The Ghost of Christmas Past
An invitation to A Christmas Carol furnished by Jo Pitkin K'78. Click on the image for a larger view.
At some point in Kirkland’s history, a new holiday tradition arose. To the delight of her students, some members of the faculty and administration gathered to recite A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. This dramatic reading was variously held in the Red Pit, in the Kirner-Johnson auditorium, and in a candlelit lounge in McEwen (near where Cafe Opus is currently located). Read President Sam Babbitt’s recollections of this annual celebratory event and add your own:
“The reading of A Christmas Carol was great fun – all faculty, reading from a version that I edited so that I read most of the descriptions, and they did all the dialogue. What sticks in my mind was the terrifying moans that emanated from Gene Putala as Marley’s ghost!
I think our (my?) original thought was to read the whole Christmas Carol, but then that would have taken too long, so I began to edit, and we thought it would be great to have faculty/staff do the dialogue. I don’t remember doing it four times, but at least twice. . . .the details fade, except for Gene’s moans, and I wore a top hat with holly in the band. I still have it.”
by Jo Pitkin K’78 and Judy Silverstein Gray K’78
Kirkland College 
I have to admit that the picture in my mind is in the Red Pit. Jammed with Kirkland students, but many Hamiltonians as well.
It was also done in the KJ auditorium one year…
Very very cool – thanks for sharing this!
There is so much about Kirkland I do not know. I couldn’t read well. I was constantly working to earn money and I was very isolated because of my background with an alcoholic family. I had no idea this happened. How lovely! I am still very committed to bringing Kirkland back as a self governing circle of women within Hamilton. We need to know what only Kirkland gave us.