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MIT Class of 93


Ring History

In the Spring of 1929, C. Brigham Allen, President of the class of 1929, appointed a ring committee consisting of one member of each of the classes of 1930, 1931, and 1932. The committee was headed by Theodore A. Riehl, and its sole purpose was to provide a ring which the Institute Committee would approve as the Standard Technology Ring. In October the committee submitted its first detailed report to the Institute Committee and requested a decision as to whether the Institute Dome or the Beaver should be used on the face of the ring. This precipitated a vigorous discussion concerning the exact status of the Beaver as the Institute mascot. Investigation showed that, on January 17, 1914, President MacLaurin formally accepted the Beaver as the mascot of the Institute at the annual dinner of the Technology Club of N.Y. Lester Gardner '97 explained the decision: "We first thought of the kangaroo which, like Tech, goes forward in leaps and bounds. Then we considered the elephant. He is wise, patient, strong, hard working, like all who graduate from Tech, has a good hide. But neither of these were American animals. We turned to Mr. Hornady's book on the animals of North America and instantly chose the beaver. The beaver not only typifies the Tech (student), but his habits are peculiarly our own. The beaver is noted for his engineering, mechanical skills, and industry. His habits are nocturnal. He does his best work in the dark." There was no record of any action having been taken by the Institute Committee so that the body went on record as approving the Beaver for the official mascot of Technology. Opinion was still divided on the question of Dome versus Beaver, but with the realization that many schools had domes somewhere similar to Technology's, the Institute Committee decided to use the Beaver on the face of the ring. The Dome lent itself particularly well to use on the shanks.

Since that time, subsequent classes have appointed a Ring Committee to design their own MIT ring. The goal of these committees has been to crate a ring that keeps the design that is unmistakably the MIT ring, yet introduce changes that will allow that ring to always be identified with their class. This tradition has developed throughout the years producing one of the most cherished symbols of an MIT education that is recognized worldwide.

Ring Description

The class of 1993 Ring Committee presents a ring unique to the class and maintaining the tradition of MIT. On the face of the ring, the school mascot, the beaver, works in a night setting. Behind him, the Massachusetts Avenue Bridge links the Boston and MIT skylines illustrated on the sides of the ring. One of the shanks features a new perspective of the Great Dome with a dove flying overhead as a symbol of hope for peace. Harold Edgerton's famous apple marks the location of Strobe Alley as a tribute to the man MIT knew as "Doc". On the shank showing the Mens et Manus seal, the globe serves a dual role, reminding us of the international MIT community and of MIT's far reaching influence. Oak and laurel leaves, representing strength and knowledge, support each of the shanks while their stems serve to tie the two together. Finally, the schools of undergraduate study are represented by six stars distributed over the entire ring.

Here are a few more notes about our class ring that did not make it into the brochure. The bridge on the top view of our ring links the MIT and Boston side views much like the actual bridge links these two places in real life.Also, there are five references to our class in particular on this ring. On the shank containing the Dome, there is a prominent 1993. Underneath that 1993 is a 126 denoting that we are the 126th graduating class from MIT. On the other shank of the ring, there is the 93 in the flame of the lamp as well as in the scrollwork of the "Mens et Manus" seal. The fifth reference to our class is the "XCIII" hidden in the sticks of the beaver.

Finally, for the trivia minded among us, we did have a name for the beaver image on our ring. The artist who drew this particular image named her Maggie. It is believed that this was a reference to his wife.

The above is a scanned image of our Brass Rat as it appeared in the ring brochure.

Thanks to DC Seward for his assistance in putting this page together.



This page is maintained by the Class of 1993 webmasters.

This page last updated: $Date: 2005/11/14 01:46:45 $ GMT