Harvard’s Widener Legend
Legend has it that Eleanor believed if Harry had learned to swim, he might have survived Titanic. The story says this belief led to the stipulation that every Harvard graduate has to pass a swimming test. Harvard denies this; the swimming requirement was for crew team members in the early 1880s. If they wanted to row on the Charles Rivier, they had to pass a swim test. This requirement appeared years before the Titanic. In 1919, Harvard did require swimming proficiency, part of “compulsory physical training.”
There is currently no swimming proficiency, and definitely not one tied to a requirement imposed by Eleanor Widener, at Harvard University. There are some lesser-known actual stipulations in Eleanor’s will, however. The Widener Memorial Room must always contain some sort of fresh-cut flower, a tradition carried on to this day. Additionally, Harry’s personal collection be housed in its own room.
