Issue link: http://ihouse.uberflip.com/i/1277915
1946 - 47 Members of the American Friends Service Committee and American Civil Liberties Union ask residents to help test a Berkeley ordinance prohibiting restaurants and bars from refusing service to people of color. 1950's The Coffee Shop (now known as the I-House Cafe) is a popular place to meet people from around the world. I loved everything about the place: the Great Hall, the good food in the Dining Room, the relaxing ambiance of the Coffee Shop, and Friday night dances, but most of all I loved meeting the world. My year at I-House grounded my studies in anthropology and strengthened my view that the commonalities among cultures outweigh our differences. There were many activities when we mixed with all residents… dances on Friday night, folk dancing with a professional teacher, and the remarkable festivals produced by Eugenie Carneiro. We even had an I-House chorus. 1952 - 55 – Ladd Griffith (IH 1952-55) We had some establishments fined and some closed. After a few weeks, no Berkeley bar or restaurant would have dared to refuse service to a non-white customer! – Christiane Gilberte Barbarin Cook (IH 1946-47) - Phyllis Finkel Mattson (IH 1951-52) Many students are veterans, some are refugees, resistance fighters, and Holocaust survivors. 1947 - 52 – Jean Sullivan Dobrzensky So what made those years 'Golden'? Friendships made on ski trips; all- night conversations; heated discussions; language tables; Council meetings; and Festivals. The motto 'That Brotherhood May Prevail' was taken seriously. During the big flood of 1958, water pours through the Dining Room, patio, Great Hall and down the front steps of I-House. 1958 W. Sheridan Warrick is appointed Executive Director following the retirement of Allen Blaisdell. Throughout the turbulence of the 60s and 70s, Warrick maintains I-House as a home for peace, understanding, and free speech. 1961 1969 Students remove the doors separating the men's and women's sections of the House and Warrick chooses to ignore the transgression. Soon after, the men's and women's lounges are integrated, forming today's library. Week-long Lodestar retreats led by Program Director Donna Dickinson, assisted by Barbara Lynch and Irene Prescott, feature intense discussions and build lasting friendships. One alum fondly recalls the retreats: I came to Lodestar to find myself and I discovered the world. 1963 - 82