When was the first Senior Class Gift given and what was it?

The earliest class gift that the archivist can document was made by the Class of 1928. According to an article in The Hoya, December 12, 1927, it was a 90-yard stretch of board track to be placed on the Freshman Field, today the site of Lauinger Library. The article noted the advantages that such a track would bring: Made of fir, a wood superior to the customary spruce, the straightaway will be much faster than the stretch of old track and it will be more durable . . . On the old track, sprinters had only a straightaway of 40 yards on which to practice. As most of the indoor races are nearly twice that distance, they inevitably “cracked” when they passed the 60-yard mark. But with a 90-yard practice stretch, they will be able to accustom themselves to the longer distance.

Freshman Field, circa 1920, on the site of the future Lauinger Library. The tower of the Car Barn can be seen in the distance. From the Georgetown University Archives.