Dorm Life during World War II

Date
September 19, 1998

Winona Mensch Gray (Class of 1948) describes female dormitory life during World War II in an interview. Gray lived in Metzger Hall during her freshman and sophomore years. She was only one of two sophomores who lived in the hall. She describes Metzger Hall as an "old building with high ceilings." There was a dining room in the basement and wash basins down the hall for laundry. The dean of women lived on the second floor in an apartment. She remembers the beds being uncomfortable. The dean of women required female students to sign out and in when they left from and returned to the dormitory. According to Gray, they were not permitted to play tennis or bridge on Sundays, but they passed other nights with bridge. Women also lived in houses across the street from Metzger Hall, one of which was Gibbs House. Gray recalls that female students who lived in these residences had house mothers and were given more freedoms.

Location of Document in Archives
World War II Oral History, Gray, Winona M.