Ezra Cornell
The Lake Cayuga Campus
On this day in 1868, Cornell University welcomed the very first class of students to the rural campus overlooking Lake Cayuga in Ithaca, New York.
An agricultural land grant university, Cornell was endowed by Ezra Cornell, one of the founders of Western Union Telegraph Co.
There's a funny little story that tells when Ezra Cornell said,
"any field, for any person," someone else said: "But then everyone will want to come here." Cornell replied,
"Not when they find out where it is."
If you happen to be in Ithaca during the growing season, the Botanical Gardens at Cornell University are well worth a visit.
Below Cornell’s campus, is Llenroc, the home that was commissioned by Cornell for himself and his family. Sadly, he died just before it’s completion. And, in case you're wondering, yes, Llenroc is Cornell spelled backward!
It was Ezra Cornell who said:
"Idleness is to the human mind like rust to iron."