holidays – The Riffin' Griffin

From the Ashes of Vandalism and Theft, a New Boar’s Head Rises

A long, long time ago, there was Boarus: the first boar’s head. Alas he was stolen and brutishly attacked by three dogs (who gnawed off one of his ears). After his career ending injury sometime ago, he retired and Boarus Jr. took up the mantle of Boar’s Head until his retirement last year. Not to leave an opening in the procession, we now have a third contender for the Boar’s Head.

This young, up-and-coming prospect hails from an unknown curio shop, picked up by an alum and graciously donated to Alumni Relations. This new boar’s head was drafted first overall by the Reed Alumni Relations, after impressing scouts with its ability to win staring contests and being overall unwieldy and heavy. But, what the boar makes up for in unwieldiness and overall prowess as a boar’s head, it lacks in a name, and this is where you come in, dear alum.

We, Alumni Relations, must identify this nameless boar’s head, and we need your input. We need a name, any name will do, Wilbur, Franklin, Boarus Jr the III, or even Chris P. Bacon. It does not matter, we just need something shorter than the boar. Our draft pick requires a name by December 12 in order for him to participate in the holiday festivities in time. Got an idea? Submit a suggestion now!

Scouting New Prospects,

William Clarke ’27

A visit from…Boarus?

More rapid than owls, his coursers they came.

And he whistled and shouted, and called them by name;

Now Diver! Now Doyle! Now Chittick and Ladd!

On Foster! On Scholz! On Quincy in plaid!

So up to the holiday party they flew

for eating with friends and dancing too.

As the holiday season approaches, so does Reed’s annual alumni holiday party. Have you heard the Reed myth about a group of people dressed in black druidic robes, marching in a hallowed procession that includes a cappella singing, torches, and a boar’s head on a pallet? This curious scene isn’t just lore; it’s the annual alumni holiday party. This yuletide celebration dates to the college’s early years, with the boar’s head procession appearing in the 1920s and becoming quite the beloved tradition.

For many years in England, a roasted boar’s head has been associated with holiday feasting. The custom may be associated with the Norse practice of sacrificing a boar to the god Freyr during the winter solstice, in order to gain his favor in the new year. It seems that the tradition moved from Scandinavia to England with St. Stephen, whose feast day is December 26. The “Boar’s Head Carol” dates to the 15th century, and the words and tune used in Reed’s performance are the same as those sung every Christmas at Queen’s College, Oxford.

We hope that whether you’re able to join us for this festive occasion on campus on December 13 or not, you’ll have a great holiday season. Stay tuned for updates on our friend dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot.

Sending holiday cheer,

The Alumni Relations Team

Historical Hijinks

Wacky hijinks and antics are part of the Reedie lifestyle. I’ve heard rumors that in the 70s, the Yale Insider’s Guide to Colleges said, “Reedies are a strange lot and they know it.” Pranks, goofs, and straight-up oddity has often been a part of the Reed ethos for eons, but many of the April Fool’s Day pranks rule them all: toothbrush gardens, swiped owls, and geodesic domes in Eliot Circle.

These photos from ye Olde Reed highlight Reedie antics perfectly…but now that I’m thinking about it, what prompted these photos/events? No seriously, does anyone know??

Confused and intrigued,

Taliah Churchill ’25

Pi Day Comes Full Circle

The symbol π, as every Reedie knows, represents a fundamental geometrical constant—the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter—whose precise value is elusive, but which famously begins 3.14159. π has become a delightful excuse to celebrate in the spring with pizza, pie, and Euclidean tomfoolery–on March 14th, Pi Day.

Of course a holiday like Pi Day would take off at Reed! An excuse to eat Lauretta Jean’s pie, grab a slice from Commons, and argue about the validity of mathematical concepts fits right in with the Reed ethos. Folks around campus jump in–the Library historically went all out, and one could not even dip into any of the Pi Day pies until exactly 1:59 in the afternoon; pies might be found in any number of offices in Eliot; and the SU is often filled with students competing to recite the most digits.

What many don’t know is that Pi Day itself can be traced back to Reed as well, through Larry Shaw ’61. Larry was a physics major at Reed, before going on to be the technical curator for the Exploratorium, a science museum in San Francisco. In 1988, he came up with the idea of honoring the influential constant with an annual party. The Exploratorium celebrated its first Pi Day on March 14 at 1:59 p.m.

Larry believed the best part of Pi Day was its ability to make math seem accessible and fun to folks who may have suffered through it during their school days. He was honored that it became such a national holiday. π may be an irrational number, but Larry’s celebration of it was rational, civil, and orderly.

For 38 years, he donned his red cap emblazoned with the magic digits and led a parade of museumgoers, each of them holding a sign bearing one of the digits of π. They would march in strict order, with 3 in front, the decimal point next, and then 141592653489 . . . Of course the number of sign carriers was exhausted long before the infinite digits of pi.

Larry passed away in 2017, but his memory lives on as we celebrate the holiday. Rest assured, Larry condoned all varieties of pie; per his wife, “He didn’t have a favorite, he ate everything.” Grab a slice of your favorite and join us today in toasting Larry and π.

Larry Shaw ’61, with his Pi shirt and cap

Love Is In The Air

‘Tis the season…of love! Many a couple has been formed at Reed college, and while not all of them make it out of the bubble intact, there are still so many others with tales sure to make even the most cynical Reedie’s heart melt.

This Valentine’s Day I want to share with you the story of (to my knowledge) the oldest living Reed couple, Eva Labby ’51 and Arnold Labby ’51. Arnold recently celebrated his 100th birthday with his wife of 67 years, Eva, in their lovely home just outside of Portland and near their mutual alma mater: Reed College.

Arnold and Eva on vacation in the French Marquesas in 2006

For an oral history project with the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education, Arnold recounts their first date: “…my brother Bob had a blind date with Lorie, his wife, Lorie Carrow. She wasn’t quite sure about him…So she brought along Eva, and the next thing I knew Bob was yelling up the stairs to me, “Get dressed! You’re going out.” “Who am I going out with?” “You’ll find out when you come down.” It was Eva, and that’s how we met.”

While they attended Reed at the same time, and even went on that date before they both graduated, they didn’t really get together until years later, when they reconnected in San Francisco.

In San Francisco, they were only “buddies” at first, as Eva called it. One day, Arnold mentioned he was going back up to Portland to visit family and offered Eva a ride if she wanted to come along. She ended up forgetting about his offer….until the next morning, when he showed up at her door with a pot of hot coffee. He told her “If you want to go, I’ll wait,” and that he did. They drove to Portland together and later in the week even attended the same party. On the way back down to San Francisco, Eva realized she suddenly saw Arnold in a new light.

Some time later, after a night in with a home cooked dinner, the pair was watching The Maltese Falcon and Arnold proposed! Three days later, Eva accepted, and the rest is history. The happy couple has since spent the last 6 and a half decades together, with their three children.

You can read more about these sweethearts and others here in the Winter 2007 edition of the Reed Magazine.

Are you a #Reedie4Reedies person? Refuse to ever date another Reedie? Married four times but just keep coming back to other Reedies? Tell me about it and give me hope?

Awaiting my reed romance,

Taliah Churchill ’25