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Alu mn i Vo ic es
As a student, where was your favorite campus study space? It’s a question we posed to alums. Little did we know that the deck was stacked — as in the bookshelves, or “stacks,” in Friedsam Memorial Library. It seems many of you preferred the quiet and solitude of being squirreled away in a Friedsam nook or cranny.
Here is a look back at your favorite places for cracking the books: Nature’s niche
Nestled in the woods behind Francis Hall, a statue of the Blessed Mother and a park bench offered a welcoming and prayerful niche, ideal for study. I have two particularly memorable experiences. The first was as a freshman, pen and notebook in hand, crafting a descriptive piece on the wonders of autumn in the Enchanted Mountains for Professor Leo Keenan’s freshman composition course. The following year, the same spot and time offered brilliant-colored solitude for reading “Barchester Towers” for Dr. Michael Hansen’s Victorian Novel course – this time with a friendly Franciscan-brown squirrel perched nearby, offering encouragement.
Harry Colin, ’78
The stacks: I
The only way I could concentrate was getting out of my dorm and going to the library. I always looked for a secluded desk in the book stacks where I wouldn’t be distracted. It worked most of the time.
Rich Bucci, ’76
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BONAVENTURE MAGAZINE
Friedsam, unstacked
Forty years after leaving St. Bonaventure, I still think about the beautiful and peaceful main room of Friedsam Memorial Library. That was my go-to place to hit the books or put pencil to paper to get a report started. If I lived nearby, I’d bring my laptop there today.
Margaret McCormick, ’81
