By Phil Hoeppner, from . Photos from the 亚色影库 Archives.
Before Coeur de Catherine, there was St. Joseph Hall. In the five decades before the construction of Coeur de Catherine combined multiple spaces into a comprehensive student-services facility, St. Joseph Hall, built in 1954, provided the central gathering place for students, 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 student 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!
