Were You There? Brooklyn College has never been a dull place. Social change, clashes with authority, and the constant battle over academic freedom have marked this College, which from its earliest days has had a reputation for student activism. Here we recall some particularly memorable moments of the past seventy—five years. There has always been tension between students and administration, and, motivated by youthful ideals, students have periodically engaged in peaceful-and not so peaceful-protest. It's an inevitable process as each generation of Brooklyn's best and brightest meets the challenges of their education and their world.

1940s 1941 December 8. Classes were suspended and five thousand students stood on the Quadrangle at 12:30 p.m. to listen to President Roosevelt's "Day of Infamy" speech broadcast from speakers on the balcony outside of President Gideonse's Boylan Hall office. 1943 November 13. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt addressed the student body in the Men's Gym. 1948 April. A year after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Brooklyn College student Thelma Porter became the first African American to be named Miss Subways. Currently Thelma Parros lives in South Carolina, but her son Peter Parros is still in Brooklyn. He plays Dr. Ben Harris in As the World Turns, a television soap opera produced in the Midwood NBC studios.

BC Timeline:  1930s  ||  1940s  ||  1950s  ||  1960s  ||  1970s  ||  1980s  ||  1990s  ||  2000s

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