Churchill Headlined MIT's Mid-Century Fete

MIT’s Mid-Century Convocation in 1949 was a world-class affair featuring British political leader Winston Churchill. In a Technology Review video, Tom Toohy ’49, the president of the Class of 1949, talks about his experience serving as a student guide during the festivities. The five-minute video is narrated by Toohy and also includes salient clips of Churchill’s comments. Or watch the full one-hour talk. [See below for info on the upcoming MIT150 convocation]

Then between gigs as Britain’s prime minister, Churchill was widely admired for his leadership during World War II. In his talk, Churchill acknowledged that he was not very savvy about technology. “I have no technical and no university education, and have just had to pick up a few things as I went along,” Churchill demurred. (That got a laugh.) Read the transcript of the famous talk.

The MIT community filled the 13,000 seats of the Boston Garden, the city’s largest venue. According to local media reports, it was a moment of high excitement throughout MIT and Boston.

An accompanying TR article describes a few details of the day including the experiences of Jack Baker '49, who served breakfast to the 74-year-old Churchill at the president’s house, where he was staying. The article, “The Most Important Meal of the Day,” provides personal insights on Churchill’s visit including his jokes with the students about hearing a lively party on campus during the night. The students gamely replied: "What we all really heard, sir, was more likely Wellesley girls."

This year, the Next Century Convocation on April 10 will recall the 1949 convocation and celebrate the scholarly accomplishments of MIT faculty and students. Watch the New Century Convocation page for details.