This piece of text serves as an important document which offers great insight as to who Peter Cooper was as described by those who knew him in the flesh.
Thousands of people lined the street for a chance to view his body on the day he was laid to rest - everyone from the elite to the working class to the students and alumni of this institution. It is absolutely beautiful and very visually descriptive.
It underscores just how hard we have to work to preserve this school’s most core values. Let us work tirelessly because this man is still alive. His body is gone, but his spirit is fighting inside of us. If we let his idea die, then we would need to have a second funeral to close the chapter of his legacy. Let us hope we never see that day, for his idea is now our idea.
Peter Cooper’s Funeral [New York Times]