Former President Taft was at Elmira College's tense 1919 commencement
View Comments Wednesday, June 11, 1919, was a day of excitement in Elmira. Elmira College’s 64th annual commencement exercises were held at the Park Church. Fifty-eight young women received their degrees in a packed church sanctuary, and former U.S. President William Howard Taft delivered the commencement address. An undertone of tension also pervaded the city as the major strike at the Willys-Morrow plant, which began on May 6, continued. On Wednesday evening, the Mozart Theater had been engaged by the Central Trades and Labor Assembly, with Frank D. Hawley, of the U.S. Department of ...
Source: stargazette.com