Talk:Winthrop House

-- Identity mistake -- former Senior Tutor.

The James von der Heydt identified as Senior Tutor of Winthrop House 2003-06 is not the same one with a Wikipedia page as "author." This sentence should say "James von der Heydt, great-nephew of the author [with Wikipedia page] and federal judge James von der Heydt." — Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.244.174.66 (talk) 17:27, 8 March 2017 (UTC)

Edward Kennedy and Stein Clubs

"Stein Clubs" were unknown in River houses of the late 1970s/early 1980s, and therefore I suspect the connexion to Teddy K may be apocryphal. Documentation needed.

• I certainly never heard of such a thing when I lived in Winthrop House a couple of years in the early 60s. And being a guy who would drink a brew from time to time, I'm pretty sure I would have heard of it. I still have, as a matter of fact, a large white beer stein with the Winthrop House emblem on it, plus my nickname....

-In response: The Teddy K connection is apocryphal. It seems to refer to an article in the Harvard Independent that was an exaggeration of actual house events. However, Stein Clubs do happen on a weekly basis in Winthrop in recent years, and are very well attended.

• • I'm also astonished to see that JFK's apartment is now apparently set aside for VIPs. It's possible that he lived in more than one during his time there. To my own knowledge, at least one of them was fairly modest, a small living room, a tiny bedroom with a double-decker bunk, and a bathroom with, at least, a decent tub. I suppose there was a closet somewhere but I forget where. On November 7, 1960, or whatever the exact date of the election was, I was sitting in the small living room of my apartment on the ground floor at the far end of the building nearest the road and the river; in the fireplace was a small black and white TV belonging to my roommate (Mick Ault), on which I watched the election returns until 3 in the morning, at which point it was still undecided and I went to bed. The next day, while having lunch at Guten Essen up by the Square, we saw on the TV over the bar that JFK had finally won. In any case, I was told at the time I moved into that particular apartment that it was the one that JFK had lived in.... Hayford Peirce 03:57, 2 November 2006 (UTC)

(-In Response: One of the rooms JFK had lived in (possibly the one you're referring to) was remodeled by the Institute of Politics. The wall between the bedroom and common room was removed and furniture, carpet, and decor were changed to make it a more comfortable accommodation for VIPs.)

• • Then they would have had to remove the fireplace as well -- it was against the wall that separated the living room from the bedroom and it was not a very long wall. Hayford Peirce 23:40, 3 November 2006 (UTC)
  • Now that I've had the opportunity to visit the Kennedy Suite, I do not believe it is the one in which you lived. The room has a rather large study and a rather large bedroom, that accommodates two twin beds. The study's fireplace is still intact. The Kennedy Suite is the room he lived in during his senior year - perhaps your room was his sophomore or junior year room?
    • You're almost certainly correct. My suite was really very modest -- it was ground-floor, looked out on Storrow Drive or whatever it was, and had almost instant access to the exit door leading in that direction (where we could jump the fence and be on the sidewalk), and had a quite small living room with a fireplace, a tiny sleeping room with, I guess, a closet, a double bunk bed, a chest of drawers, and a door that led to a small bathroom that had, nevertheless, an old-fashioned 5.5 foot bathtub. Hayford Peirce 03:14, 14 November 2006 (UTC)

Thropstock

Documentation needed for the claim that Jimi Hendrix played at Thropstock in 1968. Since the name "Thropstock" is itself a nod to the Woodstock concert of 1969, this claim seems erroneous perhaps purposely so.

-In Response: The Jimi Hendrix claim is erroneous. It seems to refer to an article in the Harvard Independent that was an exaggration of actual house events.

Alumni

Though Alan "Scooter" Zackheim might not be of the same historical relevance as the other alums on the list, I think his name is worthy of inclusion. Someone who has won a reality TV series is certainly a "noteworthy" alumnus.