Surprise Gifts Brighten Valentine's Day

Hundreds of students woke up yesterday morning to a mysterious Valentine’s Day surprise—a red carnation in their doorbox and an anonymous note.

The flowers and notes—each signed “You are loved”—were bought and delivered by a group of 120 undergraduates who “wanted to show love to fellow students,” according to a spokesperson for the group.

Repeated attempts to speak with students involved in the Valentine’s Day surprise led to referrals to a student who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

After weeks of planning, the students dropped off the flowers in every House between 6 and 8 a.m. and handed them out during breakfast and lunch at Annenberg.

Yesterday also marked the release of the results of the Harvard Computer Society’s annual Datamatch survey, which was taken by 1,539 students in search of a compatible mate or at least a good joke.

Luke R. Long ’03 sent out an e-mail to the 10 women with whom he was matched, asking them to reply if they believed themselves to be “the one.”

Long said he hopes to find “the perfect woman to marry and take back home to Wyoming to raise four kids on a farm with [him].”

Despite Long’s rigorous requirements for a mate—his e-mail instructed women with bad breath or “BO” not to response—recipient Racquel N. Bracken ’05 replied to the e-mail within a few hours.

Bracken said that amid Harvard’s sluggish dating scene, she found Long’s advances “hilarious and admirable.”

Alexander H. Salskov ’04 piqued the interest of many on the Winthrop House’s open e-mail list when he asked what he had to do to reserve the Junior Common Room for an undisclosed activity to surprise his girlfriend—who was visiting for the holiday from the University of Washington.

It turned out that what Salskov had in mind was a romantic but wholesome evening of dancing to classical tunes played on the cello by his roommate Joshua F. Evans ’04.

Gena S. Ciccone ’04 turned 20 yesterday and celebrated by going to dinner at Harvest with long-time boyfriend Christopher J. Reisig ’04, who capped off the evening with a dozen roses and presents.

“I’m very a lucky and happy girl today!” Ciccone gushed.

As expected, businesses in Harvard Square thrived on the holiday. Harvard Square Flowers on Holyoke Street predicted their stock of roses would be gone before the afternoon was over due to customers’ “preference for classics.”

Upscale eateries Harvest and Sandrine’s told last-minute callers the only options for a dinner reservation were 5 or 10 p.m.—since their prime dining hours had been booked for days.

And superintendents at all the Houses said they were overrun with students coming to pick up flowers and other parcels.