Winthrop Combines Informality, Athletics

Still friendly, athletic, and informal, the character of Winthrop is nevertheless slowly changing: the balance between scholar and athlete is probably more closely approximated now than in years past.

The dining hall retains its comparatively jovial atmosphere, the athletic teams, with few exceptions, continue to perform well (Winthrop is currently leading in the Straus Trophy competition), and the recreation and common rooms still attract varied groups of students.

But beyond this, Winthrop, guided by Housemaster Ronald M. Ferry '12 and Senior Tutor Daniel S. Cheever '39, has substantially improved its scholastic performance, conspicuously highlighted by the fact that the House now contains two Rhodes Scholars and three Phi Beta Kappa's. As Ferry notes, "Winthrop is now more balanced in respect to scholarship than it has been in the past."

Coinciding with this improved academic performance is the growing interest, part of a general Harvard awakening, of Winthrop men in their two annual plays: the House play given before the Christmas recess and the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta, which this year will be The Mikado. The latter production, currently being rehearsed, has obtained expanded theatrical facilities and as a result will be a much more ambitious and lavish undertaking than operetta in previous years.

The able and accessible tutorial staff, representative of a wide range of subjects, has done much to create and sustain the more intellectual atmosphere of the House. The informed tutor-student relationship has expressed itself in a number of ways, one of which is the growth of a tutor-encouraged play reading group. Always helpful and constructive, the tutors are well integrated in the life of the House, to the mutual advantage of both students and faculty.

Life in Winthrop is active. Early in the fall each resident tutor plays host to the undergraduates in his particular entry, mixing drinks with conversation. There are also a number of House "mixers" and dances throughout the yea, and one or two general outings. This year, for example, on the Friday night before the Princeton game house members retired to a suburban inn for an enjoyable evening of dancing. Special dinners are also often arranged, following which prominent guests, Joseph Alsop being the most recent, speak in the Junior Common Room.

The House Library, fairly quiet, and usually well filled, has a particularly fine selection in English and Government, and contains a good record collection which can be signed out or used in the record-listening room. Ping-Pong and pool tables can be found in the recreation room, while popular superintendent Gordon Ramey gives direction to the House darkroom.

Despite the increased intellectual current in Winthrop, it remains true that there are very few blatantly pseudo-aesthetic people in the House. Other than this segment, most other "types" are included in the House without becoming molded by it. It thus provides ample outlets for the interested without seeking to impose on the privacy of the individual.

Rooms for Rent

There are three singles ($115), 16 doubles ($130-240), 15 triples ($150-205), 14 quadruples ($115-195), and two quintuples ($170) available in Winthrop for next year.