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Diving into 200 Years of CWRU History
Students run annually in the Hudson Relays, a 26-mile race commemorating Western Reserve College's move from Hudson, Ohio, to Cleveland's University Circle neighborhood. The event is the oldest programmed campus tradition.Case Western Reserve University turns 200 in 2026—and the celebration has already begun with music, swag and our new favorite dessert: "Cake Western Reserve 200," a new flavor that Mitchell's Ice Cream created to help mark the moment. The university also launched a bicentennial website, which spotlights trailblazing people, landmark discoveries and important milestones. We will highlight more of CWRU's history in coming months in print and online. But meantime, check out these gems:
Clarence Emir Allen
Pitcher Clarence Emir Allen (WRC 1877) is often credited with throwing the first curveball in college baseball in 1876. He went on to briefly play professional baseball for the Erie Keynotes in Erie, Pennsylvania, and later taught Greek on campus and was a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Utah.
Laura Diehl Crowl (CSAS '45) was the first woman to earn an undergraduate degree from what is now the Case School of Engineering. She completed her degree in just 2 1/2 years—at age 19. Her physics lab partner was Donald Glaser (CSAS '46), who won the 1960 Nobel Prize in Physics. After graduation, Crowl worked for General Electric in East Cleveland, Ohio.
Laura Diehl Crowl
The 17th-century Italian scientist Galileo Galilei demonstrated that objects of different masses fall at the same rate of speed. Physicist and mathematician Isaac Newton later developed laws of motion and gravity that explained why. CWRU's Department of Physics tests the laws around Halloween during an annual Pumpkin Drop from the Strosacker Auditorium roof. Attendees watch the gourds fall and enjoy apple cider and pumpkin pie.
The aftermath of the Department of Physics’ annual Pumpkin Drop.
The oldest programmed campus tradition, the annual Hudson Relays, is a 26-mile race commemorating Western Reserve College's move from Hudson, Ohio, to Cleveland's University Circle neighborhood. The tradition is designed to be a footrace. But during the annual event on May 17, 1946, "all teams were disqualified because they used cars instead of running the race," according to University Archives. While such strategies were used by a minority of runners, and rules and routes have changed with time, one tradition unites the winningest teams across the years: A class that wins the race four years running enjoys a steak and champagne dinner, courtesy of the university administration.
CWRU Film SocietyA classic scene from more than a decade ago as moviegoers settled in on the Strosacker Auditorium stage for the annual Science Fiction Marathon.
The CWRU Film Society Science Fiction Marathon attracts film buffs from around the world to Case Western Reserve. Each year, the marathon offers a weekend (about 36 hours) of continuous films and trailers spanning the futuristic and high-tech. Launched in 1976, the first marathon garnered 1,100 attendees who watched 16 films over about 30 hours. Through the years, fans have caught naps in sleeping bags and munched on pizza, popcorn and donuts—and had the chance to see 526 movies.
Sources for these stories include CWRU Archives, the online Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, the book, Beyond the Fence: A Social History of Case Western Reserve University by Richard E. Baznik, and the CWRU Film Society.
