A Deep Dive Into the Archives

When we learned that 2025 was the bicentennial of the Columbia College Alumni Association (CCAA), it was only a short hop to deciding that we would write a feature marking the occasion. But where to begin? We scribbled our thoughts on a notepad and mapped out a potential outline.

Really, though, what we needed to do was research — deep research, requiring patience and primary sources; the kind where you roll up your sleeves and dive in, having ideas of what you hope to find, but also staying open to the possibility of the unexpected.

We needed the Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

The University’s principal repository for special collections is a treasure. RBML’s holdings include half a million works that span nearly 4,000 years — from cuneiform tablets to Renaissance manuscripts to printed books. We were heartened to discover CCAA records from 1825 to 1960, described in the catalog as 18.75 linear feet of material in 16 cartons. This seemed, admittedly, an overwhelming amount. But with guidance from University Archivist Jocelyn Wilk and Records Manager Joanna Rios, we narrowed those spoils to the most promising contents.

We made appointments to review documents. We took photos and copious notes.
We followed facts to additional sources and, afterward, filled out our understanding with other perspectives.

Now, we proudly present “A Salute to the CCAA” — a look at the origins and early chronology of the CCAA, as well as the back stories of five unique College alumni contributions to the University. We hope you’ll delight in this history as much as we did. We encourage you not to miss the entry about the Columbia lion, with an excerpt from the 1910 nominating speech; ditto for the Sundial, which originally was functional thanks to a 16-ton sphere that topped the base.

And though we chose only five contributions, we know there are many more. If you have thoughts on other ways that College alumni have made Columbia what it is, we welcome letters with your ideas (cct@columbia.edu).

Elsewhere in the magazine, our cover story profiles screenwriter Justin Marks ’02, co-creator of last year’s smash hit Shōgun. The FX series is a must-see, as evidenced by the avalanche of awards it received in 2024 and 2025. Marks, who also has several film blockbusters under his belt, graduated with a degree in architecture, which may seem like an unlikely start. But writer Scott Meslow deftly brings out how that knowledge has informed Marks’ approach to screenwriting throughout his career.

We also feature the Lion’s Pride Honors, spotlighting nine inspiring young alumni, and we catch up with Dr. David Trofa ’07, the head team physician for Athletics. Trofa graciously welcomed us to a women’s basketball game, where we joined him on the sidelines for a glimpse of what his job entails. While we (thankfully!) didn’t see him in action as a physician, his dedication and passion were on full display. Columbia’s athletes are lucky to have him.

And we are lucky to have the astonishing archives of the Columbia Libraries as a resource. We urge anyone who’s interested in taking their own deep research dive to make an appointment at RBML.

Enjoy the issue!

Alexis Boncy SOA’11
Editor-in-Chief