Experiencing winter at Lehigh University is a rite of passage. Every Lehigh graduate has a story or five about the heaviest snowfall they ever saw on campus. All the memories are different, but they all share the same underlying theme — winters at Lehigh sure make an impression!
We asked our social media followers what comes to mind when they think of winter at Lehigh. Here are nine alumni memories from Lehigh winters past!
1. “In the early winter of freshman year, I took a road trip to visit some high school friends. When I came back, I discovered that my hallmates took my mattress and used it to sled down the hill next to Rathbone.” – Charles B.
2. “Praying my calc final would get canceled because of an ice storm (it wasn’t).” – Sarah B.
3. “Using trays from the cafeteria to slide down the hill to the Centennials.” – Doug S.
4. “The remarkable overnight snowfall of ’77. Walking the campus throughout the night with my film camera, catching drifts of two to five feet, burying cars, handrails (no idea where the sidewalks are), and making walking nearly impossible.” – Stephen D.
5. “Memories at Lehigh: Trudging through a foot of snow to 8-o’clocks 6 days a week.” – Robin M.
6. “One of my favorites was the Christmas Vespers at Packer Memorial Church. Absolutely Beautiful.” – Merryl S.
7. “Slipping and sliding 😍” – Carole M.
8. “2013 snowball fight by the Rauch Hill!” – Miles D.
9. “Driving through snow with fog lights on heading up and down the mountain to the College of Ed in Iacocca Hall 😍” – Robin G.
The blizzard of February 2011. That was the first time Lehigh declared a snow day in a decade.
The downside? It was senior year.
Winter 1994; blizzard every Wednesday for about 6 weeks which ended up canceling classes on Thursday. Definitely a fun senior year!
Returning from Philadelphia following semester break my freshman year the train had to back up at each stop to get a running start into the drifted snow. When I reached campus after walking up the hill from the train station the walkways had not yet been cleared. I remember sliding my suitcases on top of the snow while I “plowed” my way to Taylor Hall.
At the end of the semester there was still snow in the lot between Taylor and M&M where the snow from that storm had been piled.
In the beginning of 1964. I took my first exam in the middle of a huge snowstorm. I was a commuter at the time and barely made it on time. The snow was about a foot deep when I arrived and snowing like crazy. It was a Calculus exam and I was so rattled I didn’t do very well in it.
It must have been early 1972 when there was a massive snowball fight on the quad between the freshmen and the invading upperclassmen. I remember guys carrying trashcans full of snow through Dravo to rearm those in the upper floors to rain down ordinance upon the “invaders”. Great Fun!