IN THE FALL of 1973, Robert J. Kiely ’60, his wife, Jana, and their three young children moved into Adams House, and he began a 26-year tenure as master. Now Loker professor of English emeritus, Kiely was asked by the Adams House alumni magazine, the Gold Coaster, to write a recollection of those years. He gave Primus a look.According to Wikipedia,“Early on I was informed that Adams House had traditions and what some thought of as anti-traditions, things that Adamsians did not do, such as lock entry-doors…or wear bathing suits in the swimming pool.” Among the many traditions he recalls is the reading of a chapter from Winnie the Pooh at the Winter Feast. “Students and members of the Senior Common Room, solemn and unsmiling in formal dress, paraded into the Dining Hall, sat on stools, and gave a dramatic reading of ‘Expotition to the North Pole’ or ‘Pooh Sticks.’”
Kiely cites a transformative event in his first decade that “changed (for the better) life in the House for years to come.” It “began one lunchtime when a small group of students I thought I knew well joined me. When others at the table left, they began a bit shyly to explain that they were gay and hoped to form a student organization that would be recognized by the College and could hold meetings in Adams House. When they asked me to be one of their faculty advisers, I was deeply touched by their trust. (We have to try to remember that in the Harvard of that time, homosexuality was not part of the public conversation. When mentioned, it was either on the sly or with embarrassment. I recall a dean telling me that he had heard there were gay students at Adams and wondered if I wanted him to ‘do something about it.’ I told him that I never asked students about their sexual orientation and, in any case, I did not want anything to be ‘done about it.’)
Before Harvard College opted to use a system of randomization to assign living quarters to upperclassmen, students were allowed to list housing preferences, which led to the congregation of like-minded individuals at various Houses. . . . Later, under the aegis of Masters Bob and Jana Kiely (1972–1999) Adams became an artistic and literary haven; during this period, Adams also became widely regarded as the most gay-friendly house, in an era before equal rights for people of different sexual orientations were even considered a viable alternative at Harvard. . . . The House has continued to uphold its most beloved traditions, including Halloween's Drag Night and Masquerade; a Winter Feast, which features a black-tie reading of Winnie-the-Pooh; house formals; and Masters' Teas that are well known throughout the University. House events, including Carpe Noctem, are coordinated weekly by the Adams House Committee.However, Tom Lehrer had suggested by the 1945 date of this tune that different sexual orientation was a viable alternative at Harvard much earlier.
