Hofstra at 75

As many area residents know by now, Hofstra University has turned 75. The university has held many events ruminating on the significance of this milestone, of which this weekend’s conference, “1935: “The Reality and the Promise,” is a culmination of many months of celebration.

The conference, organized by the Hofstra Cultural Center, with faculty directors Professor of History Michael D’Innocenzo, Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures Zenia DaSilva, and Professor of Geology J. Bret Bennington, opens Thursday and continues through Saturday, April 9.

The three days are filled with panel discussions, performances, and special Hofstra University Museum exhibits. One of the highlights is a banquet dinner headlined by NBA great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Abdul-Jabbar was invited to participate to talk about his book, “On the Shoulders of Giants: My Journey Through the Harlem Renaissance,” and documentary, “On the Shoulders of Giants: The Story of the Greatest Basketball Team You Never Heard Of.” These works are focused on the Harlem Rens, the first black-owned and operated basketball team from Harlem, which won the First World Basketball Championships in 1939. Both the book and documentary will be available for purchase with net proceeds benefitting the Hofstra Scholarship Fund. Abdul-Jabbar will be available for book signing and photo opportunities for those in attendance.

The year 1935 was momentous for Hofstra University because it is the year that Hofstra College opened its doors for classes. But 1935 was historic for reasons far reaching from the Hofstra campus. The United States was still in the throes of a global depression. The great democracy that had stunned the world with its industrial magic was reeling under the weight of joblessness, frustration and confrontation, while across Europe the specter of a war was looming once again. And yet 1935 was a year of new beginnings in our nation; a New Deal working to restore the economy, a cautious release from provincialism, advances in science and medicine, and a glimmer of hope in the struggle for a more just society.

To better understand this momentous time in history and to appreciate its lessons for the present, scholars have been invited from all disciplines to present papers exploring the reality and the promise of events, personalities and culture, from the local to the global, in the year of Hofstra’s birth. Along with those presentations, the culture of the period is examined through performances that highlight the music of the time.

“1935 was a year to remember and a year of unforgettable events,” said Bob Spiotto, producer of special events for the Hofstra Cultural Center and the executive producer for Hofstra Entertainment. “As we turn back the clock to 1935, we want to give people an overview of what was heard during that time.”

Performances feature music of the 1930s, including “Escape Into Romance: Lyrics by Dorothy Fields,” performed by pianist David Lahm and vocalist Gail Newman; “The Smart Set,” featuring music by Irving Berlin; a lecture/performance by Hofstra Professor of Music Emeritus Herbert Deutsch titled “Jazz in 1935: A Struggle for Identity”; and “Miserable With You: Broadway Songs from the Great Depression,” a talk presented by Drama Professor James J. Kolb.

Hofstra University Museum participates by showcasing the art of the era through varied exhibits in its galleries. The main exhibition titled “1930s: Art in America,” can be viewed at the David Filderman Gallery, in the Axinn Library. Drawing upon works from the Hofstra University Museum collection and utilizing loans from the Heckscher Museum of Art, The Old Print Shop, Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, the Sragow Gallery, and the Syracuse University Art Collection, this original exhibit is intended to provide a “snapshot” of the visual arts in America during the 1930s. Additional exhibitions include: “New York in the 1930s: The Photography of Max Drucker,” on view April 7-9, at the Guthart Cultural Center Theater, also in the Axinn Library; “Tarzan in Literature and Film, celebrating the Tarzan films and highlighting the literary tradition of Edgar Rice Burroughs, which opened last week and runs through May 30, in the Axinn Library; and a photography exhibit featuring views of Long Island, which also opened last week and runs through May 31.

For an up-to-date list of conference speakers, panels, performances, and exhibitions, visit hofstra.edu/1935. This web page includes the complete conference program and registration materials. For further information call the Hofstra Cultural Center at 516-463-5669.