Sun Blogs: PHOTOsynthesis
Pinball Wizards
February 18, 2009 - 12:00amAs I dug further into the negatives tonight, I was looking for something that would be one of those quintessential 1970s photos - plaid pants, long hair, and perhaps some old computers. I found those shots and scanned them in immediately. But, as I was looking for a Sun article to go along with them, I came across the following:
"Bzzt, Boink, Brrring!"
Needless to say, my curiosity was piqued. I thought, "Wow, the computer must have really screwed up in scanning in that article!" So I clicked through. It was an article on pinball. Ahhh well that makes more sense! I'd come across a few strips of negatives labeled PINBALL earlier, but I skipped right over them. I didn't think much of it. I was obviously quite wrong. Pinball, according to this article, was a huge deal. We had three game rooms with pinball machines!
I have to admit, I was slightly jealous when I stumbled upon these photos. Why can't we have pinball machines in Willard Straight?! Or a game room of any sort, for that matter? I guess it was to prevent the crumbling of the moral foundations of the most upright American Youth.
Work Hard, Play Hard - February 4, 1974: Students play pinball in the old Straight Game Room. Photographer unknown.
Intense Focus - February 4, 1974: - The Straight Game Room, which overlooked the Cornell Store, included an array of pinball machines and billiard tables. Photographer unknown.
Study Breaks - February 4, 1974:Pinball machines were installed in each of the three game rooms on campus - Willard Straight, the former Noyes Center and the North Campus Union. Photographer unknown.
If you're interested in learning more about our archiving project, Jenn can be reached via email at jvargas@cornellsun.com.
There were pinball machines
There were pinball machines and game rooms, as recently as when I graduated in '95. What is now upstairs in the Straight and in the little room next to the stairs down to Okenshield's?
Repurposed
The room next to Okenshield's was converted to an office of some sort a year or so ago.
As for the upstairs - it's mostly offices for Student Activities. The part with the high ceiling is an open space that dance clubs and a few other organizations use for meetings. The chandeliers are still there, but that's about all that remains of the old game room, from what I've read. It's pretty underutilized, in my opinion.