We entered Mount Holyoke’s tranquil grove of academic amid a country in turmoil. President Nixon occupied with Watergate, warned of an oil crisis.
New to South Hadley, we discovered Chanticleer cookies. pitchers at the C.I., road tripping, and Amherst taps. We laughed with Whizzer Buschbumper in Choragos. Sixty of us were squeezed into “temp doubles”, bunk beds and all.
Freshman year, there were nine “coeds” on campus; contraception and gynecological services were available at the Health Center for the first time; and ground was broken for the Willits-Hallowell Center.
Agnew resigned. Two MHCers streaked from Kendall to Mead that spring. Nixon resigned. Amherst went coed. Comps were abolished. New York City went broke. The faculty dumped E-G-P for a five point grading system.
Junior year, 29% of us took academic leave for adventures elsewhere. President Truman announced his retirement. We mourned the Wilbur snack bar and Rathskeller, replaced by the shiny new Willits.
Since graduation, we’ve grappled with the challenge of a complex world, and we welcome the chance to reflect with each other at reunion.
Beth McGoldrick
Class President