Icebreaker

In the winter of our graduation year, President Steven Muller approved funds to celebrate the first women graduating. We women organized Next Step: A Festival of Women. One of our invited speakers was Jane Fonda. She and her husband, Tom Hayden, were in D.C. speaking out against the war. We received a call that the gas shortage of that spring would prevent them from getting to Baltimore.

Undaunted—we were Hopkins students, after all—we engaged a used white Mercedes given to one of our classmates by his parents and announced we would pick them up in D.C. There was only one problem: The Mercedes bore a sticker that said Stuart Yacht and Country Club. Radical Jane would surely be horrified. So a whole group of us spent the morning scraping off the decal, washing the car, and buying Dunkin' Donuts as car refreshments. Jane Fonda was happy, she selected a chocolate glazed, she spoke in Shriver Hall, and the women at Hopkins had scored another coup. —Mindy Farber, A&S '74

Some commuting students like me may have had a different Hopkins coeducational experience than those who lived on campus. Many of us commuters started our day with coffee in Levering Hall, where we met female and male grads from other local high schools. My first impression was that Hopkins was very coed! The campus outside of Levering—not so much. (At first, I didn't realize that every freshman woman was a commuter.) Our Levering crowd saw each other every day. We got to know each other well and became proficient at the card game Hearts. Those Levering Hall friendships lasted through senior year and beyond. —Neil Bates, Engr '74

As a transfer student, with huge student loans to pay off, my favorite memory was when working four different jobs on campus: at the library, checking books in and out; at the student union, which was a kiosk where we sold magazines, gum, and candy; at the indoor pool, where I was a lifeguard; and at the student lunchroom, where I stamped meal tickets. Each of those jobs allowed me to meet everyone across the student body at the time.

I loved dancing at the "Rat" (Rathskeller), which sadly is no longer there, when our band from the Class of 1976 played. Our musicians still play during our reunions. We all had a ball dancing at the Rat!

And lastly, I adored playing pool. There were pool tables in one of the dorms, but I would usually play upstairs at the Hopkins Club, where I was often invited to play. As soon as I graduated, I became a full member of the Hopkins Club, and they joked about naming a pool table for me. —Linda Andrews Saboe, A&S '76, '80 (MAS)

I greatly enjoyed attending the classes of Phoebe Stanton, an architectural historian and professor who supported my decision to pursue architecture. I'm grateful for the breadth and depth of learning across the arts. —Ann Fleming Hagerty Boyce, A&S '74

A Festival of Women had a wonderful lineup of speakers, including Jane Fonda. Other favorite memories include 3400 On Stage—a chance to showcase and sell our creative works and enjoy the work of others in the Homewood community; the many opportunities to listen to and dance to lots of great bands on campus (Ocean Rose, for one); and, finally, Intersession, which was a terrific way for students to try courses in areas outside of their majors, like Geology of Maryland with Reds Wolman. One Intersession, I read all the books Nikos Kazantzakis wrote and discussed them with a grad student. —Brenda Bodian, A&S '74

Taking the GRE in a building that had no ladies' rooms. Several women commandeered a men's room. —Ann Roberts, A&S '74

Walking through the lower quad in the spring with the beautiful magnolia trees in bloom. Then walking up the elegant steps to the upper quad. I still miss that sense of well-being. —Janet Kennedy, A&S '74

The time I spent tutoring children from the city through Chester Wickwire's program and all the amazing people I met during these years. —Colby Smith Hawks, A&S '74

I confess I remember standing up and screaming, "Get up and dance!" when Sha Na Na played "At the Hop." —Bob Barbera, A&S '74, '78 (PhD)

Starting the St. Elmo's annual Champagne and strawberry reception on the steps linking the Gilman and Shriver quads.
—Jamie MacGuire, A&S '73, '74 (MA)

Phoebe Stanton's art history and Bob Hogan's psychology courses were memorable. Being among the first women at Homewood was at times challenging, but the Women's Center and women in literature courses added an important dimension to the experience. —Marguerite Ingalls Jones, A&S '74, Bus '78 (MAS)

I have fond memories of springtime on campus, spending time relaxing on the lawns and playing catch with friends between classes. And, of course, there was lacrosse on Saturdays. —Alan Niles Gordon, A&S '74, Med '77 (MD)

When I joined the Tau Epsilon Phi fraternity, I saw James Taylor play a few of his songs in the JHU gym during my freshman year. —John Cybulski, Engr '74

Gilman Coffee Shop was the best! The best memory, sportswise, was winning the NCAA lacrosse tournament in 1974. I can still hear their band playing "Frère Jacques." Do it for Scotty! —Holly Phelps, A&S '74, '78 (MLA)

Working at the Gilman Coffee Shop. A great job and an impressive operation, to say the least! Other memories: Sha Na Na in the gym, complete with umbrellas, I think during the fall of 1970; the Milton S. Eisenhower Symposium, particularly the fall 1972 event with Jean Piaget and Aaron Copland; and being able to drive through the tunnel under Gilman Hall and throughout Homewood campus. —Sara Pasternak, A&S '74

Running the Gilman Coffee Shop with Mike Saks. We employed everyone—and I do mean everyone. Retail is interesting. —Chris Tsien, A&S '74

Favorite memories include attending Spring Fair and watching lacrosse games—sometimes studying in the stands at halftime. I most enjoyed taking classes in the School of Public Health as a senior. There were many more women there, and I made some lifelong friends. Johns Hopkins was difficult as a first-generation college student and the only girl in my math classes, but I left well prepared for graduate school and confident that I could succeed in my career. —Linda Williams Pickle, A&S '74, BSPH '77 (PhD), Bus '02 (Cert.)

I competed in NCAA track and field four years, competed at NCAA nationals three years, and was the first Hopkins All-American in track in 1974. One record is still intact after over 50 years. —Gerald Quentin Greenfield Jr., A&S '74, Ed '74 (MS), Med '78 (MD)

Next up: Tell us about the club or extracurricular that helped you find your people as a student at Johns Hopkins. Email your responses to editor Greg Rienzi at gjr@jhu.edu.