This folder contains correspondence and other documents relating to banquets, luncheons, lectures, and special events to which Edison was invited. Similar material can be found in E-16-46 (Honors and Awards). Among the items for 1916 is a letter from John H. Finley, president of the State University of New York, regarding a convocation at which Edison was awarded an honorary degree. Also included are letters from Richard C. Maclaurin, president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Arthur E. Kennelly, former chief electrician at the West Orange laboratory, attempting to convince Edison to come to Cambridge for the dedication of MIT's new campus.
Less than 10 percent of documents have been selected. In addition to several other items about the MIT ceremony, the unselected documents pertain to a wide variety of events that Edison did not even consider attending, such as weddings, a Russian bazaar, a citrus tour, a cornerstone laying at a home for the blind, a farewell dinner for Japanese dye engineers, a highway extension opening, and a minstrel show. Some of the items bear Edison marginalia indicating that the reply should state he was too busy experimenting to attend.
[E1648AA], Letter from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Richard Cockburn Maclaurin to Thomas Alva Edison, May 23rd, 1916 1916-05-23