Lower Campus, 1967 (Sub Turri photo)
Second semester. In the busiest stretches of basketball and hockey seasons. Beanpot. Winter Weekend. Still cold. Here’s a sampling of what was going on at BC and in the world in Februarys, 1965-68
1965
Ad, The Heights, February 12, 1965
Lots of attention to the Peace Corps. The Heights of February 12 ran a page one story on Peace Corps recruiters coming to campus and a two-page feature — “If You Would Like to Change the World” — on the Kennedy administration initiative. Broadcasting to hundreds over the campus phone lines, WVBC, subject of a page-long feature in the February 19 Heights, was “The Voice of Boston College.”
1966
The campus residential community was gripped by “the grippe” in mid-February. Campus officials were forceful in declaring that the vomiting and severe stomach cramps were not connected to food served on campus. (Why would anyone think food in McElroy might have been the cause?) We’ll expand on the topic later, but the February 18 Heights devoted its editorial pages to the living conditions BC resident women endured at the time. An editorial chastised the administration for providing only “lip-service and sympathy” rather than long-promised action. An article reported the history of women’s housing and another described “The Present Situation.”
Scene from sophomore (1968) skit, “Days of Wine and Robes”
The Heights of February 25 reported on a meeting of the “Food Committee” of the Council of Resident Men with “Mr. Coughlin,” director of food services. The Food Committee provided Mr. Coughlin (no first name mentioned in article) with a list of 14 recommendations and Mr. Coughlin did approve the request for different kinds of ice cream. There was a two-page spread in the same edition on “The Ed Skits,” the popular competition among classes in the School of Education. More on those also to come.
1967
Citing the “nature, aims, and tactics” of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), the February 10 Heights reported, the Campus Council, governing body for BC students, rejected SDS’s application to be recognized officially as a BC student organization. Page 2 of the same edition featured a large ad for an organization most often pretty secretive. The National Security Agency was looking for “Mathematicians with Versatility & Imagination.” Starting salaries of $7,729-$12,873 were offered, with the promise that “increases follow swiftly.” There was also another feature article on Middle Earth, featuring a photo of classmate Bill Dalton. The February 24 edition carried the announcement that BC had accepted an invitation to the NCAA Basketball Tournament.
1968
Our final semester at BC started off with the announcement in the February 2 Heights of the resignation of President Michael P. Walsh, SJ, effective June 30. He had been president since 1958 and also said his successor would be a Jesuit. Two articles in the same edition reflected something of the political turbulence and uncertainty of the time — growing national student support for the presidential candidacy of Sen. Eugene McCarthy and a report that draft deferments to attend graduate school were in doubt.
Outside world
1965
Police in Selma, Ala., began the month by arresting over two days more than 1,200 civil rights protestors. An editorial in the February 9 edition of the Washington Post about a series of joint US-South Vietnam air attacks on North Vietnam, said, “. . . withdrawal from South Vietnam would not gain peace, but only lead to another war,” and added, “The United States Government has taken the only course available to it, if it does not wish to surrender.” The home of Malcolm X in Queens, New York, was firebombed on the night of February 13. He, his wife, and four children inside are unharmed. A Canadian flag featuring a red and white maple leaf design made its debut February 15. On February 21, Malcolm X was assassinated by rival Black Muslims as he prepared to give a speech to the Organization of Afro-American Unity. He was 39 years old.
1966
The board of governors of the National Hockey League voted February 9 to double the size of the NHL, to 12 teams. Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann goes on sale February 10 and quickly rises to the top of the best-seller list. The first observance of “Festivus” takes place February 12. The Soviet Union launched two dogs aboard a satellite into orbit on February 22. They orbited the earth for 22 days and returned safely.
1967
The month began with an increase in the federal minimum wage from $1.25 to $1.40. The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour made its debut February 5 on CBS. The Beatles released on February 13 a “double A-side” 45-rpm record containing Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields Forever. The Pontiac Firebird made its first appearance on February 25.
1968
Former Vice-President Richard Nixon announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for President on February 1. Federal minimum wage went from $1.40 to $1.60. Planet of the Apes premiered February 8. The first active demonstration of a 9-1-1 emergency call was made February 16. That same day, the US Selective Service announced the removal of draft deferments for most graduate students seeking master’s degrees. On February 24, Fleetwood Mac released its eponymous debut album. The South Vietnam city of Hue was declared secure and rid of North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops February 26, bringing defeat to their Tet Offensive. On February 27, CBS news announcer Walter Cronkite opined on a national broadcast that it was “now more certain than ever” that the war in Vietnam would end in stalemate and urged negotiation.