STUDENT LIFE >>
Moments & Memories
like the Beach Boys, who we subsequently brought to Bentley as its first large social event during the 1967-1968 year. Running student events, chairing the Student Activities and attending the conference in South Carolina were highlights of my student life while at Bentley. Bob Boehm ’68
1970s
THE EARLY YEARS
I enjoyed the bowling league on Wednesdays. I commuted by bus and trolley to the Boylston Street campus. I met my wife of 64 years on the bus going to school and one of our first dates was to a Bentley school dance. Robert Cowie ’50 Social life was nonexistent back in the Boylston Street days, so we had to be content with the total learning experience ... which was often a challenge for me, as I was a kid from New Hampshire, never having had bookkeeping or any other business class in high school. I never studied so hard, and yet there was both the tension of doing homework and preparing for exams, and the relief of having done a good job. Harold (Hal) Chiasson ’62 In the early 1960s, the largest percentage of students were local commuter students. That began to change and by the mid-1960s there was a need for more social events at the college. The success of the 1966 Winter Carnival
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demonstrated the need for more social events at Bentley. While fraternities provided some social activities, and there were athletic events held out of Boston, there were no concerts or social events. The Student Council was able to convince the faculty adviser for Student Activities that we needed a separate Student Activities Committee that would organize events. I was the first president of the Student Activities Committee, and as such attended a Student Activities Planning Conference held in Columbia, S.C., in the spring of 1967. It was very exciting to learn how other colleges ran such a committee and how events were put on. While there I met some entertainment groups
On May 4, 1970, a tragic event took place at Kent State University. Four students died, which sparked a more intense round of student rallies that were happening almost on a daily basis. I was a long-haired hippy living with my roommate, Elliot Hesselson ’71, a student who wore a tie to class. Bentley was the least likely college to be involved in the student movement. I called for a rally to discuss that tragic day as other colleges protested to close their schools in solidarity with the shootings. The rally took place in an auditorium on campus. I stood up and called for the school to close, as other schools had, to protest the shootings. Two rows behind me sat Elliot, dressed in a jacket and tie. He stood up and seconded my motion. I turned with a tear in my eye. It was done, Bentley went on strike. Elliot has been my best friend to this day. I’m still wearing jeans; he’s still wearing ties. Vincent Altomare ’74 During the 1969-1970 school year I was one of the four founding managers of the Rathskeller that was opened in the basement of the Tree dorms. The other managers were Chris Joyce ’72, Bill Rogers ’72 and Joe Stirrup ’72. We directed the construction and decoration phases, purchasing of secondhand tables and chairs, etc. to outfit the only on-campus place to gather in the dorm area. Additionally, we contracted with sandwich, snack, beverage and amusement vendors as well as continuously met vendors for deliveries. We held parties and had a fantastic
experience running a small business and bringing an enhancement to the dorm life! Jimmy Disken ’72 I spent every summer between the ages of 10 and 20 attending a YMCA summer camp as a camper and staff, so any cafeteria food was fine with me! Too many people grew up on their mother’s cooking and couldn’t adjust to the dining hall menu, but I was perfectly happy with all of the options! Joe Shapiro ’79
1980s Some memories stand out: Monte Carlo Night — the annual gala of organized fake casino-style gambling with great fun, great prizes, and all for a great cause. Lobster and steak night each semester in the dining hall. Thirty-eight inches of snow in the Blizzard of 1978! Jim Hathaway ’80 The Blizzard of ’78. Coming from New Jersey, I never saw that much snow, or thunder and lightning during a snowstorm. The school shut down for the week during the storm and cleanup. I think the cafeteria started running out of food, since no trucks could get in. We hiked down to D&L Liquors to stock up and enjoyed the time off. There was some kind of winter festival on the upper campus with snow sculptures. The winner did a snow sculpture of President Adamian and his wife in their car, including his cigar! Good times. John O’Rourke ’80 For me, it was the very first activity — Orientation! You arrive alone and apprehensive and you leave confident and connected! It was so impactful that I applied and became an Orientation leader. Fun evolved into a foundational experience that influenced how I lead today! Gino DeSimone ’85
Being inducted to the Falcon Society at the President’s House was special. Other favorite memories include taking the shuttle to Harvard Square to spend an evening; the Bowles Performing Arts Series; stealing the pizza delivery guy’s car and hiding it in the president’s parking spot behind Morison Hall. I also remember when WBTY Radio won approval and financing to build a studio in the LaCava Campus Center! Jay Tropea ’87 I had such an amazing experience with Bentley clubs and campus activities that I pursued a career in student affairs immediately after graduating. I loved the creative outlet Bentley’s program provided, including the resources and staff to support the clubs. I really enjoyed being part of the Campus Activities Board, where I chaired the Special Events Committee. We were able to do anything we could dream up, including the Bentley Bloodfest (when we turned the 2nd floor of LaCava into a horror maze) and a capture the flag/water balloon fight down on the football field. A fondest memory is when the water balloon contest was over: We had so many unpopped balloons left over that the audience rushed out of stands, armed themselves and started bombing each other with screams of laughter. Ben Alvarez ’89
1990s and 2000s My very first day on the Bentley campus, when I was just there to look the place over, I ordered a cup of coffee in the campus center. There was some sort of a delay in getting it to me, and they said, “Your coffee’s free” as a way of making it up to me. And that little thing impressed me. Bill Hecker, MSA ’93, MST ’98 Diversity and my professors. Elizabeth Kugell ’00