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Grand Opening
December 2000
by Mark Alden Branch ’86

“We are here because New Haven invited us,” said President Richard Levin at the opening of Yale’s Tercentennial celebration on October 21, referring to the town’s efforts to lure the young college from Saybrook in 1716. But this time, it was Yale that did the inviting—using direct mail, newspaper appeals, and ads on the sides of buses to exhort New Haven-area residents to have a look inside the campus. The planners of "Opening Yale 300," led by University Secretary Linda Koch Lorimer, hoped for 10,000 to 15,000 people. With the help of beautiful weather, they got twice that many.

The day began with a relaxed bit of pomp and circumstance on Hewitt Quadrangle, where the Yale Band led a parade of students dressed in residential college T-shirts designed for the occasion. President Levin and Mayor DeStefano got things rolling by cutting into a 300-pound birthday cake depicting the Old Campus. (With keen eyes for town-gown symbolism, they fed each other cake in the manner of a bride and groom.)

But the day’s real action took place all over the campus, as Yale’s doors and gates were flung open to visitors. Some well-known attractions, such as the Art Gallery and the Peabody Museum, offered special behind-the-scenes tours and demonstrations; the residential colleges had volunteers and students on hand to give tours; science laboratories drew big crowds for demonstrations of robotics, solar cars, and lasers; and such exclusive bastions as Mory’s and the Corporation Room in Woodbridge Hall were open for viewing.

In addition to introducing the Tercentennial, Lorimer hopes "Opening Yale" will encourage area residents to visit the University’s public attractions more often. "We hope the people who came will say 'Hey, Yale’s not so far away,' and come again," she says.

Opening acts: The Yale Band led a procession of undergraduates to Hewitt Quadrangle, where Mayor John DeStefano Jr. and President Levin (top) cut an Old Campus cake. Meanwhile, kin of Handsome Dan (with handler Christopher Getman '64, in cap) from the Bulldog Club of Connecticut celebrated Yale’s 2,100th—in dog years.  

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