February 2, 1982

A capacity crowd filled the Cushing Living Room as students and faculty celebrated the 100th birthday of James Joyce with readings from his works and music from Finnegan’s Wake (1939) and Ulysses (1922). “Students Tracy Byrne ’84 and David Pfarrer ’83 read poetry,” reported David Zakon ’85 in The Miscellany News, English department members George O’Brien, Eamon Grennan and Jerry Badanes, “the organizers of the evening, read portions of Ulysses playing the parts of the Citizen, a town wise guy and Leopold Bloom, respectively. Following the reading and performance students Greta Olson ’86 and Matt Bialer ’85 read letters written by Joyce to his wife-to-be, Nora, and portiions of hers to him.”

During February, a display of Joyean materials, “Scenes and Scribblings,” including first editions of Joyce’s works, photographs and personal memorabilia was on view in the Library. “Librarian Joan Murphy,” Zakon concluded, “called the display ’Scenes and Scribblings’ after Joyce’s term for his various writings.” The Miscellany News