The Case of the Missing Knight

By Mike Hughes, ’14

In 1967, the family of Merriam Sherwood (VC Class of 1912) donated two bronze replicas of ‘knights in armor’ to Vassar College.  These statues sat in a Swift Hall classroom for years, watching students scribble notes and staring at all who passed through the building.  As protectors of the History Department in the early 1980’s, professors planned to create a display room on the first floor to show off the knights and other historical artifacts.  But their plans were interrupted prematurely when in February of 1986 one knight went missing.  This small Vassar artifact made a big impact, sending campus into a torrent of suspicion and beginning the ‘case of the missing knight.’

Vassar’s administrative assistant at the time, Norma Torney, and Department Chairperson Hsi-Huey Liang were first to sound the alarm.  As the knight stood in an open classroom which was unlocked, anyone could have stolen it. History Department staff contacted campus security, house fellows, and anyone who might bring the knight back to his castle (Swift Hall).  But when initial efforts were in vain, some Vassar staff started to accuse each other.  The knight was originally donated to the President’s house, and soon after moved into Swift Hall.  Some faculty accused the History Department of stealing the knight back in 1967 and without proper authorization bringing it to their home turf.  The History Department Chairperson Hsi-Huey Liang fiercely denied this claim, and to resolve the situation called former President of the College Alan Simpson at his home in Rhode Island.  He and other former Vassar staff confirmed that it was, in fact, at the President’s discretion to place both knights in Swift Hall.[1]  The Vassar community could once again get along peacefully.

However, this resolution didn’t solve the case of the missing knight.  The Miscellany News decided to use its influence to recover Swift’s lost treasure, and in on February 21, 1986 published this description of the knight.

Despite the entire campus knowing of its absence, there was no progress in finding the culprit.  Maybe the reason the knight received so much publicity was that in addition to being admired by students and professors of history, it snuck into Vassar’s heart through the Drama Department in various plays.  It was known to be a set piece, and with Vassar’s huge number of plays every year, it is not hard to understand how it would be perfect for certain plays.  However, it is also known that the Drama Department always returned the knight and that it was not guilty in the case of the missing knight.  So who really stole it?  Over twenty years later, the case is still unresolved – Swift Hall still only has one knight and no culprit.