Corporation to Consider Naming House for JFK

President Pusey said yesterday that "there is a certain attractiveness" to the proposal to name the Tenth House after John F. Kennedy '40, but cautioned that the final decision must be made by the Corporation.

Last night, Charles A. Coolidge '17, Senior Fellow of the Corporation, agreed that the suggestion is "interesting and worthy of consideration," but stressed that "it is important for us to get the money and start building the House before we worry about a name."

The proposal to name the House after the late President was made Monday night by the Winthrop House Committee and has since received strong support from several other House committees and from the Harvard Council on Undergraduate Affairs.

Although the suggestion will undoubtedly receive serious consideration from the Administration, it became obvious yesterday that there is one major and perhaps insuperable obstacle--the John F. Kennedy Memorial Library which will soon be build across the Charles River from Dunster House.

Pusey and others pointed out yesterday that there are serious objections of both tradition and taste to naming two buildings practically next door to each other after the same person.

Said one Harvard official, "This is an appropriate, good, and understandable idea, but it would have a much better chance if there were no Kennedy Library."

Preserve for Posterity

He pointed out that the Library "is what Kennedy wanted above all else" to preserve the history of his Administration for posterity, and stressed that the building will probably be finished before the Tenth House is even started.

There is tremendous pressure on the University to set up the Library as soon as possible. It was reported from Washington yesterday that the White House hopes to send many of Kennedy's papers to Harvard "within the next few weeks."

The Two Lowells

The only buildings at the University which now bear the same name are Lowell House and Lowell Lecture Hall, but it was pointed out yesterday that only the Lecture Hall is really named after President A. Lawrence Lowell. Lowell House was named to honor the entire Lowell family for its contributions to Harvard over the years.

In its letter to the President and five Fellows, the Winthrop Committee said "We believe that John Kennedy did much to lend distinction to the ideals for which Harvard stands.

"In his public life he endorsed the value of the intellectual enterprise and its importance in government. In his personal life he maintained an interest in this University and contributed unselfishly to its continued growth."