This year marks the centennial milestone of Farmingdale State College, founded in 1912. The school, undergoing some major transformations and renovations, is presently displaying Farmingdale State College Centennial Exhibition: Historical Perspectives through Friday, March 9 in its Memorial Gallery in Nathan Hale Hall.
On display are photographs and artifacts detailing the school’s beginnings as an agricultural institute and transition into its present college of applied sciences and technologies. Some of the photos on display include that of the college’s first female student, Nellie Buff, used in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle newspaper in 1916; students tending crops on the campus and also watching the fields being plowed from their dorm rooms, circa 1920s; students during World War I and the practice of wearing uniforms on campus; dental students and patients, circa 1950s; protests on campus during the 1960s and ‘70s; students hanging out in the fountain/wading pool plaza outside of Laffin Hall, circa 1971; the 9/11 memorial sculpture by Lisa Todd Tivey honoring canine rescuers, donated by Alumna Theresa Patnode Santmann; and homecoming photos of soccer fans from 2011.
Some of the artifacts on display include: a Letterman cardigan; an agricultural seed spreader, a typewriter, statues, yearbooks; the original land purchase agreements from the state assembly in 1913; and a uniform from the nursing school, circa 1980s.
The college says exhibit-goers can “visually experience its rich history as Long Island’s first public institution of higher learning.”
The exhibit kicked off on Thursday, Feb. 9 with a welcoming ceremony by Farmingdale State College President W. Hubert Keen, followed by an alumni panel discussion, including Anthony Mastroianni (class of 1950); Judith McEvoy (class of 1961); Joe Egan (class of 1970), and Rich Lahn (class of 2004). The alumni panel shared memories of the college, giving a timeline picture of student life at Farmingdale State College throughout the decades.
The gallery is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free and the gallery is accessible to persons with mobility impairments. For additional information, call (631) 420-6118 or (631) 420-2181.
