Most of the University's thousands of returning students quickly left Cambridge during the first two weeks of June after their last exam, but during the long summer vacation, much occured at Harvard.

2,961 Receive Degrees

The University handed out 2,961 regular degrees at its 300th Commencement this June 21 including 1,003 for the College, 526 for the Business School, 495 for the Law School, and 145 for the Medical School. One hundred and ninety-eight men received doctor of philosophy degrees.

Fourteen honorary degrees were also awarded at the morning ceremonies; among those cited were:

Defense Mobilizer Charles E. Wilson, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Warren R. Austin, U.S. High Commissioner for Germany John J. McCloy, Cambridge City Manager John B. Atkinson, University Librarian Keyes D. Metcalf, President of the University of North Carolina and former Army Secretary Gordon Gray, Poet Wallace Stevens '01. Ninety-year old alumnus Godfrey Cabot '82, Writer Thornton Wilder, and U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain and former President of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company Walter S. Gifford '05.

Excerpts from Thornton Wilder's talk at the alumni exercises on Commencement afternoon appear on page 13: sections of Ralph Barton Perry's Phi Beta Kappa address, delivered on Monday of Commencement week, are printed on page 12.

The citation for Wilder read: "A versatile writer whose dynamic talent constructs bridges for young and old from our town to the timeless land of poets." The citation for Gifford closed with "...having enabled the American people to speak around the globe, he is now their spokesman in a distant capital."

This year's Commencement will be remembered by some University officials for having been the fastest. Degree recipients went towards and away from the platform at a rapid clip with constant prodding to keep moving. Reason for the speed was the 33-minute delay in the start of the exercises while Governor Paul Dever worked his way through Boston and Cambridge traffic.

Alsop Elected Overseer

Washington columnist Joseph W. Alsop '32 led the five alumni who joined the Board of Overseers at the June Commencement. The Overseers, elected by graduate vote, are the supreme governing board of the University.

Other men chosen were Charles E. Wyzanski '27, a federal district court judge: Elliott Dunlap Smith '13, provost of Carnegie Tech; Marion B. Folsom, treasurer and a director of Eastman Kodak; and Arthur W. Page '05, a public relations consultant and a former vice-president of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company.

Just under 14,700 alumni voted out of a total of 56.812 qualified to cast ballots. Alsop received 8,874 votes in the field of ten candidates for the five posts.

Crews Sweep Over Yale

Tom Bolles ended up his career as Harvard crew coach in a manner that was typical of his 12 coaching years. For the eighth time the Crimson crews won all all four races against Yale in the June classic.

In the four-mile grind, the Yale varsity was favored to win, but the Crimson scored the "upset" that so many expected. Both crews started at 32 and then dropped to 31. After the half-mile Yale started to creep ahead, but just before the two-mile mark the Crimson caught them.