Henry Durand (6 June 1861 – 8 May 1929)''Obituary Record of Graduates of Yale University'', 1928-29, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, pp. 81-2. wrote, with Carl Wilhelm, "

Bright College Years "Bright College Years" is one of the traditional songs of Yale University, and the university's unofficial but undisputed alma mater. It was written in 1881 by Henry Durand and set to the tune of "Die Wacht am Rhein". In some old songbooks and ...

", the

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

alma mater. Durand was born in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, the son of John Durand, a railroad builder and manager, and his wife Martha Boyd Stewart Durand. He prepared for Yale at the

Hopkins School Hopkins School is a private, college-preparatory, coeducational, day school for grades 7–12 located in New Haven, Connecticut. In 1660, Edward Hopkins, seven-time governor of the Connecticut Colony, bequeathed a portion of his estate to found s ...

. He graduated with the Yale Class of 1881 and was Class Poet. Durand obtained a M.D. from Harvard Medical School in 1888, interned at Massachusetts General Hospital and practiced medicine in

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...

. He cared for the wounded in the

Mexican Revolution The Mexican Revolution ( es, Revolución Mexicana) was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from approximately 1910 to 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It resulted in the destruction ...

, marrying his wife, Harriet Blanche Robinson Best, there in 1916. He contracted an illness in Mexico from which he recovered in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

from 1916 to 1923, and then lived abroad in Nice, Vienna and lastly Paris, where he died in the American Hospital from heart disease. He was buried in Mount Hope Cemetery in Rochester. "

" was arranged for the 1881

Yale Glee Club The Yale Glee Club is a mixed chorus of men and women, consisting of students of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Founded in 1861, it is the third oldest collegiate chorus in the United States after the Harvard Glee Club, founded in 1 ...

, and after the quelling of sentiment after

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

to find another alma mater, Durand's song has been "the unofficial alma mater that, with handkerchief accompaniment, is a standard element of Commencement, football games, and almost every alumni get-together." In Rochester, Dr. Durand is best remembered for his summer camp in Irondequoit that abutted Lake Ontario. He and his friend

George Eastman George Eastman (July 12, 1854March 14, 1932) was an American entrepreneur who founded the Kodak, Eastman Kodak Company and helped to bring the photographic use of roll film into the mainstream. He was a major philanthropist, establishing the ...

agreed upon the desirability of a public park in the area, and collaborated in purchasing a number of farms around the Durand property. The pair offered their land to the city of Rochester on January 28, 1907 to be used as a public park.

Durand Eastman Park Durand Eastman Park is a park located partly in Rochester, and partly in Irondequoit, New York. It is administered by the Monroe County Parks Department under agreements with the City of Rochester and the Town of Irondequoit. Geography Th ...

was formally dedicated on May 22, 1909. To the original 484 original acres, 493 have been added over the years, bringing the current size of Durand Eastman Park to 977-acres, including Durand Lake and Eastman Lake. Notable features of the park include the northern boundary, with approximately 5,000 feet (1,500 m) along of

Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York. The Canada–United States border sp ...

. There is also an 18-hole municipal golf course that was built in 1917 and later redesigned in 1933 by

Robert Trent Jones Robert Trent Jones Sr. (June 20, 1906 – June 14, 2000) was a British–American golf course architect who designed or re-designed more than 500 golf courses in 45 U.S. states and 35 countries. In reference to this, Jones took pride in sayi ...

.Durand Eastman Park information th
Monroe County Parks Department
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Durand, Henry Strong 1861 births 1929 deaths Yale University alumni Hopkins School alumni Harvard Medical School alumni