Parking is not a new issue for the Caltech community. A brief historical note regarding campus parking (circa 1960)–when cars were frequently reassembled in the most amazing places–follows.
Of greater moment was the parking issue. The students were convinced that a new set of campus regulations was unfair. Clearly a "riot" was the answer. First, they somehow managed to squeeze the car of the Vice President for Business Affairs (whom they identified as the chief culprit) into his office. Then they decided to follow this display of engineering skill with a rally, replete with the shouting of appropriate slogans, to be held outside the administration building. The students were, of course, not too serious, nor were they anxious to offend anybody. Therefore, it was decided that it would be nice to yell loudly the names of vegetables. If nothing else it would confuse the enemy. I am sure passers-by could not have believed their ears when they heard several hundred voices roaring what sounded just like "cauliflower," "potato," or "spinach." To culminate the festivities, the students decided to invade the Trustees meeting then in progress, demanding, "We want George Green (the Vice President for Business Affairs)." The Trustees took it all in good spirit and the students quickly left, not having found George Green, who was indeed at the meeting. No one knew, however, what he looked like!
From Confessions of A Genial Abbot–memories of a decade at the California Institute of Technology by Robert Huttenback, who was Master of Student Houses (1958-69), Dean of Students (1969-72) Chairman of the Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences (1972-77), and professor of history (1966-77).
