Nation’s Oldest College : Thanksgiving Rite Ends Harvard’s 350th Birthday

Harvard University’s 350th birthday party ended Sunday with a thanksgiving service as crimson banners came down and alumni of the oldest college in the nation bade farewells.

The gala week was marked by a party along the banks of the Charles River and tributes from Britain’s Prince Charles and U.S. leaders.

On Sunday, the Rev. Peter J. Gomes performed a service of thanksgiving and remembrance at Memorial Church, while other churches in Boston and Cambridge also observed the university’s anniversary.

‘Time to Clean Up’

“People are saying goodby and packing up,” said Harvard spokesman David Sanders. “Now it’s time to clean up, which is about as big a job as setting up was.”

A program Saturday night at Harvard Stadium included a narration of U.S. and Harvard history by former television newscaster Walter Cronkite, who ended with his famous line “And that’s the way it was,” followed by a fireworks display to the music of the Boston Pops orchestra.

More than 27,000 people were in the stadium for the show, said Harvard spokesman Peter Costa.

“It’s very exciting. I wouldn’t have missed it,” said Dr. Bernard Meyer of New York City, a 1932 Harvard graduate. “The week has been very inspiring.”

White Steeds on Turf

The evening’s pageantry began with a re-enactment of the Revolutionary War, complete with wigged redcoats atop white steeds racing over the green turf where the Harvard Crimson normally does battle with opposing Ivy League football squads.

Harvard, it was noted, had been flourishing for 140 years by the time the Declaration of Independence was signed, with the signing also re-enacted for the closing ceremony crowd.

The university also honored the memory of slain President John F. Kennedy with a narration accompanied by a medley of songs by lyricist Alan J. Lerner.

Kennedy was one of six Harvard graduates who became U.S. presidents.

Concludes With ‘Camelot’

The medley of songs by Lerner, a classmate of the former President, culminated with the theme song from “Camelot,” while fountains on the field spouted multicolored sprays in time with the music and the crowd joined in singing the nostalgic verse.

After the performance, university police closed John F. Kennedy Street to traffic and thousands of alumni and friends flooded out of the stadium and strolled the street toward Harvard Yard and the cafes, bars and ice cream shops surrounding it.

“The quality of the programs all the way through has been outstanding,” said Richard J. Ward of North Dartmouth, a 1945 graduate.

Cost Still Untallied

Total attendance and cost of the celebration that began Wednesday had not yet been tallied, Sanders said.

At least 1,000 reporters, cameramen, technicians and photographers recorded the event, Costa said. He said they came from as far away as Australia, South Korea and Indonesia.

“This is a perfect excuse to see the best private school in the world,” said Maxine McKew, a reporter for the Australian Broadcasting Corp.