Phones

Sandy Bartlett — Class of 1961

One of the strangest was the way room mates were assigned in our class. Everyone with the same first or last name was paired together. I had a Sandy room mate and a Sandy next door. We had only one telephone for the whole wing and when the guys would call and ask for "Sandy" we had to figure out who was really wanted. Imagine the two "Kathy O'Connors" living together.

Mary Ellen Carroll Convery — Class of 1961

In our freshman year, there were (if I remember correctly) seven of us named Mary Ellen. I don't know how it is now, but back then, the 'phones were in the hall, and when someone answered and called out for Mary Ellen, many heads popped out for the call.

Mary Jo Martin — Class of 1963

There was only one phone for each wing in Le Mans. Nobody answered it unless they were expecting a guy to call. If you were expecting/hoping for a call, you had to race down the hall before the caller hung up.

Kay Christenson Janiszewski — Class of 1964

Sister Regina sat in the hall and manned the phone, and tried to smell illegal popping of popcorn. Can you imagine today only one phone for all those budding romances!

Kathy Clapp — Class of 1975

I remember the night in the downstairs rec room when the draft numbers for the Vietnam War were being called out on the TV based on young men's birthdates. We are sat glued to the announcements, worried and praying for our friends and family, hoping that they would have a high number. If their number was high, they most likely wouldn't have to go to war.

Roseann O'Hara — Class of 1984

One vivid memory I have of Regina Hall (1980) is how the telephone was mounted to the wall and it had an unusual long cord. On any given night, the floors would be full of freshman girls talking on the floor, not in their single rooms, but out in the hallway. A double ring signaled it was an off campus call and there was usually much excitement for those calls.

Margie O'Brien — Class of 1992

Moving in and setting up the room was so much fun. Thinking back, I remember the everyday moments of going to class, hanging out in our dorm room and being together. Holy Cross Hall was my favorite. Our big walk-in closet was a great place to take private phone calls home on Sunday night.

Molly Schleeter Bell — Class of 1997

Since it was pre-cell phones, when we wanted to have "privacy" on the room phone, we would stretch the cord across the hall so we could talk in the study carrel. Sometimes walking down the hallway was like playing a game of limbo. Many of us headed to Meijer to buy longer cords for our room phones so it would stretch far enough to sit in the study carrel and close the door.