Making Friends at ‘The Inn’

Your magazine is so full of interesting stories letters and tidbits that I cannot bring myself to toss them out ’til they’re read. Which means I keep older ones around, to my wife’s exasperation.

So I finally read the June 2025 edition and found the wonderful history by Hallie Graham ’27 of the Princeton Inn, now known as Forbes College. It is understandable that younger alumni focus on its transition to Forbes in the mid-’80s. But at least many of them wanted The Inn to keep that historic original name.

So please allow me a moment to recall that amazing school year of 1970-71, which was The Inn’s first as a residential dorm. It was also my class’s senior year, thus we had first choice of senior year rooms. Incredible luck got me a second floor single, over the entrance to The Inn. And because it had been a hotel, every room had a private bathroom with a shower. Each hallway itself was co-ed!

The sudden opening of The Inn as a dorm was caused by the long-desired move by the University to coeducation. Most of the Class of ’71 had already spent three years marching against racism, against the draft, and — especially — against the war in Vietnam. But we had also protested against the stubborn continuation of the (nearly) all-male University environment, which by the late great ’60s seemed perverse.

Thankfully the trustees saw the light, and by our senior year there was an influx of transfer and freshman women students. What a dream come true. Not just for socio-sexual growth, but also for the development of true male-female friendships. Before, women had been so rare on campus Monday through Friday that being with them on weekends seemed more of a chase for a rare “conquest” than a desire for meaningful relationships.

The environment at Princeton Inn made the growth of those friendships on a more long-term basis possible, and wonderful. Even 55 years on, my recall of so many wonderful women that I befriended is strong. The likes of University trustee Liz Plater-Zyberk ’72, Lisa Halaby ’74 (now known as Queen Noor), Darcy Jannarone ’72, Coke Murchison ’74 … I could go on and on. All of them were very bright, very personable young women, and it was a perfect environment to meet and befriend them.

Yes, the Princeton Inn’s history as Forbes College is no doubt rich for its alumni. But oh, that first glorious year … . As the surfers say, “You shoulda been here yesterday.”