Alumna Harriet Borah Leib (’54, MS ’58) offers a unique twist on the Baruch College romance: She and her husband of 59 years, George Leib (’54), were “caught” kissing on the 2nd floor balcony of 17 Lex building by none other than College namesake Bernard Baruch during one of his visits to the College in 1953.
A girl from Brooklyn, 16, intelligent, not very sophisticated, arrived at City College Downtown, on Lexington Avenue and 23rd Street [today’s Baruch], determined to succeed. The school was to be my passport to life—to help me find what I wanted to do. The 9th floor was the school’s “campus” then. There I met with students who came from varying backgrounds, joined a House Plan, and just had a wonderful time.
A boy from the Bronx, 17, intelligent, somewhat sophisticated, knew what he wanted from the college: to earn a degree, majoring in retailing/management; join a fraternity; investigate all else the school had to offer; and meet people with whom he could connect.
And so, the girl and the boy met! We became good friends who got together on the 9th floor, had lunch together, and ended up in some of the same classes. The more time we spent together, the more we realized how strong the attraction was. As time went on, we met between classes, sometimes in the auditorium, the halls, etc., and did a bit of hugging and smooching. The school was where we learned but was also our playground.
The word was out that that an exciting event was about to happen at our beloved school. We were going to have our own identity with a most notable gentleman’s name replacing the common “Downtown” appellation. Soon we would be the Bernard Baruch School of Business and Public Administration.*
My boyfriend and I planned to meet in one of our haunts, the stairwell near the 2nd-floor balcony. The area was private and quiet. We were laughing while hugging when we heard noise, people coming down the stairs. Oh my, it was Bernard Baruch and the school’s president and entourage! We thought that we had been “caught,” but, as we scattered away, we saw their smiles. That was quite a day. The school became the Bernard Baruch School of Business and Public Administration, and I was sure that my fella and I were meant for each other.
We have been happily married for 59 years, and I was right. We were meant for each other.
Thank you, Baruch College, for all that you gave us.
—Harriet (née Borah) Leib (’54, MS ’58)
*The City College School of Business and Public Administration officially became the Bernard M. Baruch School of Business and Public Administration in a ceremony on Oct. 8, 1953.
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