Kittredge Celebrated Eightieth Birthday Quietly With Family

It was just the end of another working day for George L. Kittredge '82, professor of English, emeritus, as he quietly celebrated his 80th birthday at a gathering of his children and grand-children at his home yesterday evening.

Having retired four years ago after 48 years on the College faculty, "Kitty" still appears to be in excellent health. He claims to have been ill only two weeks in 50 years, and says he owes his superb condition to "good ancestry" and "decent living."

Annotating Plays

Presently at work compiling extensive notes on all of Shakespeare's plays, Professor Kittredge spends eight hours daily on research both at home and in the Widener Library. "I can't stop working," he explained. "I hope to live to complete the notes and editing on the entire list of plays--and I see no reason why I shouldn't." He is an ardent student of Shakespeare and his formula for understanding the-dramatist is to "read him and find out what he says."

Innumerable stories have been told about his scholarships and his personality. When he taught his famous course, English 2, one of his rules was that no student should cough in his classroom; another that no one could enter the room with his hat on. He invariably marched straight across Harvard Square, regardless of traffic, staying the onrushing trucks by flourishing his cane.

He was once asked his opinions concerning the Bacon-Shakespeare controversy. "Kitty" gave a typical reply. "I'll agree that Bacon wrote Shakespeare if you'll tell me who wrote Bacon." It is also said that one night he met two students, who were trying to sing "Frankie and Johnny." "You have it all wrong," he said. Then he stood on the sidewalk and personally gave them the correct version.