It preceded the more famous “Summer of Love” in 1967 and certainly cannot be credited with inspiring that apex of hippiness, but BC’s “Gentle Monday” — May 1, 1967 — was an expression, albeit muted, of similar sentiments. As the cartoon above implied, Gasson Hall was going to go from straight to groovy that day.

Well, not quite. There were quite a few people there groovin’ as expected, but others apparently were less tolerant of such behavior. What were intended as treats ended up as missiles, with some participants throwing donuts at others, in less than playful ways. There wasn’t a lot of structure to the event, as one might expect about something intended to be spontaneous and freewheeling.

The crowd on Bapst lawn

There was a queen crowned, by classmate Richard Sawaya. And the university administration was represented by George Drury, SJ, director of university personnel services, and the person who had brought “charges” against Heights editors for the public appearance on campus of birth control activist Bill Baird, only a couple of weeks before. If someone can explain the role of “Naked Ned,” I’d welcome it.

Gentle Monday queen Janice Kolar flanked by Fr. Drury on right and Naked Ned on left.

Enjoy some photos from that halcyon, but somewhat marred, day.

There was a second Gentle Monday on April 29, 1968. But, as Marty Funke of The Heights editorial staff put it in his May 7, 1968 opinion piece on page one — “Donuts to Gentle Monday” — it had been “somewhat of a disaster.” Donuts again played a major role. After a band had been playing for a little bit, donuts became available and immediately hit the air. The band, according to Funke, “got bombarded, and gave up in something approximating rage and frustration.”

“The point, children, is this,” concluded Funke. “At the moment, there is no such thing as Gentle Monday. Anybody who sensed what this thing was supposed to be about will never show up again, except as disgusted spectators.”

Here, though, are some photos from Gentle Monday 1968.

1968 actually was the last Gentle Monday for us, as we graduated that June. The Heights in April 1969 refers to a “Gentle Mayday,” and a few photos I believe from it show a couple of balloons not donuts. In 1970, it seems the notions of gentle and fun had run their course. The students at that time were on strike, in opposition to a proposed tuition hike, and with some students occupying Botolph House, office of the BC president.