Botts Departing

After six years as co-masters of Dunster House. Raoul and Phyllis Bott will step down in June, they announced this week.

"We had originally planned to stay for only a few years, and we finally decided that it was time to let a younger couple take over," Raoul Bott said yesterday.

Bott described his tenure as "a lot of fun" but added that "being responsible for a family of 300 people gets a bit tiring."

Last night Dean of the College John B. Fox Jr. '59 met with Dunster residents to discuss the process of selecting Bott's replacement. Fox asked that the discussions be kept off the record so that students could "speak openly."

A standing committee comprised of Fox, President Bok, Dean of the Faculty Henry Rosovsky, and Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education Sidney Verba '53, will ultimately make the appointment, Fox said.

But Fox added that the committee will seek input from a student advisory committee. He also asked house members at the meeting to submit nominations and descriptions of the qualities they would like to see in the new master.

Fox said he will meet again with students in about two weeks to discuss the matter in greater detail.

But he added that a final appointment may not be made until the spring.

"Masters are usually drawn from the ranks of the tenured Faculty of Arts and Sciences, although appointments have also been made from other faculties and the University's senior administrative staff." Fox told the gathering.

Raoul Bott, who is Graustein Professor of Mathematics, filled the vacancy left by the departure of Law School Dean James Vorenberg '49 in 1968.

Dunster residents yesterday described Bott as a very visible and friendly master. "He's very personal in a familial way," said Pauline Remenyi '85.

Bott will remain affiliated with the house as he continues his work in the mathematics department, said the departing master.