Glorious to View Blue Skies, Good Vibes: Vintage Summery Photos, Part One Travel back to Big Red years past with these long-unseen images of balmy days on the Hill, from the 1970s to the early 2000s By Cornellians staff Every once in a while, one of our editors descends into Kroch Library’s Rare and Manuscript Collections and mines its holdings for vintage photos of student life from decades ago. On slides and never before digitized, these evocative, color-saturated images—many of them on glorious Kodachrome—have likely not been seen since the eras when they were shot. Our latest batch chronicles warm-weather days from the 1970s to the early 2000s. And in fact, there were so many gems that we couldn’t fit them into one story. Please stay tuned for part two in a couple of weeks—and yet more from this collection will run with an upcoming feature on alumni’s summertime memories. On slides and never before digitized, these evocative, color-saturated images—many of them on glorious Kodachrome—have likely not been seen since the eras when they were shot. Were these photos actually taken during the summer, rather than the academic year? Most of them, probably not; while some may have been captured during a summer session, we suspect that many derive from those tantalizingly balmy days of the very late spring or early fall semesters—when students gleefully don lighter apparel and soak up the all-too-rare Ithaca sunshine. Do you recognize anyone in these photos? Do you see your younger self? Let us know in the comments below! (All images courtesy of Rare and Manuscript Collections.) Published July 14, 2026; updated July 28, 2026 Do you recognize anyone? Comments MCB24, Class of 2000 14 Jul, 2026 These are great! They bring back memories of those all-too-rare warm sunny days on the Hill. Looking forward to the next installment—maybe even some gorge-swimming photos! As a work-study student in R&M, I got to enjoy a treasure trove of Cornell history. Reply Dr. Holstein Richard, Class of 1967 28 Jul, 2026 Ah, University Halls – I remember rarely having a window at the end of the hallway thanks to the Canadian hockey players always breaking them. Way too hot in the rooms and freezing on the way to the bathroom in the winter – not to mention trying to climb Libe Slope when covered with ice on the way to class. Tray sliding back down sort of made up for that. Reply Dr Ross Love, Class of 1975 28 Jul, 2026 I was there 12 years earlier and things were about the same. 😂. I spent most of the fall on the dust (mud) bowl playing games until I sort of recalled why I was at Cornell. Were folks still tray sliding on the slope with a good snow? Reply Joe Wilensky 29 Jul, 2026 Check out our feature on U-Hall memories! Reply Guille Hoefel, Class of 2002 10 Aug, 2026 Wow…love seeing these. I am on that first photo with Greg, John and Alice + skateboards. Great memories long-skateboarding on campus to classes. Reply Elizabeth Rosenstein, Class of 1979 28 Jul, 2026 Thanks for these photos. I lived in U Hall 1. Some of my best memories. It was full of life at all hours! Elizabeth Kutscher Rosenstein Reply Joe Wilensky 29 Jul, 2026 Thanks for the comment! Hope you got to see our feature on the U-Halls! Reply Leave a Comment Cancel replyOnce your comment is approved, your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Class Year Email * Save my name, email, and class year in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ Other stories You may like Chime In How Naval ROTC Shaped My Years on the Hill, and Beyond Ask the Expert You’re Going Home for the Holidays. Now What? Campus & Beyond By the Deep Blue Sea, an Idyllic Spot for Teaching and Research