Wouldn't Cotton Mather be surprised!

Yesterday, in spite of a downpour and chilly weather the yard, America's oldest university invested its first female president. Even though it was my day off, I felt I needed to be there to see the historic proceedings. I was glad I did, it was an academic pageant as only Harvard can muster, full of berobed faculty, heraldic banners, scholarly addresses, old boys and old girls. A highlight: getting to see the university regalia including the university silver, the president's chair, the university seals (the earliest one dating to 1650), the silver university keys and the 1650 charter. I was in the Pusey library when the charter was returned to the archives and got to see it, the seals and keys up close and personal. They were even allowing photographs!

A chilly but fun afternoon.