Mens, Manus, and Making Memories

Leo Luo ’10 has a favorite spot at MIT, and, though he graduated years ago, sometimes he returns to the Institute to enjoy it. “Killian Court. It’s always beautiful and well kept, but I think it’s the buildings that surround it that make it perennial,” he explains. “You feel that there’s a lot of really cool research happening in the buildings that surround the courtyard.”

Luo is just one of many alumni who remain fond of physical spaces at MIT. When asked where they fell in love, alumni chimed in with spots all over campus. “I met my wife blasting music out my bay window living in Bexley Hall,” remembers George Apostol ’86. And each year at Tech Reunions, alumni sit down to share their MIT memories in video form, with many touching on the classrooms and common spaces that made it so special.

“I spent a lot of time in the Sloan building, because I was an economics major. In my senior year I did a thesis that involved a box of punch cards,” Dick Schmalensee ’65, PhD ’70 remembers. “I have great memories of standing there pushing buttons on the IBM 1620, watching it process a box of punch cards at three in the morning.”

Take a trip down MIT’s memory lane to explore some memorable spots on campus and share your own stories in the comments.

Actually want to see your favorite spots filled with classmates once again? Register for Tech Reunions, June 8–10, 2018. The early registration discount ends April 20.