‘Formula’ for Success

More documents

Recommendations

Info

$Math Department Summer Math Assignment: PreCalculus Directions ...$

Jane Lathrop Stanford – by Dr. James FitzGerald ’57 Q uickly, we connect the name Susan B. Anthony with early Women’s Rights efforts. Less well known are the names of her co-workers… Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Clelia Duel Mosher and Jane Lathrop Stanford. All of these strong leaders were educated in New York State and all were dedicated to allowing women full participation in our nation’s elections, business matters and educational opportunities. Jane Stanford brought American women better access to education. Jane was one of many daughters of successful Albany merchant Dyer Lathrop. Around 1841, she became a student at the Albany Female Academy. Founded in 1814, the Academy was one of the few schools in the country that offered women an excellent education. During that period, Jane and her family lived on Washington Avenue just down the street from the site that the “Girls Academy” would occupy years later. Actually, when Jane attended the Academy, it was located way down the hill... on Pearl Street. Forty years later, Jane donated this family home to Albany’s orphan charities as The Lathrop Memorial. In September 1850, she married Leland Stanford, son of an innkeeper on the road to Schenectady. Exactly opposite to Jane’s experience, Leland had grown up with many brothers. He studied at schools near Utica before practicing law in Albany for a short time. Various events pulled them away from Albany... but never from each other. Their lives and accomplishments always remained inseparable. The young Stanfords moved to California where Leland’s older brother helped the couple become very successful merchants during the “Gold Rush” years. But, they missed their large families in Albany. Frequently, Leland dreamed of returning to Albany to build Jane a mansion on Washington Avenue. As California boomed, Leland invested well and entered politics. He became a powerful leader in the Central Pacific Railroad and was soon elected California’s eighth Governor in 1862. Subsequently, he joined a few other businessmen to create an intra-continental railway system that finally brought together people and businesses from all over America. He stood near the center of that famous photograph taken in 1869 on Utah’s Promontory Summit after driving in the “golden spike” that essentially tied together all the railroads. The whole world listened intently to “live” telegraphic news coverage as Leland symbolically united the United States. As they approached their 20th anniversary, the Stanfords unexpectedly became the proud parents of Leland, Jr. Jane embraced motherhood. For years, she thrived as the full time director of her precocious son’s pursuit of knowledge and adventure. In the spring of 1884, wealthy Jane Stanford and her adolescent son embarked on another wide-ranging European travel extravaganza. Here and there around the Mediterranean, the smart, over-privileged boy would acquire another prized object for his “museum” on the top floor of their opulent San Francisco mansion. He was an extremely curious youth preparing to matriculate to Harvard in the fall. Then, suddenly, in Constantinople... he fell ill. After weeks of unrelenting sickness and special medical attention in Italy, Leland, Jr. – an only child, a late gift to Jane and Leland who already had everything money could buy, and a handsome boy full of promise – died tragically of typhoid fever at the well-hidden Hotel Bristol in central Florence. In that heartbreaking instant, the focus of the Stanfords’ lives changed dramatically. Within days, the devastated couple decided to dedicate their orphaned parental energies and their vast fortune to a single objective – the creation of a memorial to their exceptional lost child that would continuously honor his plethora of academic interests. “The children Iron Will:The Life and Letters of Jane Stanford, Gunther W. Nagel 8 The Albany Academies Magazine
legendary educator of California will be our children,” they agreed. The idea to build an outstanding school began. It took 10 years to create, but in 1891, co-founders Jane and Leland, Sr. addressed a gathering of 500 young men – and women – beginning study at the University. Leland would forgo his ambitions to seek the Presidency of the United States. Instead, his full efforts would be focused on developing a great university capable of educating future presidents. Ironically, Herbert Hoover was one of those first students. Jane turned 72 as the 20th century arrived. She thrived on unraveling every challenge her school generated. However, some University administrators preferred that she rest more instead. In 1905, on an overseas respite not unlike the one with her son years before, she too died unexpectedly in a foreign hotel room in the springtime. The newspapers called it a “mysterious unsolved strychnine murder.” Officials from Stanford University, quick to minimize any hint of scandal, called it “natural causes.” To this day, no definitive explanations have been forthcoming. The Stanford footprints in Albany are tough to follow now. A few traces remain. Some maps identify a tiny area near Schenectady as “Stanford Heights.” Beautiful stained glass windows in the Episcopal Cathedral celebrate the lives of Jane’s parents. A stone plaque honoring her in-laws hides in the same church. Deeper digging into Albany history uncovers some salient newspaper clippings. From the Daily Albany Argus, it’s possible to examine the impressive curriculum she faced as the school year started in 1841. The Albany Journal ran an unrelated message about the Albany and Schenectady Railroad a few lines below the simple Stanford marriage announcement. But, is it truly unrelated? Young Leland watched his father build this little railway... one of the first passenger lines in the entire United States. Ironically, Leland’s own son would soon watch him build the most dominant railroad system in the world. Of course, the remains of Jane, Leland and Leland, Jr. repose in a mausoleum on the Stanford campus. Nevertheless, the Albany Rural Cemetery protects an impressive Stanford Family Vault extensively restored recently by anonymous Stanford alumni. The Lathrop monument stands proudly nearby. Dr. James FitzGerald ’57 has done extensive research in the U.S. and Italy about the life of Jane Lathrop Stanford. He is retired from a surgical ophthalmology practice in Troy, NY and teaches surgical residents at the University of Arizona. He is also one of the founders of the Class of ’57 Lecture Series. The Stanfords invested more than $20 million in their school… about $500 million today. It was by far the richest school in the nation. Nevertheless, in its first few years, Stanford came very close to bankruptcy. When her husband died suddenly, Jane single-handedly found solutions to all of the gigantic issues that threatened her school. Today, Stanford University flourishes because of her renowned “iron will.” Images from the collections of: Barbara Casey, James FitzGerald and Kevin Franklin Spring/Summer 2010 9
Page 1 and 2: The Albany Academies Magazine SPRIN
Page 3 and 4: ...................................
Page 5 and 6: The ‘art’ of empowerment G ive
Page 7 and 8: Life through the eyes of a centenar
Page 9: PROUDLY DEFENDING D A NATION… uri
Page 13 and 14: Alydaar presented a topic that he h
Page 15 and 16: A A LEADER ON AND OFF THE FIELDby B
Page 17 and 18: ...................................
Page 19 and 20: UPPER SCHOOL AWARDS AND FACULTY REC
Page 21 and 22: eading, keeping my body in shape an
Page 23 and 24: Elizabeth Townsend Dearstyne 14 Dur
Page 25 and 26: Lauree McMahon Hickok 89 Luke Hill
Page 27 and 28: technology transfer to commercial p
Page 29 and 30: SEAN COUCH sent me an update from N
Page 31 and 32: Speaking of Europe, DAN TEGTMEYER i
Page 33 and 34: ...................................
Page 35 and 36: Spring/Summer 2010 33

‘Formula’ for Success

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?