I immediately recognized the inset photo on Page 16 of “Then and Now” in the Winter 2018 issue, historic and contemporary images of the Quad dining hall. My mother, Phyllis Miller Lawrence ’48, has it displayed on her dresser. She’s the one looking right at the photographer, as if the picture is of her alone and everyone else is just background.
She distinctly remembers the occasion. It was Thanksgiving of 1944 [not 1950], and the government had declared that college students were not to travel home for the holiday to keep the trains free for the war effort. She remembers the meal was better than usual and that students were to dress up. She also recalls exactly what she was wearing — a black velveteen jumper that my grandmother had sewn for her and a white crepe blouse.
I was thrilled to see this familiar image in the magazine, as was my mother, but we wanted to correct the date for the archive. I have my own happy memories of the Quad and am glad that it still serves as a venue for special events and more memories.