By Phil Hoeppner, from . Photos from the ż 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 “the smoker,” for obvious reasons, was a popular venue frequented by smokers and non-smokers alike. Playing cards — bridge, in particular — was a favorite way to pass time between classes.
Alumnae from the Class of 1969 remember it fondly:
- “I was a day student and used the smoker in St. Joe’s. ... 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 ż’s or courting a special Katie.” — Jane Kostik
- “Sister Kevin (aka Sister Mary O’Hara) would on occasion come into the St. Joe’s 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!” — Kathleen Donnelly
- “Thinking 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 ż’s, a group of us started talking and laughing, and six years later he and I got married. Who knew?” — Katie Palmsten
Today, mindful of health and wellness, we are a smoke-free campus.
St. Joe’s wasn’t 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!
