"From left to right: Matthews Hall, Massachusetts Hall, Stoughton Hall, Holworthy Hall, University Hall and Weld Hall.  Looking north into the Yard." (Mary Saunders, Curator, HCNYC. Oct 2007.)

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In 1994, this photo was hanging in the Teachers Cafeteria in Jamaica High School. It was framed in 2 inch oak and was very large: 52 inches by 19 3/8 inches. It was labelled "Harvard Yard" and "Gift of the Harvard Club of New York City" but there was no date. The picture was strong evidence that through its long history, Jamaica had sent many of its graduates to Harvard.

A few years later, when I learned that the Teachers Cafeteria was to be painted over the summer, I undertook to safeguard the photo, lest it be lost or damaged during the painting. I wrapped it carefully to keep it free of dust and placed it well out of reach on top of a seven foot high cabinet in the library. I planned to restore the frame in September and somehow unstick the photo where it had adhered to the glass.

Unfortunately, over the summer Ethernet cables were installed in the library. Evidently, a workman high on a ladder must have stepped on the top of the cabinet to steady himself without realizing that he would step on a glass-framed picture.

When I finally discovered the shattered glass and frame and torn photo and cleaned up the mess, I was left with a brittle eighty year old photo that was in pieces but would still not fit in any cabinet. As a desperate measure I sliced what was left into six pieces that would fit into a legal size folder which could be stored in a file cabinet. I now finally have finished restoring the photo with PhotoShop so that it can be preserved and displayed in the virtual environment of JHS's website. It is no longer in perfect condition but at least it can once again be viewed and remind us that through the years Jamaica has sent many of its graduates to the best colleges in the country.
(D. F. Jensen, October 2007)
Click here to view larger image.

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