Saybrook College
Encyclopedia
Saybrook College is one of the 12 residential college
s at Yale University
. It was founded in 1933 by partitioning the Memorial Quadrangle
(built in 1917-1921) into two parts: Saybrook and Branford
.
Unlike many of Yale's residential colleges that are centered around one large courtyard, Saybrook has two courtyards—one stone and one grass, hence the college cheer beginning "Two courtyards, stone and grass: two courtyards kick your ass."
Saybrook College was one of the original Yale Residential Colleges. Its name comes from the original location of the university, Old Saybrook, Connecticut
. The college has the second highest student-to-land-area ratio of any of the colleges (after Calhoun College
).
Saybrook students are known on campus for "the Saybrook Strip," a ritual performed during football games at the end of the third quarter (the "Strip" actually begins two minutes earlier when students remove their shoes and shout "Shoes!"). Both male and female college residents strip down to their underwear (some brave seniors remove all their clothing during The Game) to accompaniment by the Yale Precision Marching Band
, which formerly played The Stripper
or Sweet Child o' Mine
but now chooses different tunes from game to game. Saybrook is also known for its repeated wins of the Gimbel Cup, which goes to the college with the highest average GPA. Saybrook has won the cup 11 times, four more than the next most frequent winner, Ezra Stiles College
which has won 7 times. Saybrook won most recently in 2007.
The college was renovated during the 2000-2001 year.
Saybrook College was featured in a chase scene in Indiana Jones 4
, part of which was filmed on Yale's campus in late June and early July 2007.
Colleges was built as the Memorial Quadrangle
on the site of what was once the old gymnasium. Designed by James Gamble Rogers
, the Memorial Quadrangle saw construction begin in 1917 and finish in 1922. The Memorial Quadrangle was divided in two upon the establishment of the residential colleges, with Saybrook College receiving Memorial Quadrangle's two northern courtyards, whose entrances face Elm Street. The courtyards are named for the towns where students of the Collegiate School studied before its move to New Haven: Saybrook is the western courtyard, Killingworth the eastern. Among the flagstones of each courtyard is a millstone originating from their respective namesakes.
The main courtyards are also decorated with carvings and inscriptions. Around the entryways are the stone heads of various associates of Yale University, including Vance McCormick, former chairman of the Yale Corporation
's architectural planning committee, and Russell Chittenden, former director of the Sheffield Scientific School
. In Saybrook Court are the arms of several American universities and of Elihu Yale
and Edward S. Harkness. In Killingworth Court are the arms of Yale, Harvard, and Saybrook's sister colleges Adams House
and Emmanuel College
. Each student room is decorated with panes of stained glass
from G. Owen Bonawit
.
Wrexham Tower, modeled after the tower of St. Giles' Church
in Wrexham, Wales, stands in the college's westernmost corner over a very small courtyard of its own. In the tower's base is an inscribed stone sent from St. Giles' as a gift to Yale. On the wall across from the tower's entrance is a plaque commemorating James Gamble Rogers.
Saybrook's freshmen were housed in Lanman-Wright Hall on Old Campus
(as were the freshmen of Pierson College
). Lanman-Wright Hall was designed by William Adams Delano
and constructed in 1912. However starting in the fall of 2011, Saybrook's freshmen will be housed in Vanderbuilt Hall. Yale's post office is located in the building's basement.
and of Robert Greville, 2nd Baron Brooke
, who were the early promoters of the Saybrook Colony
, where Yale would later be founded. The arms of Saybrook College are described heraldically as: Quarterly I and IV azure, three lions rampant or; II and III sable, an engrailed cross within a border engrailed both or, and five roundels sable on the cross.
The badge of Saybrook College is the grapevine, derived from the original seal of Saybrook Colony. The badge appears carved in various places around the college.
Two courtyards, stone and grass
two courtyards kick your ass.
Climb the tower, touch the beach
Do it up, at the Squiche
[Master / Dean's name]
Basil Duke, we love thee
Biff, Bam, Bop, Bip
WE ARE SAYBROOK WATCH US STRIP
. He is also the only Master of Saybrook to have participated in the Saybrook Strip. In November 2010 Paul Hudak took a medical leave of absence from Yale, and former Saybrook Master Edward Kamens agreed to serve as interim master until Hudak returned at the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year.
Mary Miller
, Vincent J. Scully Professor of the History of Art and the current Dean of Yale College, served as Master of Saybrook from 1999 to December 2008. She has also served as Chair, Director of Graduate Studies, and Director of Undergraduate Studies for History of Art. Master Miller is a specialist in the art of ancient Mexico and Central America, especially the Maya, and she teaches classes in Maya, Aztec, and Mesoamerican Art. Upon her appointment as Dean, Edward Kamens
, Miller's husband and the Sumitomo Professor of Japanese Literature, was appointed the new Master.
Paul McKinley has served twice as Saybrook's dean, first from 1997–2003 and then again since 2005. A graduate of the Yale School of Drama's Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism program, Dean McKinley teaches in Yale's Theater Studies program.
Residential college
A residential college is an organisational pattern for a division of a university that places academic activity in a community setting of students and faculty, usually at a residence and with shared meals, the college having a degree of autonomy and a federated relationship with the overall...
s at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. It was founded in 1933 by partitioning the Memorial Quadrangle
Memorial Quadrangle
The Memorial Quadrangle at Yale University, USA, was donated by Anna M. Harkness with Harkness Tower named in memory of her son, Charles Harkness, Yale Class of 1883. Commissioned from James Gamble Rogers to supply much-needed student housing, the Quadrangle now consists of Saybrook College and...
(built in 1917-1921) into two parts: Saybrook and Branford
Branford College
Branford College is the oldest of the 12 residential colleges at Yale University.-The Founding of Branford:Branford College was founded in 1933 by partitioning the Memorial Quadrangle into two parts: Saybrook and Branford...
.
Unlike many of Yale's residential colleges that are centered around one large courtyard, Saybrook has two courtyards—one stone and one grass, hence the college cheer beginning "Two courtyards, stone and grass: two courtyards kick your ass."
Saybrook College was one of the original Yale Residential Colleges. Its name comes from the original location of the university, Old Saybrook, Connecticut
Old Saybrook, Connecticut
Old Saybrook is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 10,367 at the 2000 census. It contains the incorporated borough of Fenwick, as well as the census-designated places of Old Saybrook Center and Saybrook Manor.-History:...
. The college has the second highest student-to-land-area ratio of any of the colleges (after Calhoun College
Calhoun College
Calhoun College is a residential college of Yale University.-Early history:In 1641, John Brockston established a farm on the plot of land that is now Calhoun College...
).
Saybrook students are known on campus for "the Saybrook Strip," a ritual performed during football games at the end of the third quarter (the "Strip" actually begins two minutes earlier when students remove their shoes and shout "Shoes!"). Both male and female college residents strip down to their underwear (some brave seniors remove all their clothing during The Game) to accompaniment by the Yale Precision Marching Band
Yale Precision Marching Band
The Yale Precision Marching Band is the official marching band of Yale University. It is a scatter band , as distinct from university marching bands that emphasize precise movements and geometric field formations...
, which formerly played The Stripper
The Stripper
"The Stripper" is an instrumental composed by David Rose and recorded in 1962. It evinces a jazz influence with especially prominent trombone lines, and evokes the feel of music used to accompany striptease artists....
or Sweet Child o' Mine
Sweet Child O' Mine
"Sweet Child o' Mine" is the third single by American rock band Guns N' Roses, and the third from their 1987 debut studio album, Appetite for Destruction. Released on August 17, 1988, the song topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming the band's first and only number-one single in the U.S...
but now chooses different tunes from game to game. Saybrook is also known for its repeated wins of the Gimbel Cup, which goes to the college with the highest average GPA. Saybrook has won the cup 11 times, four more than the next most frequent winner, Ezra Stiles College
Ezra Stiles College
Ezra Stiles College is a residential college at Yale University, built in 1961 by Eero Saarinen. Architecturally, it is known for its lack of right angles. It is adjacent to Morse College.-Origin:...
which has won 7 times. Saybrook won most recently in 2007.
The college was renovated during the 2000-2001 year.
Saybrook College was featured in a chase scene in Indiana Jones 4
Indiana Jones 4
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a 2008 American adventure science fiction film. It is the fourth film in the Indiana Jones franchise, created by George Lucas and directed by Steven Spielberg. Released nineteen years after the previous film, the film acknowledges its star...
, part of which was filmed on Yale's campus in late June and early July 2007.
Buildings and Architecture
The building now known as Saybrook and BranfordBranford College
Branford College is the oldest of the 12 residential colleges at Yale University.-The Founding of Branford:Branford College was founded in 1933 by partitioning the Memorial Quadrangle into two parts: Saybrook and Branford...
Colleges was built as the Memorial Quadrangle
Memorial Quadrangle
The Memorial Quadrangle at Yale University, USA, was donated by Anna M. Harkness with Harkness Tower named in memory of her son, Charles Harkness, Yale Class of 1883. Commissioned from James Gamble Rogers to supply much-needed student housing, the Quadrangle now consists of Saybrook College and...
on the site of what was once the old gymnasium. Designed by James Gamble Rogers
James Gamble Rogers
James Gamble Rogers was an American architect best known for his academic commissions at Yale University, Columbia University, Northwestern University, and elsewhere....
, the Memorial Quadrangle saw construction begin in 1917 and finish in 1922. The Memorial Quadrangle was divided in two upon the establishment of the residential colleges, with Saybrook College receiving Memorial Quadrangle's two northern courtyards, whose entrances face Elm Street. The courtyards are named for the towns where students of the Collegiate School studied before its move to New Haven: Saybrook is the western courtyard, Killingworth the eastern. Among the flagstones of each courtyard is a millstone originating from their respective namesakes.
The main courtyards are also decorated with carvings and inscriptions. Around the entryways are the stone heads of various associates of Yale University, including Vance McCormick, former chairman of the Yale Corporation
Yale Corporation
The Yale Corporation, sometimes, and more formally, known as The President and Fellows of Yale College, is the governing body of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.The Corporation comprises 19 members:...
's architectural planning committee, and Russell Chittenden, former director of the Sheffield Scientific School
Sheffield Scientific School
Sheffield Scientific School was founded in 1847 as a school of Yale College in New Haven, Connecticut for instruction in science and engineering. Originally named the Yale Scientific School, it was renamed in 1861 in honor of Joseph E. Sheffield, the railroad executive. The school was...
. In Saybrook Court are the arms of several American universities and of Elihu Yale
Elihu Yale
Elihu Yale was a Welsh merchant and philanthropist, governor of the East India Company, and a benefactor of the Collegiate School of Connecticut, which in 1718 was named Yale College in his honour.- Life :...
and Edward S. Harkness. In Killingworth Court are the arms of Yale, Harvard, and Saybrook's sister colleges Adams House
Adams House (Harvard University)
Adams House is one of the twelve undergraduate houses at Harvard University, located between Harvard Square and the Charles River in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Named to commemorate the Adams family, including John Adams, the second president of the United States and John Quincy Adams, the sixth...
and Emmanuel College
Emmanuel College, Cambridge
Emmanuel College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.The college was founded in 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay on the site of a Dominican friary...
. Each student room is decorated with panes of stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
from G. Owen Bonawit
G. Owen Bonawit
G. Owen Bonawit was an artist whose studio created thousands of pieces of stained glass for Yale, Duke, and Northwestern universities; Connecticut College; and at private homes. There are, by one count, 887 pieces in Yale's Sterling Memorial Library. Bonawit worked often and closely with the...
.
Wrexham Tower, modeled after the tower of St. Giles' Church
St Giles' Church, Wrexham
St Giles' Church is the parish church of Wrexham, Wales. Its tower is traditionally one of the Seven Wonders of Wales, which are commemorated in an anonymously written rhyme:...
in Wrexham, Wales, stands in the college's westernmost corner over a very small courtyard of its own. In the tower's base is an inscribed stone sent from St. Giles' as a gift to Yale. On the wall across from the tower's entrance is a plaque commemorating James Gamble Rogers.
Saybrook's freshmen were housed in Lanman-Wright Hall on Old Campus
Old Campus
The Old Campus is a complex of buildings at Yale University on the block at the northwest end of the green in New Haven, Connecticut, consisting of dormitories, classrooms, chapels and offices...
(as were the freshmen of Pierson College
Pierson College
Pierson College is a residential college founded in 1933 at Yale University. The College takes its name from Abraham Pierson , one of the founders of the Collegiate School, which later became Yale University. A statue of Abraham Pierson stands on Yale's Old Campus...
). Lanman-Wright Hall was designed by William Adams Delano
William Adams Delano
William Adams Delano , an American architect, was a partner with Chester Holmes Aldrich in the firm of Delano & Aldrich. The firm worked in the Beaux-Arts tradition for elite clients in New York City, Long Island and elsewhere, building townhouses, country houses, clubs, banks and buildings for...
and constructed in 1912. However starting in the fall of 2011, Saybrook's freshmen will be housed in Vanderbuilt Hall. Yale's post office is located in the building's basement.
Arms and Badge
The arms of Saybrook College are the quartering of the arms of William Fiennes, 1st Viscount Saye and SeleWilliam Fiennes, 1st Viscount Saye and Sele
William Fiennes, 1st Viscount Saye and Sele was born at the family home of Broughton Castle near Banbury, in Oxfordshire. He was the only son of Richard Fiennes, seventh Baron Saye and Sele...
and of Robert Greville, 2nd Baron Brooke
Robert Greville, 2nd Baron Brooke
Robert Greville, 2nd Baron Brooke was an English Civil War Roundhead General.Greville was the cousin and adopted son of Fulke Greville, 1st Baron Brooke, and thus became 2nd Lord Brooke, and owner of Warwick Castle. He was born in 1607, and entered parliament for Warwickshire in 1628...
, who were the early promoters of the Saybrook Colony
Saybrook Colony
The Saybrook Colony was established in late 1635 at the mouth of the Connecticut River in present day Old Saybrook, Connecticut by John Winthrop, the Younger, son of John Winthrop, the Governor of Massachusetts. The former was designated Governor by the original settlers which included Colonel...
, where Yale would later be founded. The arms of Saybrook College are described heraldically as: Quarterly I and IV azure, three lions rampant or; II and III sable, an engrailed cross within a border engrailed both or, and five roundels sable on the cross.
The badge of Saybrook College is the grapevine, derived from the original seal of Saybrook Colony. The badge appears carved in various places around the college.
Saybrook Strip Song
The words to the Saybrook strip song change to accommodate the names of the current master and dean. They song is sung between the third and fourth quarters of every football game, as well as other times that the members of the college disrobe (such as before the Midnight Mile, a one mile run for charity in September). The words to the song are as follows:Two courtyards, stone and grass
two courtyards kick your ass.
Climb the tower, touch the beach
Do it up, at the Squiche
[Master / Dean's name]
Basil Duke, we love thee
Biff, Bam, Bop, Bip
WE ARE SAYBROOK WATCH US STRIP
Masters and Deans
In the fall of 2009, computer science professor Paul Hudak began his term as ninth master of Saybrook. Master Hudak was previously the chair of the computer science department, and has a diverse array of interests. One of the designers of the Haskell programming language, Hudak is well known for his prowess in programming languages. A jazz pianist, Hudak combines his interest in programming languages and music to do work in Haskore, a programming language used for sound production. Beyond computer science, Hudak is an avid sports fan, and was head coach of Hamden High's women's lacrosse team for eight years. He is married to Cathy Van Dyke, and has two daughters, Cris Hudak and Jen HudakJen Hudak
Jen Hudak is an American freestyle skier, specializing in the halfpipe and slopestyle events. She currently resides in Utah, where she skis and trains regularly.-External links:*...
. He is also the only Master of Saybrook to have participated in the Saybrook Strip. In November 2010 Paul Hudak took a medical leave of absence from Yale, and former Saybrook Master Edward Kamens agreed to serve as interim master until Hudak returned at the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year.
Mary Miller
Mary Miller
Mary Ellen Miller is an American art historian and Dean of Yale College. In 1998, she was appointed as the Vincent Scully, Jr. Professor of the History of Art. In 2008, she was appointed as Sterling Professor at Yale...
, Vincent J. Scully Professor of the History of Art and the current Dean of Yale College, served as Master of Saybrook from 1999 to December 2008. She has also served as Chair, Director of Graduate Studies, and Director of Undergraduate Studies for History of Art. Master Miller is a specialist in the art of ancient Mexico and Central America, especially the Maya, and she teaches classes in Maya, Aztec, and Mesoamerican Art. Upon her appointment as Dean, Edward Kamens
Edward Kamens
Edward Kamens is Sumitomo Professor of Japanese Literature at Yale University, where he has taught since 1986. His dissertation focused on the Buddhist setsuwa collection Sanbōe, and more recently he has written on allusive or intertextual language in premodern literature, particularly utamakura...
, Miller's husband and the Sumitomo Professor of Japanese Literature, was appointed the new Master.
Paul McKinley has served twice as Saybrook's dean, first from 1997–2003 and then again since 2005. A graduate of the Yale School of Drama's Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism program, Dean McKinley teaches in Yale's Theater Studies program.
| # | Master | Term | Dean | Term |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elliot Dunlap Smith | 1933–1946 | Thomas Adams Noble | 1963–1964 |
| 2 | Sydney Knox Mitchell (acting) | 1944–1945 | James King Folsom | 1964–1968 |
| 3 | Everett Victor Meeks (acting) | 1945–1946 | Martin Ignatius Joseph Griffin, Jr (acting) | 1968–1971 |
| 4 | Basil Duke Henning | 1946–1975 | J. Mintz | 1971–1972 |
| 5 | William Huse Dunham, Jr (acting) | 1955–1956 | C. Duncan Rice | 1972–1978 |
| 6 | Ethelbert Talbot Donaldson (acting) | 1963–1964 | Susan I. Rice | 1978–1980 |
| 7 | Elting Elmore Morison (acting) | 1967–1968 | Thomas Peter Gariepy | 1980–1985 |
| 8 | Charles Ralph Boxer (acting) | 1970–1971 | Norman C. Keul | 1985–1993 |
| 9 | Elisha Atkins | 1975–1985 | James R. Van de Velde | 1993–1997 |
| 10 | Louis Lohr Martz (acting) | 1978–1979 | Paul S. McKinley | 1997–2003 |
| 11 | Ann Ameling | 1985–1990 | Lisa Collins | 2003–2005 |
| 12 | James Thomas | 1990–1996 | Paul S. McKinley | 2005–present |
| 13 | Antonio Lasaga | 1996–1998 | ||
| 14 | Harry Adams (acting) | 1998–1999 | ||
| 15 | Mary E. Miller | 1999–2008 | ||
| 16 | Edward Kamens | 2008–2009 | ||
| 17 | Paul Hudak | 2009–present |
Notable alumni
- Oliver StoneOliver StoneWilliam Oliver Stone is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Stone became well known in the late 1980s and the early 1990s for directing a series of films about the Vietnam War, for which he had previously participated as an infantry soldier. His work frequently focuses on...
'68 - director - Maya LinMaya LinMaya Ying Lin is an American artist who is known for her work in sculpture and landscape art. She is the designer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.-Personal life:...
'81 - artist - A. Bartlett GiamattiA. Bartlett GiamattiAngelo Bartlett "Bart" Giamatti was the president of Yale University and later the seventh Commissioner of Major League Baseball. Giamatti negotiated the agreement that terminated the Pete Rose betting scandal by permitting Rose to voluntarily withdraw from the sport, avoiding further...
'60 - President of Yale and Commissioner of Baseball - Kellie MartinKellie MartinKellie Noelle Martin is an American television actress who is known for her roles as Rebecca Thacher on Life Goes On, Christy Huddleston on Christy, Lucy Knight on ER, and Samantha Kinsey on Mystery Woman.-Early life:...
'01 - actress - James WhitmoreJames WhitmoreJames Allen Whitmore, Jr. was an American film and stage actor.-Early life:Born in White Plains, New York, to Florence Belle and James Allen Whitmore, Sr., a park commission official, Whitmore attended Amherst Central High School in Snyder, New York, before graduating from The Choate School in...
'45W - actor (and Skull and BonesSkull and BonesSkull and Bones is an undergraduate senior or secret society at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. It is a traditional peer society to Scroll and Key and Wolf's Head, as the three senior class 'landed societies' at Yale....
member) - Gideon RoseGideon RoseGideon Rose is the Editor of Foreign Affairs, and served on the National Security Council during the Clinton Administration. He has been educated at the Horace Mann School, Yale University, where he was a member of Scroll and Key Society, and Harvard University.In 1985, Rose was appointed assistant...
, '85 - editor of Foreign AffairsForeign AffairsForeign Affairs is an American magazine and website on international relations and U.S. foreign policy published since 1922 by the Council on Foreign Relations six times annually...
External links
- Saybrook College Home Page
- Saybrook College Orchestra
- Yale.edu, 60th reunion