“Postcards to Alumni” is a collection of monthly digital postcards featuring unique facts about Princeton’s history. The postcards were introduced in December 2022 by the Alumni Council’s Princetoniana and Communications and Technology (CAT) Committees who collaborated on the project.

October’s postcard about “Charter celebrations” was just released:

“The signing of the Charter of the College of New Jersey on Oct. 22, 1746, historically has been an occasion to celebrate the University’s founding. In 1846, students invited “those who have an interest in our time-honored institution” to attend “a magnificent display of fire-works” with “mines of serpents and rockets” and music by Dodsworth’s Brass Band. In 1896, unpaved Nassau Street was decorated with two arches, flags and bunting, and horses wore orange ribbons. Nassau Hall was illuminated and President Francis Patton announced the official renaming of the college to Princeton University. According to The New York Times, the 1946 celebration included “representatives of the United Nations, several foreign scientists, members of the Association of American Universities and 23 prominent scholars.” In 1996, the University’s 250th birthday, the worldwide broadcast included an address by Toni Morrison, and President Harold Shapiro *64 unveiled an engraved stone in the Nassau Hall walkway dedicated to alumni for their devotion to the University and its mission with a revised motto, “In the nation’s service; in the service of all nations.” (On Oct. 22, 2016, the motto was further revised to include “in the service of humanity.”) In 2021, a new tradition began, an annual celebration of Charter Day known as Orange & Black Day. On Oct. 22, festivities abound on campus and around the globe with alumni, dressed in orange and black, sharing celebratory photos and videos on various websites. Today, every Charter Day is a worldwide celebration!”

The postcards are being shared monthly with alumni around the globe via numerous digital channels.

“Our work as a committee is not only about collecting and archiving history, memorabilia and traditions but also how to share it and engage alumni,” said Jean Hendry *80, former chair of the Princetoniana committee, who is leading this initiative. “We brainstormed projects that would enable us to connect with alumni on a regular basis. At the same time, we didn’t want a project that caused alumni to have to do anything other than feel a connection to the University. ‘Postcards’ seemed to fit the bill.”

To research and collect the facts, Hendry tapped the Princetoniana committee. While Princetoniana members are experts in Princeton history and traditions, they leaned on the CAT Committee’s expertise in technology to help design the digital postcards. Credit for the initial postcard design belongs to CAT Committee member Cindy Drakeman ’02 who sourced images, conceived the nostalgic postcard look and “stamp” designs, suggested using “Dispatch” on the postcard to lend a nostalgic feel, and created many of the postcards. Credit goes to Princetoniana committee member Tom Swift ’76 for designing the initial postcard.

“We were so happy when Princetoniana approached us with the postcard idea,” said Michael Lin ’13, former vice chair of the CAT Committee. “The pandemic brought on an increase and a need for digital communication and initiatives, and this is a great one, much like Orange & Black Day that our committee helped introduce last year. ‘Postcards’ provides yet another opportunity to engage with alumni across the world and share the love of Princeton, while also bringing awareness to the great resource of Princetoniana and its museum.”

“Postcards to Alumni” will appear as a monthly feature in Tiger News and on @PrincetonAlumni social media channels. The postcards will also be archived in the Princetoniana virtual museum.