Blasts from the Past: November 25, 2019

By Shannon Zeltmann, Staff Writer

This week in 1934, one of the chemistry professors on campus, Dr. Charles A. Sloat, liked to do photography when he was not teaching classes. He mainly took self-portraits as well as photos of his friends and family. Not only did Sloat enjoy taking portraits—he also liked to show different tricks that can be done with the chemicals involved in photography. When his classes got to the subject of silver nitrate, he would tell his students about some of the things which can be done to change photographs.

This week in 1964, both students and staff were ready for Thanksgiving break. It was a time for professors to “rest up and recover” from grading exams and papers and perhaps finalize what they wanted to do the last two weeks of classes. Meanwhile, for students, it was a time to recover, have some homemade meals, and work on assignments due after the break.

This week in 1974, the orchestra had their end of the semester concert in the Chapel. They performed pieces such as Felix Mandelssohn’s Violin Concerto and Rhapsody in Blue. Two graduate students played the piano and violin solos for these pieces. They also performed a canzona, a movement of Jean Sibelius’s Karelia Suite, and François Couperin’s Overture. The concert was free to the public.

Author: Shannon Zeltmann

Shannon Zeltmann '21 is a double history and art history major with a public history minor. She plans on going to graduate school and then doing museum work as a curator or conservator. She is a member of the Classsics Club, the Gettysburg College Historical Society, and the Gettysburgian, and she works in Special Collections on campus doing conservation. Shannon is an all-around nerd, who loves art and history too much and loves to read and draw on the side.

Share This Post On

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *