Commencement March

This image shows students of the International YMCA College, now known as Springfield College, marching in their caps and gowns during a graduation ceremony. President Laurence L. Doggett appears to be leading the group. Behind them is a building that we believe to be the Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church on Sumner Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. Beneath the image is a caption: “All too soon his undergraduate days come to an end. He has earned his Bachelor of Science Degree and is eager to find his place in the many and varied fields of social service for which he is prepared. He is happy that he elected Springfield as his College, and after a few years he plans to return for graduate work and his Master’s Degree. Springfield graduates are always in demand.” This lantern slide is part of a series called "The Story of the Cinema of Springfield College." Its alternate title is “Being the Story of a Young Man who elects to go to Springfield College.” The presentation was likely given during the 1930s and included images of campus buildings, faculty, and students engaged in athletic and cultural activities.Dr. Laurence L. Doggett served as Springfield's fourth president, first full-time president, and longest tenured president. He served in this role from 1896 until 1936, during which time he increased the student body from fifty to five hundred and the faculty from eight to forty. He oversaw the building of new facilities including a new gymnasium, athletic field, library and swimming pool. When Doggett arrived the campus was comprised of two buildings. Dr. Doggett was also instrumental in developing the college's humanics philosophy, which is still used by the school today. Doggett retired in 1936 but remained involved in the campus community until his death in 1957 at the age of ninety two