David B. Truman (1913 -2003) was an eminent political scientist and prominent academic administrator. In April 1968, he was the vice president and provost of Columbia University when students seized five buildings at the university. The occupation became frontpage news around the country and the lead story on the nightly news. More than 20 years later, he recorded his reflections on those events and their broader context. He wrote in continuing sadness about the disintegration of a great university, having learned first-hand that a university is an extraordinarily fragile institution. His is a lesson for the ages.