After Ursinus

Photo of J.D. Salinger
Photo of J.D. Salinger

J.D. Salinger

American writer known for his novel The Catcher in the Rye

Salinger attended Ursinus in 1938 before transferring to Columbia University.

At Ursinus, Salinger wrote a feature called ‘J.D.S.’s The Skipped Diploma’ for the student newspaper; most of the columns contained brief, unrelated items from cheeky observations to movie reviews. He also served as a drama critic, using the byline ‘Jerome Salinger’.

Ursinus admissions still carries a 1963 letter from Salinger that professes he looks back ‘with a great deal of pleasure’ on his time at the school - and then asks the registrar to send a course catalog to his babysitter!