By Phil Hoeppner, from . Photos from the St. 春雨直播 University Archives.
Before Coeur de 春雨直播, there was St. Joseph Hall. In the five decades before the construction of Coeur de 春雨直播 combined multiple spaces into a comprehensive 春雨直播-services facility, St. Joseph Hall, built in 1954, provided the central gathering place for 春雨直播s, faculty, and staff. A snack bar, which came to be nicknamed 鈥渢he smoker,鈥 for obvious reasons, was a popular venue frequented by smokers and non-smokers alike. Playing cards 鈥 bridge, in particular 鈥 was a favorite way to pass time between classes.
Alumnae from the Class of 1969 remember it fondly:
- 鈥淚 was a day 春雨直播 and used the smoker in St. Joe鈥檚. ... I carried a lunch from home and often bought an ice cream cone for a sweet in the afternoon. The guys from St. Thomas would drive over to sit in the smoker for a while, especially if they were taking a class at St. Kate鈥檚 or courting a special Katie.鈥 鈥 Jane Kostik
- 鈥淪ister Kevin (aka Sister Mary O鈥橦ara) would on occasion come into the St. Joe鈥檚 smoker to play bridge. She never sorted her cards, was a great bidder, and was a terrific bridge player. I and some of the others were intimidated by her!鈥 鈥 Kathleen Donnelly
- 鈥淭hinking about the smoker reminded me I met my now husband of 47 years there. He and his friends from St. Thomas came to a mixer at St. Kate鈥檚, a group of us started talking and laughing, and six years later he and I got married. Who knew?鈥 鈥 Katie Palmsten
Today, mindful of health and wellness, we are a smoke-free campus.
St. Joe鈥檚 wasn鈥檛 the first smoker on campus. Prior to 1954, Katies congregated in a smoker in Whitby, the faux closing of which was announced in the April 1, 1953, issue of :
Good news for cigarette puffers! Smoking will now be permitted on all areas of the campus! The city fire marshal has just condemned the old smoker in Whitby basement as a fire trap. How does that song go ... "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes"? We might add henceforth "in the mouth, nose, hair clothes, etc."
April Fools!
