"I was in command of a ship off Saipan preparing for the invasion of Japan when a message came over the radio that a `powerful bomb' was dropped on Japan," says one of the essays in the booklet. "Even if they had said atomic bomb, none of us would have known what it was."

It was only after that day that the Class of 1942 understood what kind of destruction the atomic bomb had caused and what its implications would be, Munson says.

And some of the memories most vividly recalled by class members were not "Major World Events" at all, but those of day-to-day life around Cambridge.

The Old Howard

The "Old Howard," a shared movie theater/strip joint, was fondly remembered by both Munson and responding classmates.

"It was a ritual required before graduation to see the strip tease," says Munson.

Although he acknowledges that such an activity would be considered sexist today, he says for the Class of '42 things were different. Both women and men met at the Old Howard, Munson says.

"At that time it wasn't considered dirty," he says. "Women were not considered sex objects ... it was just a staple of Harvard life."