Sophomores Surprised by Alumnae Elves
Alumnae "Elf"—Sara Martin ’10 (left) and Tanya Thompson ’10 delight in a goodies bag from Dana Feldshuh Whyte ’60 in a re-creation of an “elfing” scheme designed to bring the two classes together.
Picture this: a couple of older women, large trash bags and flashlights in hand, creeping around a dimly lit MHC dorm in the wee hours of a February night, securing smaller bags to doorknobs. Agatha Christie likely would have followed this escapade with a series of unnerving events. But the only blood in the hallways that night was pooled in the tired eyes of members of the class of 1960 as they “elfed” the sophomore class.
That’s right. The venerable MHC tradition wherein sophomores, their identities a secret, place little gifts at the doors of first-year students over the course of a week in fall, was co-opted by these fun-seeking alums in the spirit of, well, more spirit. And while the entire sophomore class takes a week to accomplish the task, two alumnae and a few students managed to elf nearly all 593 sophomores in just one very long night.
The project, which resembled a Monty Python skit in its nuanced organization and delivery, was outlined in surgical detail by retired anesthesiologist and chief elf organizer Dana Feldshuh Whyte ’60 in a note sent to fellow classmates. “I am just surfacing with multiple body aches and pains and a head buzzing with the juggling of logistics,” Whyte relayed to her pals only slightly tongue-in cheek.
To wit, 600 Chef Jeff cookies were picked up and secured in a room safe from her dogs; extras Kasha Duffield Kingsbury, Heidi Keller Moon, and Joan Corcoran Steiger (all 1960 alumnae) stuffed hundreds of red plastic bags with a cookie, a friendship bracelet, a letter from the class, a brief biography of and poem by fellow alum Emily Dickinson, and a history of the Odyssey bookstore—deemed essential to a well-rounded MHC education. Dorm-access cards were secured from the college.
With student helpers working other dorms, Dana Feldshuh Whyte ’60 and Nancy Zone Bloom ’60, stifling the occasional giggle and no doubt secretly thrilled to be up past their regular bedtimes—delivery was scheduled to begin at 11 p.m.—hung the gift bags on the outside door knobs of sophomores in Dickinson House.
The class of 1960 started connecting with the class of 2010 earlier, too: they accepted an invitation to attend “More for Sophomores” last October, where they staffed a table with memorabilia from their days on campus. Bloom initiated a 1960/2010 e-mail group that by winter had connected fifty-eight sophomores with forty-eight 1960 alumnae to correspond based on interests, careers, and where they’re from.
Elfing the class seemed like a fun next step. “We thought, okay, in the depth of winter a lot [of the students] are sick and have too much work to do, so we’ll pull this surprise,” Whyte recalled.
Their good deed was not ignored. Sara Martin ’10 wrote to Whyte that the bag helped relieve some of the stress and exhaustion she felt during a long night of studying. “Knowing that the class of ’60 was thinking of us, and that you guys had made it through MHC successfully, really put things in perspective and made me feel reassured and cared about.”
She may find herself doubly relieved and cared for next fall, when the elves plan to host a dessert reception for the class of 2010 during a mini-reunion.—M.H.B.
