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Grand Opening
"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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