Henry Strong Durand

Henry Strong Durand (June 6, 1861 - May 8, 1929), also known as Harry Durand, was an American physician, lyricist, poet, and civic benefactor. A graduate of Yale College and Harvard Medical School, he practiced medicine in Rochester, New York, before becoming known for two different legacies: writing the lyrics to "Bright College Years", Yale University's unofficial alma mater, and donating, with George Eastman, the land that became Durand Eastman Park.

Durand wrote "Bright College Years" as a Yale senior in 1881, setting his verses to the melody of Carl Wilhelm's German patriotic song "Die Wacht am Rhein". In Rochester, Durand is remembered as a physician, landowner, and donor whose Lake Ontario property formed the original core of Durand Eastman Park.

Early life and education

Durand was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on June 6, 1861, to John Durand and Martha Boyd Stewart Durand.

At Yale, Durand contributed to student publications and became class poet in his senior year.

During and after World War I, the song's German melody became controversial. In 1919, the Yale Student Council recommended that it be dropped from undergraduate gatherings, but alumni sentiment and student practice helped preserve the song, and it returned to regular use in the early 1920s.

Later life and death

In the 1920s, Durand and his family lived abroad. After his daughter Margaret went to study voice in Nice, France, Durand settled in Paris. His remains were returned to Rochester, and he was interred in the Durand family plot at Mount Hope Cemetery on June 6, 1929, which would have been his sixty-eighth birthday.

Papers and legacy

The Rochester Public Library Archives holds the Henry S. Durand papers, a small collection of correspondence dating from 1892 to 1932. The collection includes correspondence to and from Durand and a letter from George Eastman.

Durand's legacy is divided between Yale and Rochester. At Yale, "Bright College Years" remains one of the university's central songs and is used at formal and informal university events. In Rochester, Durand is primarily associated with Durand Eastman Park, whose name preserves the joint gift of Durand and Eastman.

Selected works

"Bright College Years" / "Dear Old Yale", lyrics by H. S. Durand, music by Carl Wilhelm. "The House of Old Yale", words and music by Henry S. Durand.