Stories of Love from Places to Sit on Campus
Valentine’s Day is often about gestures, gifts, and words exchanged that situate romance in the spotlight. Love, though, is obviously much more than that. It’s more experiential, imbued into aromas, the songs we hear, and significantly, the places we exist in together. I often think about the love stories held in the places on Reed’s campus over its hundred year history. I wonder how many people had their awkward yet exhilarating first kiss, or stayed up late talking and falling in love with someone, or met (by chance) the person they wanted to spend the rest of their life with, in the very same places I walk by every day? With that, I bring you two stories that prove that love has the ability to make even places like Reed sacred, and that it really can be as simple as sitting, side-by-side, enjoying one another’s company.
Cerf Amphitheater
If you walk towards the Cerf Amphitheatre from the back of Commons, you’ll be greeted by one of the nicest views of the Canyon. It was fall when I first discovered that on the right side of the ampitheatre, there’s a small clearing that’s just a bit more secluded, where you can look directly at the blue bridge through the autumn leaves. In this spot, I found a simple log bench that had an engraving:
While we were students, we spent many an afternoon in this canyon, and fell in love. On graduation day in May 1945, we were married in the Reed College Amphitheatre.
The engraving on the bench was dedicated to Eileen P. Kuhns and E. Douglas Kuhns. When I started thinking about things to write for Valentine’s Day, I was reminded of this bench and decided to look into their stories. Eileen Pease was a sociology major, and Edward Kuhns studied political science. The two of them were editors of The Quest, and both lived in Portland prior to attending Reed. A more significant and impactful similarity, however, was that they each lost their parents at young ages. Independent and with a drive to succeed, in each other they found “a kindred soul.” I wasn’t able to find any archival photos or mentions of the wedding, but I did find their names in the chapel’s wedding records book. Between 1921 and 1959, almost ninety couples wed in the chapel, mostly Reed seniors or recent alumni, but also students who still had a few years left until graduation. When I go to this bench, sometimes, I imagine the Kuhns’ wedding, looking out into the Canyon in late spring. Out of all the details that come to mind, imagining the amount of elation between the two of them is the most evocative— two people intoxicated by the thrill of finishing four long years of Reed, but also by the excitement of the rest of their lives just about to begin, together.
Thesis Tower
Because of the seismic renovations, the library is a little out of sorts right now. Walking through the stacks can end in frustration for librarians and students alike. Unnoticed, among all the shifting around, are a few pieces of furniture that have special meaning— the end tables and comfy lounge chairs in the reading spot between the North and South Reference rooms. These custom chairs were a part of the 1992 renovation of the thesis tower, made possible because of a donation by Dorothy Atkinson, 28.’ This renovation appeared to be a typical remodeling effort, aimed at making the thesis tower a cozy, well-lit, and accessible place to browse titles and work among the achievements of past Reed students. Atkinson was known for speaking her mind on the project, however, which could have something to do with the fact that the renovation was in honor of her late husband, Neal Atkinson 30’, to whom she had been married since 1934. Neal Atkinson and Dorothy Shapiro individually made their marks on campus, and together they shared a passion for tennis, campus involvement, and even the same major, economics. Crucial to this story of the thesis tower renovation, though, is lore about how the couple would often work side-by-side, holding hands as they did readings and thesis work. This is likely why, in former librarian Victoria Hanawalt’s thesis tower dedication speech, she remarked that Dorothy insisted on very specific types of end tables and chairs, the reason being that “she wanted students to have a place on which to leave love notes.” Details like these acknowledge that the library has always had significance beyond studying, and that it is a place where powerful love emerges in soft and subtle ways, like whispers of conversation among the stacks of books. When our own renovations in the next few years are completed, the furniture that serves as a reminder of this tale of love will finally return to the tower. But until then, take a moment to find them in their temporary home, maybe have a seat, and write a few love letters of your own.