A display on the corner of College Ave. and State St. in the village of Malone has been added to include the history of Clarkson University’s former branch campus at the site.
Now complete with literature about Clarkson’s history there, the exhibit in Malone includes historical photos and several pieces of preserved, ornate architecture from the buildings that housed Clarkson’s Malone operations.
Peter Fadden ‘71, a Clarkson alumnus who has been instrumental in detailing the history of Clarkson’s Malone branch, was on hand in Malone last month during a visit to Clarkson for a class reunion. Fadden has a deep personal connection to the Malone campus, as his father, James R. Fadden ‘52 attended the branch campus to study business administration. Fadden has compiled the history of the Malone campus into a publication titled “Clarkson’s First Extension Campus.”
“What started as an investigation to learn more about the time my Dad, Mom and two oldest siblings spent in Malone, turned into a document that covers the time Clarkson students lived and studied there sourced from newspapers and Clarkson’s archives as well as from local Malone area historical organizations,” Fadden said. “I was also able to interview two of the living Clarkson Alumni who attended at the Malone campus.”
From October 1946 to June 1951, Clarkson University operated a branch campus out of the former Malone School for the Deaf. This initiative began upon request from then-New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey for all schools in New York to expand faculty and facilities to accommodate veterans returning from World War II.
Entering classes for first-year students at Malone began in fall 1946 and spring 1947, as Clarkson remained on a war-time schedule of accelerated instruction. In fall 1947, Clarkson returned to the conventional two-semester program, and classes entered the Malone Branch each fall from 1947 to 1950.
Instruction at the Malone Branch covered liberal studies, mathematics, chemistry, physics, drawing, business administration and military science. In addition to academics, students could participate in ROTC and professional societies, as well as intramural and intercollegiate athletics, social clubs and other interest-specific activities. Other events included formal dances at the Malone Armory each spring and the annual Winter Carnival in Potsdam. The student-published newspaper, Clarkson Integrator: Malone Branch, covered campus news and activities.
For more information about Clarkson’s operations in Malone, visit clarkson.edu/clarkson-malone.