Cornelliana

Remembering the Late Frank H.T. Rhodes, on His 100th Birthday

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By Joe Wilensky

Frank H.T. Rhodes became Cornell’s ninth president in 1977; when he stepped down 18 years later, he was the longest-serving leader in the Ivy League. At the time, the University had some 123,000 living undergraduate alumni—and nearly half of them had attended during his administration.

It’s no surprise, then, that for tens of thousands of Cornellians, Rhodes—who presided during an era of transformative growth—remains an iconic and beloved figure.

Frank Rhodes and his wife, Rosa Rhodes, speak with a student on the Arts Quad in 1977 — Rhodes and wife Rosa chat with a student on the Arts Quad in 1977.

“‘The gods do not give all men the gift of grace,’ the narrator of the Odyssey tells us,” professor emeritus and Cornell historian Glenn Altschuler, PhD ’76, observes, “but they made an exception for Frank Rhodes.”

Rhodes was born in Warwickshire, England, on October 29, 1926; this month would have marked his 100th birthday.

‘The gods do not give all men the gift of grace,’ the narrator of the Odyssey tells us—but they made an exception for Frank Rhodes.
Professor emeritus and Cornell historian Glenn Altschuler, PhD ’76

His passing at age 93, in February 2020, sparked an outpouring of tributes, including hundreds of contributions to a memorial website.

“President Rhodes will always be ‘our’ president—the Class of 1981, as he entered Cornell at the same time we did,” Fred Cohen ’81 wrote at the time. “He was always gracious and kind, willing to spend time with countless Cornellians, whether members of the Board of Trustees or new frosh.”

Frank H.T. Rhodes at his presidential inauguration in 1977 — At his presidential inauguration in Barton Hall.

Wrote Seth Agata ’79, JD ’82, in another representative memory: “I recall him being, literally, everywhere on campus—at the Straight, walking across the Arts Quad, and at football and hockey games, and always waving hello and talking to everybody he met. He was Cornell.”

A celebration of life was held in Sage Chapel, delayed two years due to the pandemic. And while Cornellians were effusive in eulogizing their former president, they hadn’t hesitated to express their admiration during his lifetime.

I recall him being, literally, everywhere on campus—at the Straight, walking across the Arts Quad, and at football and hockey games, and always waving hello and talking to everybody he met. He was Cornell.
Seth Agata ’79, JD ’82

In 1994, for example, the annual awards for long-term alumni service were named in his honor, and for many years he and wife Rosa attended the ceremony.

The following year, the computing and information science facility previously known as the Theory Center—which had been built during his term—was renamed in his honor.

Frank H.T. Rhodes visits Antarctica in 1988 — Rhodes, an eminent paleontologist and geologist, visits Antarctica in 1988.

And most festively: a month before his retirement in spring 1995, thousands fêted the Rhodeses with a grand parade, complete with a horse-drawn wagon that took the couple to Barton Hall for performances, tributes, and a massive reception.

Even after leaving office, Rhodes remained an oft-seen figure on campus and at Reunions for another quarter of a century. He continued to do paleontology research and to give talks—in his elegant, British-accented diction—on the Hill and across the country.

A month before his retirement in spring 1995, thousands fêted the Rhodeses with a grand parade, complete with a horse-drawn wagon that took the couple to Barton Hall for performances, tributes, and a massive reception.

Rhodes (whose middle initials stood for Harold Trevor) earned undergrad and doctoral degrees in geology from England's University of Birmingham.

He taught at various institutions in the U.K. and U.S. before joining the geology faculty at the University of Michigan, rising to vice president for academic affairs before being tapped to succeed Cornell President Dale Corson.

President Frank H.T. Rhodes attends the Dragon Day parade in 1993 — At Dragon Day in 1993.

In their book Cornell: A History, 1940–2015, Altschuler and the late Prof. Isaac Kramnick describe him as “unfailingly gracious,” noting his “superhuman capacity to remember names and faces.”

When he stepped down, they observe, he was “hailed as one of the greatest and most beloved leaders in the history of Cornell and one of the most outstanding academic administrators in the United States.”

Even after leaving office, Rhodes remained an oft-seen figure on campus and at Reunions for another quarter of a century.

During Rhodes’s long tenure on the Hill, research funding more than tripled, and major initiatives in astronomy, supercomputing, biotechnology, nanofabrication, and Asian studies were established, as were teaching programs like Cornell Abroad and Cornell in Washington.

Among other achievements during his presidency: a successful $1.5 billion capital campaign; numerous new buildings and facilities; and a sharp rise in applications to the undergrad colleges.

President Frank H.T. Rhodes presents a certificate of appreciation to Hans Bethe in 1995 — With Hans Bethe, then a physics professor emeritus, in 1995.

But surely, Rhodes’s most enduring connections to Cornell were his relationships with generations of alumni—and their fond memories of his annual Commencement address, which notably concluded with his eloquent quoting of the traditional Irish Blessing:

“May the sun shine gently on your face, / May the rain fall soft upon your fields. / May the wind be at your back. / May the road rise up to meet you, and / May the Lord hold you in the hollow of his hand / Until we meet again.”

Scroll down for a photographic tribute to President Rhodes—and share your memories of him in the comments!