself, its development, its student projects and its athletics, and concerning the Alumni and their associations. It will serve as an organ for the expression of graduate opinion upon topics concerning the welfare and interest of Yale, and will act as a bond between the Alumni themselves and between the Alumni and the University.”

The Weekly was founded as a for-profit venture, a spinoff of the Yale Daily News. In 1937, it became the nonprofit Yale Alumni Magazine. Over the years, it has been published under a number of business models, including individual subscriptions, class-dues funding, and varying levels of financial support and oversight from the university.

But throughout, we have striven to give alumni a complete picture of what is happening at Yale. We have introduced alumni to eleven new presidents, seven new professional schools, and scores of new buildings. We’ve also kept alumni up to date with each other through profiles, interviews, and millions of words of alumni notes. We’ve reported on campus controversies ranging from the demolition of the Old Brick Row to coeducation to the proposed renaming of Calhoun, and we’ve given you room to voice your opinions on all of them.

In the slideshow above are some clips from our archives, reflecting our coverage of the university, its alumni, and world events over the last 125 years. Some of you started receiving the magazine this past September, and some of you have been with us for more than half of our existence. We thank you all for the privilege and responsibility of keeping you connected to Yale.—The Editors