Remembrance of things Graham
Graham Memories
Earlier this year, the Alumni Association asked alumni to submit their favorite memories of Graham. Here are the responses. Add your own memory using the comment box below.
1971
James Reites
The pool and pool parties.
Kathy Sapunar Marini
My mother thought that I was moving into a country club and so did I. I loved hanging out by the pool "studying" and I loved how we used to go to parties in the bottom of the dorm. I also thought it was cool that we never locked our doors and had one phone down the hall for all of us. Whoever got to the phone first used to answer it and we would leave notes for each other on our doors.
Lori Stewart
Sunbathing around the pool. Marilee's pool decorations that changed according to the seasons. Studying all the time and then helping everyone else with their papers.
1970
Elaine Bruni
I had a phone in my dorm room. People would call me late at night (after the dorms were locked) to let them in the back door or to let in their boyfriends. LOL!
TIMOTHY "PAT" HANNON
I remember the Great Panty Raid of 1967. It was during finals. I was a freshman living on the second floor of Walsh Hall. Someone in Swing Hall turned up their amps and began to play Gregorian chants VERY LOUDLY. This elicited many loud responses. The uproar escalated into the throwing of water balloons out dorm windows. I remember being in the stairway in Walsh Hall. I was about to throw a glass of water out the window when Father Coz walked by. I remember being gripped by a terrible thirst so I drank the water instead. Father Coz (bless his soul) just smiled and walked by. Meanwhile, the shouting had morphed into a panty raid for unknown reasons. It must have seemed reasonable at the time. A multitude of male students gathered in front of Swing Hall intent on staging a panty raid on the Graham complex. Somewhere out of the night, Dean Jerry McGrath appeared in a Santa Clara City police car. Standing on the cars doorsill, he addressed the crowd with a microphone attached to the police car public address speaker. The Dean could have taken a hard-line approach. He could have threatened expulsion or other punishment. As was his nature, he took the road of Irish charm. He said something like this: I am glad you invited me here to speak to you tonight. That bit of humor defused the situation. Everyone went back to their dorm rooms to study. It became a non-event. It was a profile in courage. Several hundred male students surrounded the dean and one police car. The police were not inclined to leave the safety of the police car. The Dean alone stood up to the massed crowd and disarmed them with his Irish wit. I unfortunately have witnessed other mobs, but I have never witnessed one person so alone and so deftly disarm a group with words alone so quickly. Thus ended the Great Panty Raid on the Graham complex in 1968.
Gene Mascoli
My band playing in Pipestage
Joan Nettesheim
I was 19 yrs old and because I did something against one of the many rules I was grounded and could not leave the dorm for the entire weekend. Also, another memory was that my little brother, 9 yrs old, was not allowed in my room and had to wait in the lobby with everyone else's dates until I could come out.
1969
Mimi Turgeon
Playing cards with my classmates. I loved living in Graham but on a recent visit I noticed they were not in good shape. I am really sorry to see them go but I understand. I wish I could be there.
1968
Jim Heyburn
Installation of quick release screen on selected ground from room.
Suzann [Su] Selden
I lived in Graham 200 Sophomore through Senior years 1965-1968. Cheers + tears, lots of warm friendships that have survived the test of time + infamy. Truth told, those college years went far too fast, but memories of panty raids, skinny dipping, being hoisted over the concrete fences post curfew only to end up in rose bushes +/or sprinkler puddles remain with me still. Very dear memories to be sure...
Marie Sikora
I was an RA in the hall on the east side. I had one of the larger suite sized rooms. I can't remember the room number but will take any that are available. So sorry I couldn't be there :-(
Diane Toomey
Queen of the Mau around the pool. Samana parties at the pool.
1967
Betty Ross
Finals in June- A male student pushed a security guard into teh pool. Dean of Women called out the SWAT team who surrounded the library. The Male students are crossing the Alameda to Graham- women at Graham yelling at them to come in. Dean Jerry McGrath showed up and stopped them from coming- everyone goes back to their rooms- SWAT team leaves and we go back to studying! Nice pressure value of finals realease!
Kathleen Thunerq
Perhaps its not my favorite but it is my most memorable...the unbelievable, after all that had already happened, shooting of President Kennedy's assassin on a 2 inch portable TV my roommate had; there was no TV available....we even watched the funeral procession on that tiny TV...simply unforgettable. My favorite...the embarrassment of a giant birthday cake, complete with Dean Kamena, for my 18th in January 1964...my mom thought that I would be happy...I am still dying of embarrassment...but the cake was really good!
Pat Wilson Spence
I lived in 200 & 300 during my So. & Jr. yrs. I loved the complex for it's beautiful, relaxed, resort-like setting. Those were busy years of learning more about ourselves, our schoolwork, our friends, and life's offerings in general. The growing campus offered more fun activities and exploring...crazy fun stuff like climbing over the 2nd floor balcony of the 200 bldg. onto the fence and over into the lot (that would become Campisi)to meet my boyfriend after curfew.
1966
Michele McEvoy
I think my class was the first to occupy Graham.
Marguerite Ott
Planting a pineapple under our window!
Jan Quilici
Sitting by the pool and going from living in Nobili to living here.
Ronnie Schwarz
Being the first group of residents (Fall of 1963) Graham was till unlandscaped. Graham was (at that time) a women's residence. Weeknights and Sundays we had to be in by 11 pm. The "Portuguese Army" (rent a cop security people) would shut the gates promptly at 11pm. These last few minutes before 11 cars would come skidding up dropping off coeds in a mad dash to beat the clock and get in the gate. I can remember leaving a pink panther movie before it was over as my boyfriend (now husband) broke the speed laws to get me back. I made it@
1965
Kathleen Hedberg
Was Graham originally Villa Maria, the apartment purchased for the first class of women? My favorite memory was when it snowed and the guys came over from campus and had a snowball fight with us. I lived in apartment 10 at Villa Maria. Kathleen Hedberg Conway
Fall 2011
See all articles from this issue
Features
Change the world
The U.S. Peace Corps turned 50 this year, with more than 340 Santa Clara grads (and faculty and staff) having served as volunteers.
How can you defend those people?
Public defenders in the Homicide Task Force in Chicago have some answers about representing accused murderers.
Mission Matters
Welcome home, Fr. Rewak
SCU's poet-president returns to the Mission Campus as chancellor.
Putting cleantech on the map
The Center for Science, Technology, and Society tracks where off-the-grid solutions are lighting the way.
Bronco Profile
Tradition Shattered
Fifty years ago, Santa Clara admitted the first class of women into its undergraduate program. Gerri Beasley '65 shares some memories.
Memories . . . Steve Martin at Pipestage . . . what a deal! And who could forget the quesadillas . . . Wine and Cheese on Tuesday nights and the great dance parties that included doing the hustle in Graham 400.
When I started at SCU I was a little disappointed that I ended up on the "upperclassman" side of campus, thinking I would miss the fun associated with Swig. Soon I realized that I I had the best arrangements - I mean a pool right outside my dorm? What a community we built. Thanks for the memories.
Deb
Forgot to mention I lived in Graham 300 for two years before moving off campus and then spending my senior year as a RA in Swig on the 8th floor. Debbie Medeiros Carey Class of 80
Graham 200 was the best dorm on campus, period!! Playing frisbee over the pool and off the sides of the dorm wall all afternoon was a great stress reliever! Some even made it into the open windows! Then there were the post finals jam sessions out on the pool deck, fun stuff!! Those were the daze...
I lived in Graham 100 and I remember seeing a poor quality b/w flyer for " A Wild and Crazy Guy" with a silly balloon hat affixed to the light post outside Graham 100. Would sure like to have that now! As I recall the Doobie Brothers also played Pipestage. I also recall Huey Lewis and the News playing for a Law School function. But the most memorable was being part of the inaugural class of the "Living Learning Dorm" where I was exposed to all matter of things, including about 30 people who all went to see " The Exorcist" and then were too scared to go to sleep!