The Times
As students returned to their dorms in September of 1959, big things were happening at SUNY Cortland. Not only was a larger student body in attendance, but the campus was undergoing a major expansion. Bishop Hall and Shea Hall were completed to welcome new students as well as Neubig Dining Hall. The college was also headed by a new president, Dr. Donald C. Moffett, who remained in that role until his untimely death in 1963. Upon his passing, the school honored Dr. Moffett by renaming the HPER as the Moffett Center, where so many memorable campus concerts were held. And on October 17, 1959, the very first Cortaca football game against Ithaca College was played giving Cortland a 13-7 victory and possession of the coveted Cortaca Jug!
As the 1950s ended and a new decade was starting, the world outside of campus life was rapidly changing politically, musically and culturally, sparking the beginning of a new counterculture featuring experimentation and the rejection of traditional norms.
With the rise to power of Cuban rebel Fidel Castro in 1959, the USA’s initial response was one of cautious optimism but quickly shifted to hostility as Castro’s policies increasingly aligned with communist ideology and The Soviet Union. And just a couple of years later, the failed Bay Of Pigs invasion eventually led to the Cuban Missile Crisis which put the world at the brink of a nuclear war for 13 scary days.
On February 1st, 1960, four African American students from North Carolina A&T University, staged a sit-in at the “white only” lunch counter at F.W. Woolworth store in Greensboro, North Carolina. Inspired by the non-violent resistance techniques of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, this civil rights protest was considered a success in its quest to abolish segregation. Just 6 months after the sit-in, Woolworth’s in Greensboro was desegregated and currently houses the International Civil Rights Center and Museum.
In 1959, the first Barbie Doll was introduced to American by Mattel. By May of 1960, the FDA approved the world’s first oral contraceptive and within 2 years of its initial distribution, 1.2 million American women were using “The Pill.” And the fashion world got more daring introducing bold colors to men’s wardrobing leaving their traditional dark suits behind while London’s Mary Quant introduced women to the miniskirt, becoming one of the symbols of the “swinging sixties!”
1959 is credited as the symbolic end of early Rock and Roll with the plane crash deaths of Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and The Big Bopper and regarded as “The Day The Music Died.” As 1960 began, the new decade introduced more pop-influenced music like Chubby Checker’s “The Twist” and Percy Faith’s “The Theme From A Summer Place.” Funk and soul entered the music scene while the British Invasion was just a few years away.
Notable Events
- The Rise of Fidel Castro – 1959
- In 1959, Fidel Castro led the successful Cuban Revolution which overthrew dictator Fulgencio Batista. As Prime Minister, Castro seized military and political power of Cuba, a position he held until 1976.
- Greensboro Sit-In – February 1, 1960
- A pivotal event in the civil rights movement, the Greensboro Sit-In began when four African-American students sat at a white-only counter at the F.W. Woolworth’s store in Greensboro, NC. They were refused service but remained in their seats, sparking a wave of similar protests across the South
CONCERTS THAT CAME TO CORTLAND 1960
Woody Herman Big Band
In 1959, Woody Herman’s big band was experiencing a period of transition. By the time they played at Cortland in early 1960, the band was called “The Swingin’ Herd” which became Woody’s primary big band through the mid 1960s. Woody’s band was known for its imaginative and modern take on big band jazz. At the time he played Cortland, the band featured many young and motivated musicians as a way to keep his big band sound relevant.