U P F R O N T STAFF A Quintessential Lehigh Story Earlier this year, I received a phone message from Lois Black, curator of Special Collections. She was very excited to tell me that Lehigh had just been gifted the personal papers of Miles Rock, one of fve members of Lehigh’s very frst graduating class, the Class of 1869, and the frst president of Lehigh’s alumni association. “There’s an incredible story here,” she told me. “And I hope to share more with you.” Indeed, there was. Rock sought a Lehigh education around the time of its founding, after serving in the Civil War as part of the 1st Pennsylvania Reserve Volunteer Corps and the U.S. Signal Corps. The frst to earn a civil engineering degree here, Rock went on to live a very signifcant life as a civil engineer, naturalist and astronomer. Among his service to governments, he used his technical knowledge and diplomatic skills to help determine the disputed frontier between Mexico and Guatemala. He didn’t forget his alma mater, also becoming an honorary alumni trustee, and, for a year, had taught civil engineering before moving to Argentina. He even named his son after a favorite Lehigh professor. You can read Christina Tatu’s story on Rock’s incredible life journey on page 30. So why is Rock’s story relevant to Lehigh today? Firstly, his journals, maps, Civil War uniform and other belongings will now be preserved as part of the Lehigh University Libraries Special Collections and available for research, thanks to the gift from his greatgreat-grandsons David Grace and Chris Grace. “This is such an amazing collectionwith so much research potential,” Black told us. The materials also provide a window into our nation’s history, as he refects on 19thcentury America, and in one journal account, writes about the pain of learning of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. Secondly, Rock’s story fortifes the Lehigh story and the value of a Lehigh education. From its inception, Lehigh has strived to prepare its graduates to take on tomorrow’s chalC H R I S T A N E U lenges, to problem-solve, to have an impact on the world and to live lives of consequence. Rock, as so many of our alumni do, used his Lehigh education to make a diference. We hope you enjoy this issue of the Lehigh Bulletin. You can see renderings of the planned renovations to the Clayton UniversityCenter, aproject thatwas launched by a donation from Kevin L. Clayton ’84 ’13P and Lisa A. Clayton ’13P. The renovations will preserve the building’s grandeur while creating a dynamic environment for student life. (See page 24.) Other articles highlight faculty research, culture, athletics and more. Sincerely, Mary Ellen Alu, Editor Share your thoughts—your kudos, your criticisms, your questions—by sending a letter to the editor. It can be sent via snail mail to the address at right or via email to maa614@lehigh.edu. 4 | L E H I G H B U L L E T I N EDITOR Mary Ellen Alu ASSOCIATE EDITOR Stephen Gross STAFF WRITER Christina Tatu CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Jodi Duckett, Lori Friedman, Kelly Hochbein, Rob Nichols, Christina Perrier ’23, Brittany Pierzga, Cynthia Tintorri CREATIVE DIRECTOR Kurt Hansen ART DIRECTOR Beth Murphy SENIOR DESIGNERS Kate Cassidy, Neha Kavan PHOTOGRAPHY Christa Neu VIDEOGRAPHER Stephanie Veto BUSINESS SUPPORT Traci Mindler CLASS NOTES AND REMEMBRANCES (610) 758-3675 classnotes@lehigh.edu CHANGE OF ADDRESS Email address changes to askrecords@lehigh.edu or send the mailing label, along with your new address, to Alumni Records/Lehigh University 306 S. New St. – Suite 500 Bethlehem, PA 18015 (866) 517-1552 CONTACT US Lehigh University Communications and Public Affairs 301 Broadway, 4th foor – Suite 400 Bethlehem, PA 18015 (610) 758-4487 Email: communications@lehigh.edu LEHIGH ALUMNI BULLETIN Vol. 107, No. 3, Fall 2022 Published three times a year by the Lehigh University Communications and Public Affairs Offce, in cooperation with the Lehigh University Alumni Association Inc. alumni.lehigh.edu WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Scan to tell us what you liked about the Bulletin and be entered for a chance to win some Lehigh swag.
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